Storyboarding and Prototyping - leemet16/game-design-toolkit GitHub Wiki

After you have settled on an idea for the game, follow these steps to bring your game design to life:

1. Create storyboards of your game world, the main characters, and the action. Note: Some games, like Tetris, have little to no story. If your style of game doesn't need a story, be willing to move forward without a story.
2. List the details of your game and take into consideration everything about the game's setting.
3. Put these concepts all together into a Game Design Canvas.
4. Use your Game Design Canvas (along with supporting materials such as your storyboard) to create your prototype.

Storyboarding

If you have decided to include a story in your game, then you can start the storyboarding process. Begin with the designs of the characters and then sketch some sample "frames" that depict the situation for all the major plot points. You can refer back to your Game Development Journal to see what details you wrote down when you created your story.

Use the storyboard to detail the overall story of the game. Make sure the entire plot of the game is depicted on the storyboard so that you can use it to create your prototype; however, keep in mind that some of these details may change depending on the capabilities and limitations of the game development tool you are using.

See an example of a storyboard below:

Image Source: Tom Ray

Review this page for more ideas about storyboards and associated resources.

Prototyping

A prototype is basically just a starting example of what your game will eventually look like that serves as the basis for future versions. Through the various iterations, your prototype may go through major changes or minor tweaks.

Keep in mind that with early iterations, you'll want to keep your prototypes as simple as possible. Paper, markers, and simple available physical game elements allow you to figure out your game. As you loop through your iterations, you'll start to introduce digital prototypes.

Image Source: Amar Singh

Hints/Tips About Prototypes

• Prototypes should never take too much time
• Digital prototypes aren’t supposed to look pretty
• Prototypes can be made out of anything
• Prototypes should solve problems and answer questions
• Some ideas only work well in your head

Resources

• Game Script and Storyboard Creation
• Ten great tools for storyboarding
• Use Paper Prototyping to design your games
• Getting the most out of your Video Game Prototype
• Paper Prototyping: 5 facts for Designing in Low-Tech
• Paper Prototype Game Design
• Storyboard for game
• Game Design Fundamentals - Game Paper Prototyping
• Runsii - Games Paper Prototype
• Virtual Surgery Game

Develop Your Storyboard!

Create your storyboard. As you work on your storyboard, you'll want to use and align your Game Design Canvas and any work that you've done regarding your story, characters, setting, and any other thoughts you've captured in your Game Development Journal. This is part of the challenge, and benefit, of working in an iterative manner.

References

Kirkley, S. E., & Kirkley, J. R. (2005). Creating next generation blended learning environments using mixed reality, video games and simulations. TechTrends, 49(3), 42-53.

Singh, A. (2016, November 6). Lessons in Prototyping from Game Design ? theuxblog.com. Retrieved from https://medium.theuxblog.com/lessons-in-prototyping-from-game-design-8752df8daa8b

Getting The Most Out Of Your Video Game Prototype. (2015, November 13). Retrieved from https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/getting-the-most-out-of-your-prototype-game/