1. Pick your genre
While every successful game is unique in its own way, almost all of them fit into a specific genre. Decide what kind of game you want to create, and look at what other games in the same genre do. Some common genres include.
- Arcade games
- Shooters
- Puzzles
- Platforms
- Racing
- Adventures
- Endless runners
- RPGs
- First person shooter
- Story/Manga driven JRPG
- Tower Defenses
- Horror
- Fighters
- Comedy
- Survival
2. Pick your platform
The platform that you choose to develop your game for will significantly impact the way it is developed. The platform dictates the way the game is controlled; smartphone games are typically touch- and tilt-based, PC games typically use a keyboard and mouse, and console games use gamepads.
- There are exceptions to all these rules, but you will generally find it easier to design the game around a specific control method.
- If you want to make an iPhone game, you will need to submit it to the Apple store from a Mac computer.
3. Write out the preliminary design
This should just be at least one page, but will be the heart of the game play experience you create. It contains the fundamental concepts of your game, and will allow you to see if your idea is really viable as a video game.
4. Start with a core philosophy
This statement will serve as the motivating force behind the game. These are very simple statements that get to the heart of what the game is. Revisit it often to ensure that your game is still meeting its basic goals. Some example core philosophies:
- This game simulates a space station economy
- This game lets you play as a living car
- This game is about testing the player’s reflexes
5. Write down your features
The features are what sets your game apart from others in the same genre. Start by listing your ideas and concepts. Turn those concepts into action-driven sentences. Shoot for between 5-15 features. For example:
- Concept: space station construction.
- Feature: Build and manage your own personal space station.
- Concept: damage from asteroids
- Feature: Struggle to survive against environmental hazards, including asteroids, solar flares, and comets.
- Writing down your features first will allow you to flesh each one of them out later in the design document. Having your features listed in the beginning will keep your project focused and prevent “feature-creep”, where ideas keep getting added later on in the process.
- Continue to revise these features until you are satisfied that they represent the game that you want to make.
6. Take a break
Put the preliminary design in a drawer and try not to think about it for a week or two. You want to be able to go back to it with a fresh perspective. This will help you determine if the project is really worth pursuing, or if you need to go back to the drawing board.