It is very unfortunate that for as many awesome game designers are out there, and for as many great games have been created, there are not many processes or methodologies for game design. Most of the time, when looking for game design knowledge you will find piecemeal information about a single topic: economic balance, paper prototyping, enemy design, etc… But there are very few examples of start-to-finish processes for design which guide you through the whole game development cycle.

Of the few that exist, some are targeted for large teams with a ton of budget and time (such as Rational Level Design), where each miniscule element of the game can be measured, tested and iterated upon. Others are more interested in academic pursuits (such as Atomic Design), breaking down game mechanics into genericized elements for study, but not for commercial applications. These processes absolutely have their place; but I’ve found them to be an uneasy fit for a team with less resources and tighter deadlines.

Deliberate Game Design aims to address this. It is a game design methodology that follows a project through from conception to post-release while operating under the constraints of production and trying to minimize the Risk of the game. It does not strive to make the perfect game, but the best game possible under your project’s particular circumstances.

Its main pillars are:

Practicality — It is imminently usable, putting aside the more theoretical aspects of game design to focus instead on the work that needs to be done to get a game over the finish line. It emphasizes breaking down a project into a series of problems to solve, prioritizing them and developing the appropriate tools to face them.

Critical — Most human enterprises involve some level of subjectivity, and games are no different. However, when working in teams, it is important to have a common foundation on which everyone agrees upon in order to advance. The process aims to create that foundaton by highlighting assumptions and taking steps in order to prove or disprove them.

Heterogeneous — Deliberate Game Design builds from the foundation laid by others, and it constantly looks at other processes, fields of study, and philosophies in other to improve. The tools we use come from a wide variety of areas, even outside of games. Likewise, DGD can be used for all sorts of interactive experiences; yes entertainment (be it mobile, PC, VR, etc…), but also to medical, educational, experimental experiences. It sees all areas of knowledge as useful sources and all types of games as great endeavours.

Deliberate Game Design divides a project into 5 game design phases — conveniently called GD-1 to GD-5. Let’s take a look at each one in turn!