As anybody who has a brain knows, the way a game starts is with an idea. This idea then evolves into what we like to call “The Design Document.” A lot of design documents that kids in my first game design class at SCAD wrote were maybe 2 – 5 pages, 10 at most. I ended up writing a 35 pager which continues to grow as we speak. That’s the interesting thing about design docs. Technically, the entire team is supposed to work off of the design document. Yet, the lead designer keeps adding and detracting from the design document based on his own and the team’s likes and dislikes inside said document, not to mention suggestions, revelations, eureka moments, and even just slight alterations we feel are necessary. It’s a wonder that any game ever gets finished at all. True, the 35 pages that are currently written will serve as the backbone for the game, no doubt. However, at what point after you’ve been adding thing after thing to the document does your team get pissed at you? In the world of game design, is there a true limit? I know that in movies, theatre, and the like, if someone has an idea and it’s generally accepted to be good, it goes in. However, in terms of megabytes, kilobytes, and compatibility with the rest of the game, it’s trickier than just saying, “Do it.” Every little thing added in has the potential to affect the rest of the game. Is a game designer allowed to say, “Enough is enough,” even if new suggestions have the ability to imrpove the game vastly? How much leniency is there in adding cool stuff, and at what point can you not add any more?

CliffyB, Tim Schafer, even Miyamoto-san, if you’re reading this, please give me a response.