5 Underrated Journals For Early Game Design Choices

Posted by Gemma Ellison

July 31, 2025

5 Underrated Journals For Early Game Design Choices

Every game starts with a seed, a spark of an idea. But that spark can quickly turn into a wildfire if not properly managed. Early game design choices, often made with limited information, can ripple outwards, creating unforeseen problems down the line. A well-maintained game dev journal is your firebreak, helping you track, understand, and control the growth of your project.

The Problem: The Snowball Effect of Undocumented Decisions

Imagine this: You decide early on that your RPG will have a stamina system. Seemed reasonable at the time. Two months later, you’re implementing new enemy types and realize the stamina system completely breaks the combat flow. Why did you even choose stamina in the first place? Without a record, you’re left guessing and potentially making costly revisions based on hazy memories.

This is the snowball effect: a small, seemingly insignificant decision early on grows into a major obstacle later. The solution? Diligent tracking of your game development progress through a dedicated game development log.

Journaling Styles From the Trenches: 5 Case Studies

Let’s examine five journaling styles, learning from the successes and failures of indie game developers. These are real-world examples of how different approaches to journaling can impact your project.

1. The “Post-Mortem Lite” Journal

Concept: A condensed version of a full post-mortem, focused on key decisions and their justifications.

Story: Solo developer Anya, working on a pixel art platformer, used this style. She’d document each major feature addition with a short paragraph explaining why she chose that specific implementation. For example: “Implemented wall jumping. Chose a generous window for input because I want the game to feel fluid and forgiving, not punishing.”

How It Helped: Months later, when playtesters complained about wall jumping feeling “floaty,” Anya could immediately refer back to her reasoning. She understood the trade-off she’d made and could adjust the window with a clear understanding of the design intent, instead of blindly tweaking values.

Actionable Steps:

After each significant feature implementation, write a short entry addressing: "What was the goal?", "Why did I choose this approach?", "What are the potential drawbacks?".
Prioritize clarity over detail. Focus on the why behind your choices.

2. The “Problem-Solution” Log

Concept: A focused journal dedicated to tracking problems encountered and solutions implemented.

Story: Mark, leading a small team on a narrative adventure game, struggled with scope creep. He implemented a “Problem-Solution” log, documenting every design challenge and the solutions considered (including those rejected).

How It Hindered: Initially, this system backfired. Mark spent so much time documenting every problem, even minor ones, that actual development slowed.

Learnings: The key is filtering. Only document significant design roadblocks that require deliberate problem-solving. Don’t get bogged down in trivial issues.

Actionable Steps:

Create a simple table with columns for “Problem,” “Solutions Considered,” “Solution Implemented,” and “Reasoning.”
Only use this log for problems that take more than a few hours to solve. Quick fixes don’t need formal documentation.
Regularly review the log to identify recurring problems and potential systemic issues.

3. The “Visual Inspiration” Scrapbook

Concept: A visual journal filled with screenshots, sketches, and references that inspire the game’s aesthetic and gameplay.

Story: David, a solo developer making a retro-style RPG, felt his game lacked a cohesive visual identity. He started a visual scrapbook, collecting screenshots from his favorite games, concept art, and even photos of real-world locations.

How It Helped: By constantly revisiting his scrapbook, David was able to solidify his visual style and ensure consistency across the game’s assets. He also discovered unexpected gameplay ideas sparked by the visuals.

Actionable Steps:

Create a dedicated folder (digital or physical) for collecting visual inspiration.
Regularly review the folder and annotate images with notes about what inspires you.
Don’t be afraid to draw inspiration from diverse sources, not just other video games.

4. The “Design Pillars” Refresher

Concept: A journal dedicated to reaffirming and refining the core design pillars of your game.

Story: Sarah, leading a team on a complex strategy game, found that the project was losing focus as development progressed. They decided to dedicate their Monday morning meetings to revisiting and refining their design pillars.

How It Helped: These sessions, documented in a shared journal, helped the team stay aligned on the core vision and make consistent design decisions. When faced with conflicting ideas, they could always refer back to the pillars to guide their choices.

Actionable Steps:

Identify 3-5 core design pillars for your game (e.g., “Strategic Depth,” “Historical Accuracy,” “Player Agency”).
Schedule regular (e.g., weekly or bi-weekly) sessions to review and refine these pillars.
Document the discussions and any changes made to the pillars.

5. The “Emotional State” Diary

Concept: A journal that tracks your emotional state and its impact on your design decisions.

Story: John, a solo developer struggling with burnout, realized his negative emotions were affecting his game’s design. He started keeping a diary, noting his feelings and how they influenced his work.

How It Helped: By recognizing his emotional patterns, John was able to make more objective design decisions and avoid making changes based on frustration or fatigue. He could identify when he needed to take a break or seek support.

Actionable Steps:

At the end of each workday, write a short entry about your emotional state and how it affected your design choices.
Be honest with yourself. Acknowledge both positive and negative feelings.
Use this journal to identify patterns and develop strategies for managing your emotions.

Consolidate Your Design: Choose Your Journal Style and Commit

These journaling styles aren’t mutually exclusive. You can combine elements from each to create a system that works best for you. The key is to be consistent and treat your game dev journal as an integral part of your development process.

Don’t let early decisions derail your project. A consistent game development log will let you track your progress and creative choices, saving you countless hours in the long run. If you are looking for a way to track your progress, you need the right tool for the job!

Take control of your game’s destiny. Start your game design journey right, try our free journal today.