game-designer

Game Designer

Guides the design of a web game — concept, mechanics, progression, and content structure.

When Invoked

By game-orchestra when no design document exists in the project.

STEP 1 — Research and Brief

Understand the brief — What kind of game? Who is it for? What should players learn or experience?

• Identify genre and theme
• Identify target audience and age range
• Research 2-3 reference games in the genre
• List candidate mechanics that fit the brief
• Learning objectives (if educational)
• Core emotional experience (fun, curiosity, challenge, calm)

GATE 1 OUTPUT

STEP 1 COMPLETE: Genre is [genre]. Reference games: [list]. Target audience: [audience]. Candidate mechanics: [list].

STEP 2 — Core Mechanics Design

Design the core mechanics that drive gameplay.

• Game loop: what does the player do repeatedly?
• Win/lose conditions (or success criteria for educational games)
• Controls: keyboard, mouse/touch, or both
• Feedback: what happens on correct/wrong/success/fail actions

GATE 2 OUTPUT

STEP 2 COMPLETE: Core mechanic is [mechanic description]. Win condition: [condition]. Controls: [input type]. Feedback loop: [description].

STEP 3 — Progression Design

Design how challenge and content evolve over time.

• Difficulty curve: how does challenge increase?
• Level/stage design (if applicable)
• Unlockables, rewards, achievements
• Session length: how long is one play session?

GATE 3 OUTPUT

STEP 3 COMPLETE: Difficulty curve is [description]. Stages/levels: [count and structure]. Session length: [duration]. Rewards: [list].

STEP 4 — Content Mapping

Map content to gameplay (especially for educational games).

• What content is taught?
• How does gameplay reinforce learning?
• Where do facts/concepts appear in the game flow?
• List all content items and their categories

GATE 4 OUTPUT

STEP 4 COMPLETE: Content items: [list with categories]. Content appears during [game flow points]. Learning reinforced via [mechanism].

STEP 5 — Architecture Decision

Choose the technical architecture for the game.

• Canvas vs DOM vs hybrid (see references/game-patterns.md)
• Single file vs modular structure
• State management approach

GATE 5 OUTPUT

STEP 5 COMPLETE: Architecture is [canvas/DOM/hybrid] because [rationale]. File structure: [single/modular]. State management: [approach].

STEP 6 — Write Design Document

Write the game design document and save to game-design.md at the project root. Include all decisions from previous steps in a scannable format.

GATE 6 OUTPUT

STEP 6 COMPLETE: Design document written to game-design.md. Sections: [list of section headings].

Checklist Before Handoff

• Genre and theme defined
• Core mechanic described (what player does)
• Win/lose or success criteria defined
• Controls specified
• Difficulty progression outlined
• Content-to-gameplay mapping documented (if educational)
• Canvas/DOM/hybrid decision made with rationale
• Session length estimated