Game design, rhythm and audio technology
Design documents and the path to a small complete game
How to write a game design document, drawing on the Diablo proposal, Grim Fandango's puzzle documentation and published studio design materials. Covers design principles, state transitions, hit-window boundaries, content tables and playtesting.
How to build a small game, drawing on the Experimental Gameplay Project, Arkadium's prototype process and Godot's official tutorial. Covers design questions, technical risks, state transitions, restarting, production scope and completion criteria.
How to design a core loop, using Nintendo's rhythm games, Valve's work on visual clarity and pacing, and the original MDA paper. Covers cues, choices, input feedback, learning, tension and a 16-target comparison exercise.
How to write a playtest report, drawing on Valve's published methods and the Portal postmortem. Covers research questions, facilitator scripts, observation records, units of analysis and revision decisions, with five fictional sessions and a report template.
