Summarize:

. Before you start designing your game, there are some things you'll want to think about Some questions you might want to ask yourself before you start developing are as follows: What are my strengths as a designer? What are my weaknesses? What kind of game can I make based on my strengths? What is the genre of the game? What are some game mechanics that you find make a game enjoyable? What are some game mechanics you find frustrating? What games is your game inspired by? How is it different from other similar games? What will be the key features of the game? How long will it take to develop these features? Are there any features I want that I don't know how to make? What features can the game do without, if needed? Does the game have a story? How does the gameplay fit the story? What kind of art style do I want for my game? How can I create this art style? A design document lays out everything about the design of your game: the gameplay, the mechanics, the characters, the plot, the concept art, etc. In doing so, it also shows everything that needs to be done, who will do it, what the expectations are, and the general timetable for getting things done. Your design document is very important for not only keeping your own team on track but also for showing to potential investors. Your game design document should be split into sections and include a detailed Table of Contents. Common sections to include cover the story of the game, major and minor characters, the level design, the gameplay, the art, and visual design, the game sounds and music, as well as a breakdown of the controls and user interface design. The design document should not be limited to text. You will usually find design sketches, concept art, and even items like preview videos or sound samples. Do not feel limited or too worried about your design document and it's formatting. There is no standard format or required items to include. Just make a document that is organized and fits your game. Your design document is not set in stone. Things can and do change during a game design project. You may find that certain ideas don't work as well as you thought, or are too complicated. You may also come up with better ideas. A few games have been made with one person, but it can take years to make even a simple game. Typically, you'll need lots of people with lots of different skills. You'll need programmers, modelers, artists, gameplay or level designers, sound technicians, a music composer, playtesters, as well as producers, accountants, and marketing and advertising professionals. Indie games usually have a team of around 5-20 people. Big-name games can have up to several hundred people working on them! This is true if you're designing a professional game or a simple game by yourself. First, start by setting a deadline for the entire project. Then set deadlines for the smaller milestones along the way to project completion. Then break down the tasks for the smaller deadlines even further and set deadlines for those. You may even want to create a Gantt chart with all the different tasks lined out. Don't freak out too much if you go over a deadline. It's going to happen. These days, it's not at all uncommon for games to be delayed. However, if you find it's taking you 3x longer to complete a project or task than you originally thought, that's a good sign that the scope of your project is too large and you may need to scale things back a bit. The assets are all the content that makes up the game. This includes 2D sprites, 3D character models, animations, level layouts, decorations, interactive objects, music, sound effects, and more. You'll need a team of talented artists who specialize in character design, environment design, level design, animation, 3D modeling, lighting, special effects, sound design, voice acting, music composition, and more. If there are certain assets you want for your game, but you don't know how/don't have the time to make, many game engines have an assets store where you can purchase game assets made by other users and use them in your game. This can include characters, objects, music, and more. Anytime you create something functional in a game, you'll want to have it playtested. Watch the playtesters as they play. You'll learn new things about your game by watching other people play. You'll learn about unexpected ways players will want to interact with your game. You'll get to see how real players react to your game. You may find some game mechanics don't work as well as you thought they did. During the playtesting process, you'll want to revise any game mechanics that are too frustrating or not fun. You'll also want to correct any bugs that are discovered. Let people see your game once it's done. Have a website and a development blog. Release screenshots. Make a video trailer. Find popular gaming websites and YouTubers who are willing to review your game. Do interviews with gaming new sources to drum up support your game. Try making a name for yourself in the indie gaming community. The indie game development community is strong, supportive and welcoming. If you're good about supporting, promoting, discussing, and helping them with their projects, they'll return the same in kind. Talk with them, get to know them, and let them get to know you. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish with a community behind you. There are lots of places where you can release a game but where will depend on what type of game you made. Currently the app stores and Steam are the most open to newcomers. You can release your game independently on your own website but hosting costs tend to be prohibitive. You'll also have less visibility. If you want to release your games on game consoles, like PS4 and Nintendo Switch, you can do so, but these platforms have strict licensing standards. You'll need to know what those standards are and make sure you abide by them.
Plan your game Create a design document. Build your team carefully. Set deadlines. Create the game assets. Program the game. Test, test and retest. Fine tune your game. Promote your game. Release your game.