When starting out, every gamer who is trying to move into the world of development does the same thing. It's a single constant that you can always depend on. They design. The problem with these designs is that they are immature, sometimes plagiarizing, and downright bad. Here's a possible example one might see in an amateur design document as the description (fictional, of course):

A city embroiled in a dangerous conflict. A soldier who can't remember who he is. An arsenal of weaponry and the freedom to go wherever he wants and participate in factional warfare. The world of Los Ciudad is one of despair, lost dreams, and new redemptions. Can you find the answers and save yourself as well as the city?

Ignoring the obvious grammar issues, there are quite a few problems wrong with this method of writing a design. Going off of just this single example, there are a few points that any good designer must learn at some point:

1. Never, ever, ever start with a large view of your game and condense it. Your game will feel diluted. In this case, the designer started with a view of the overall city and then worked his way down. If you start with a basic concept and expand from there, you will have a much better chance of success at both writing your story and designing your gameplay elements. There are exceptions, but as someone new to design, you are not someone who can be an exception to this rule. So start small and work your way up.
   
2. Don't rip-off other games. In this case, the designer is blatantly mimicking games like Grand Theft Auto, Mercenaries, and other such games. What new can you bring to gaming? If you said "a cool story", please stop right there and don't continue. Scrap your idea. As an indie developer, you are better off creating interesting gameplay mechanics than attempting to tell a new story. Most indie games have a characteristic gameplay mechanic to them that makes them unique. For examples, look at Cave Story and the weapon leveling mechanic, or Everyday Shooter and the unique scoring mechanic.
3. Never ever design a game based on a PR blurb. That's all this fictional design for Los Ciudad is. It is something you might see on the back of a game case, and it is bad beyond all belief. If you only get one thing from this whole article, writing a design so that it isn't a PR blurb is the most important. Live by this rule and never let it go.

In a way, being a good writer and being a good designer go hand in hand. To write a design, you must have a few elements to your writing that only good writers have. Most notably, you must have a critical eye, concise focus, utilitarian tone, and an extreme attention to detail. These are the four cornerstones of your design philosophy, and how a writer approaches each is up to them. But they must be fulfilled.

Starting with a critical eye, you must be willing to tear down your design. Trim elements that won't or can't work out of the design and toss them away, no matter how good you think they will be in your game. If you reach a point where you look at your design and go "this is perfect", have someone else review it and do another trim. At this point you will reach the core of your design, the key that makes it good. If you didn't have a focus, such as the example above, you'll be left with nothing. Sorry!

The next important step is to be concise in designing both gameplay and story elements. Don't use flowery language, as it clouds the point your design is trying to evoke. Simple but effective speech is the way to go, which is where the 3rd cornerstone, the utilitarian tone, comes from. On top of this, don't plant redundant elements on top of each other as they may overwhelm the player. For a story example, let's say you have to save the city on a time limit, there is an explosive in your brain with a time limit, and you are being timed by an external force. This emphasizes the "timed" aspect way too much. You can do this in gameplay as well, with elements such as a guard meter as well as a stun meter in a fighting game. One can serve the other's purpose, so why utilize more than one?

The final, and perhaps most essential step, is paying attention to the small details. You must be able to define who does what, when and where they do it, and why they did it. You must be able to focus in on a gameplay mechanic enough to know where it should be introduced, what elements comprise it, and how essential it is to the game. This seems like a no-brainer, but the key is that you should be able to do most of this at the beginning of your project, after getting your concept whittled to its core. As a project evolves, so will the details. Nobody can completely guess balance issues that will arise over the course of development, after all.

If you retain these basics of designing, you will be set to help design your very own games. It's highly suggested that you learn another discipline for development as well, such as coding or art. When you can merge designs seamlessly with the art and code, you end up with a true masterpiece. And isn't that what you have always wanted to make?

For more coverage on indie games and the scene, keep an eye out for Indie Showcase at the same bat time, same bat channel. Also check out Freeware Friday and our indie category for some excellent freeware games and indie news, respectively.