How to Write a Proposal for a Game

By Courtney Keene

Updated September 22, 2017

A game proposal or game-design document describes every aspect of a potential game. It is used by developers to create the game, and explains the overall concept of the game as well as specific design goals and artistic direction. A game design document can run anywhere from 50 to 200 pages or more, and the content varies depending on the nature of the game and the company developing it.

Outline your overall game concept in a word-processing document. Describe how the player interacts with the game and how they complete it. Expand your concept to briefly discuss the main character, how players control that character, how progress is measured and conditions for winning the game.

Create subheadings in a word-processing document that describe any important aspects of your game such as characters, story and levels. Expand each subheading by describing the section with at least two paragraphs of information.

Write detailed information for every aspect of the game, breaking down broad topics until you have explained them specifically. Create a table of contents that includes every subheading and then save your file.

Tips

Create two design documents: One that is a general treatment describing the broad concepts of the game and another that is more specific and detailed.

Warnings

Simply writing a game proposal is not likely to get your game published, as most game concepts come from inside a stable development company.

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