Game Development Briefing Document

This document summarizes key insights and actionable advice for game developers, drawing from experiences ranging from indie projects to AAA titles like Diablo and World of Warcraft. The core message emphasizes practical habits that foster efficiency, creativity, and successful game creation.

I. Core Principles for Effective Game Development

1. Understand Your "Why"

Before embarking on a project, clearly define your personal goals. This clarity is crucial for managing complexity and making informed decisions throughout development.

"Being really clear with yourself not just about why you want to make games but also why this game is really important and is going to help you so much... By understanding and being really clear about what your goal is you can frame the complexity of the game that you want to do what the features are what you want to focus on."

• Actionable Insight: If your goal is to learn a new system (e.g., a multiplayer lobby), don't complicate it with a world-class RTS. A simple game that achieves your specific learning objective is more effective.

2. Tackle the "Biggest Tree" First

Prioritize the most challenging or foundational elements of your game. Addressing these "biggest trees" early prevents wasted effort on smaller, dependent tasks.

"Imagine that your game you want to build is like a big forest of trees... each tree represents a feature... if your job is to clear those trees out it can be really tempting to start with all of the small ones... in this example the system is the biggest tree by starting with the system itself you can then build just a few small weapon pieces to add to it see if that works before going too far and making too much art or content."

• Example: Instead of creating numerous weapon parts for a customizable system, build the system itself first. This allows testing and iteration before significant art assets are produced.

3. Embrace Modular Design and Iteration

Expect to rebuild parts of your game. Designing components in a modular fashion facilitates easier modifications, replacements, and large-scale iterations.

"The reality is you're going to remake parts of your game. It's really rare that everything you implement will last the duration of development the more modular you can make stuff the easier it is to then remake them." "Professional developers know this in their bones because the best games we've worked on have a lot of iteration in them oftentimes on Diablo or World of Warcraft we would rebuild entire huge systems in the game because we weren't happy with how they worked or they weren't achieving the goal."

• Actionable Insight: When adding a feature like a flashlight, build it as its own system that attaches to the player, rather than hardcoding it directly into the player object. This allows for easier modification, removal, or creation of other items.

II. Optimizing Your Development Process

4. Step Away and Reset Your Brain

Our brains aren't designed for endless hammering at a problem. Taking breaks and stepping away from the computer allows the subconscious mind to work, often leading to fresh perspectives and insights.

"Our brains need time to rest to reset my favorite thing is to go pens down get away from the computer and go for a walk in the forest near my house this lets the other parts of your brain which by the way are actually way more creative and powerful than your conscious part work at the problem for you you'll come back with fresh eyes a new perspective and probably a new insight into the problem."

5. Define a Core Mechanic and Stick to It

Combat the tendency for feature creep ("wouldn't it be cool if...") by having a very specific core mechanic for your game. Judge every new idea against whether it supports or enhances this core.

"The hard thing is that in games everything kind of is possible i like to tackle this by having a very specific core mechanic for every game and judging every new idea against that core mechanic."

• Examples: Peak focuses on "climbing with friends," Mario on "jumping," and Minecraft on "block destruction and placement." All features in these games build upon their respective core mechanics.

6. Establish a Daily Routine

Consistent, focused work in a dedicated time block can significantly boost productivity, especially for indie developers or those balancing other commitments.

"Carve out a specific window of time each day for focused at your computer work... It's about creating an environment where you can pretty easily and quickly get into a flow state which makes it really easy for you to make forward progress towards building something."

• Inspiration: Stephen King's daily writing routine demonstrates the power of consistent, focused effort.

7. Never Stop Prototyping

Prototyping isn't just for the early stages. Even in mid-production, embrace this methodology to explore new feature ideas, test concepts, and gather learnings before full implementation.

"Just because you're not in prototype phase anymore doesn't mean you should stop prototyping... a good example here is the horrific visions for World of Warcraft when we started I built like three or so different prototypes of what the end result would play like before we really started making anything."

• Key Takeaway: The ability to easily remove and rebuild prototypes is crucial for successful iteration and learning.

III. Leveraging Tools and Existing Knowledge

8. Master Spreadsheets for Data Management

Spreadsheets are indispensable for managing game data, balancing, and making quick, iterative changes without requiring engineering intervention.

"Spreadsheets are the best i honestly can't think of a game that I've worked on that didn't use spreadsheets diablo like lived and breathed on spreadsheets it was like the beating heart of that game." "The crafting system in Diablo was one big spreadsheet that just used lookup tables to pull from another sheet and then rebuild itself whenever we made changes to the core numbers."

• Benefits: Formatting, built-in formulas (lookup tables, math), ease of reading and editing data for balancing.

9. Build Upon Existing Ideas

Innovation doesn't always mean starting from scratch. Professional developers often draw inspiration from existing games, tropes, or mechanics, combining them in new ways.

"You don't have to plan to come up with every idea yourself professional developers know the best way to come up with something new is to actually start with something that already exists and build upon it."

• Method: "X meets Y" or "X with Y" thinking (e.g., "Super Mario Brothers with survival mechanics" or "Hades meets Escape from Tarov"). This provides a powerful framework for generating new concepts without reinventing the wheel.

10. Use a To-Do List

A simple, daily to-do list helps prioritize tasks, track progress, and maintain focus on the most important next steps.

"I have a pad or a notebook and at the beginning of the day I write down a list of what it is that I need to do next and I put a little box next to each item as I complete each one I tick the box or I scribble it out at the end of the day it's easy for me to see what's done and what needs to be done tomorrow."

IV. The Most Crucial Step: Just Start

Get Started!

The biggest barrier to making games is often the paralysis of preparation. Stop researching, testing tools, or evaluating engines, and simply begin.

"For the love of God stop watching YouTube stop researching stop testing new tools or evaluating engines the best way to start making games is to start making games." "You pick up a camera you film something and then you show that film to people congratulations you're a filmmaker.' Everything after that point is just tech and budget so go get a game engine start making games and show those games to people congratulations you're a game developer."

• Actionable Advice: Pick an engine, make something, and share it. This hands-on approach is the fastest path to becoming a game developer.