pixelheros/.claude/docs/templates/game-concept.md

Game Concept: [Working Title]

Created: [Date] Status: [Draft / Under Review / Approved]

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Elevator Pitch

[1-2 sentences that capture the entire game. Should be compelling enough to make someone want to hear more. Format: "It's a [genre] where you [core action] in a [setting] to [goal]."

Test: Can someone who has never heard of this game understand what they'd be doing in 10 seconds? If not, simplify.]

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Core Identity

Aspect	Detail
Genre	[Primary genre + subgenre(s)]
Platform	[PC / Console / Mobile / Cross-platform]
Target Audience	[See Player Profile section below]
Player Count	[Single-player / Co-op / Multiplayer / MMO]
Session Length	[Typical play session: 10 min / 30 min / 1 hr / 2+ hr]
Monetization	[Premium / F2P / Subscription / none yet]
Estimated Scope	[Small (1-3 months) / Medium (3-9 months) / Large (9+ months)]
Comparable Titles	[2-3 existing games in the same space]

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Core Fantasy

[What power, experience, or feeling does the player get from this game? What can they do here that they can't do anywhere else?

The core fantasy is the emotional promise. It's not a feature list — it's the answer to "why would someone choose THIS game over anything else they could be doing?"

Examples of strong core fantasies:

• "You are a lone survivor building a new life in a hostile wilderness" (survival)
• "You command a civilization across millennia" (strategy)
• "You explore a vast, beautiful world at your own pace" (open world)
• "You master intricate combat and overcome impossible odds" (soulslike)]

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Unique Hook

[What makes this game different from everything else in its genre? This is the single most important differentiator.

A strong hook passes the "and also" test: "It's like [comparable game], AND ALSO [unique thing]." If the "and also" doesn't spark curiosity, the hook needs work.

The hook should be:

• Explainable in one sentence
• Genuinely novel (not just a combination of existing features)
• Connected to the core fantasy (not a gimmick bolted on)
• Something that affects gameplay, not just aesthetics]

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Player Experience Analysis (MDA Framework)

The MDA (Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics) framework ensures we design from the player's emotional experience backward to the systems that create it.

Target Aesthetics (What the player FEELS)

Rank the following aesthetic goals for this game (1 = primary, mark N/A if not relevant). These come from the MDA framework's 8 aesthetic categories:

Aesthetic	Priority	How We Deliver It
Sensation (sensory pleasure)	[1-8 or N/A]	[Visual beauty, audio design, haptics]
Fantasy (make-believe, role-playing)	[Priority]	[World, characters, player identity]
Narrative (drama, story arc)	[Priority]	[Plot structure, player-driven stories]
Challenge (obstacle course, mastery)	[Priority]	[Difficulty curve, skill ceiling]
Fellowship (social connection)	[Priority]	[Co-op, guilds, shared experiences]
Discovery (exploration, secrets)	[Priority]	[Hidden areas, emergent systems, lore]
Expression (self-expression, creativity)	[Priority]	[Build variety, cosmetics, creation tools]
Submission (relaxation, comfort zone)	[Priority]	[Low-stress loops, ambient gameplay]

Key Dynamics (Emergent player behaviors)

[What behaviors do we WANT to emerge from our mechanics? What should players naturally start doing without being told?

Example: "Players will experiment with ability combinations to find synergies" Example: "Players will share discoveries with the community"]

Core Mechanics (Systems we build)

[What are the 3-5 mechanical systems that generate the dynamics and aesthetics above? These are the rules, verbs, and systems we actually implement.]

1. [Mechanic 1 — e.g., "Real-time combat with stamina management"]
2. [Mechanic 2 — e.g., "Procedurally generated dungeons with hand-crafted rooms"]
3. [Mechanic 3 — e.g., "Crafting system with discoverable recipes"]

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Player Motivation Profile

Understanding WHY players play helps us make every design decision. Based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) model.

Primary Psychological Needs Served

Need	How This Game Satisfies It	Strength
Autonomy (freedom, meaningful choice)	[How does the player feel in control?]	[Core / Supporting / Minimal]
Competence (mastery, skill growth)	[How does the player feel skilled?]	[Core / Supporting / Minimal]
Relatedness (connection, belonging)	[How does the player feel connected?]	[Core / Supporting / Minimal]

Player Type Appeal (Bartle Taxonomy)

Which player types does this game primarily serve?

• Achievers (goal completion, collection, progression) — How: [...]
• Explorers (discovery, understanding systems, finding secrets) — How: [...]
• Socializers (relationships, cooperation, community) — How: [...]
• Killers/Competitors (domination, PvP, leaderboards) — How: [...]

Flow State Design

Flow occurs when challenge matches skill. How does this game maintain flow?

• Onboarding curve: [How do the first 10 minutes teach the player?]
• Difficulty scaling: [How does challenge grow with player skill?]
• Feedback clarity: [How does the player know they're improving?]
• Recovery from failure: [How quickly can they try again? Is failure punishing or educational?]

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Core Loop

Moment-to-Moment (30 seconds)

[What is the player physically doing most of the time? The most basic, repeated action. This MUST be intrinsically satisfying — if the 30-second loop isn't fun in isolation, no amount of progression will save the game.]

Short-Term (5-15 minutes)

[What objective or cycle structures the moment-to-moment play? Encounters, puzzles, rounds, quests. This is where "one more turn" or "one more run" psychology lives.]

Session-Level (30-120 minutes)

[What does a full play session look like? What does the player accomplish? This should end with a natural stopping point AND a reason to come back.]

Long-Term Progression

[How does the player grow over days/weeks? Character progression, unlocks, story advancement, mastery. What is the player working toward?]

Retention Hooks

[What specifically brings the player back for their next session?]

• Curiosity: [Unanswered questions, unexplored areas, locked content]
• Investment: [Progress they don't want to lose, characters they care about]
• Social: [Friends playing, guild obligations, shared goals]
• Mastery: [Skills to improve, challenges to overcome, rankings to climb]

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Game Pillars

Design pillars are non-negotiable principles that guide EVERY decision. When two design choices conflict, pillars break the tie. Keep to 3-5 pillars.

Real AAA examples:

• God of War: "Intense combat", "Father-son story", "World exploration"
• Hades: "Fast fluid combat", "Narrative depth through repeated runs"
• The Last of Us: "Story as essential", "AI partners build relationships", "Stealth encouraged"

Pillar 1: [Name]

[One sentence defining this non-negotiable design principle.]

Design test: [A concrete decision this pillar would resolve. "If we're debating between X and Y, this pillar says we choose __."]

Pillar 2: [Name]

[Definition]

Design test: [Decision it resolves]

Pillar 3: [Name]

[Definition]

Design test: [Decision it resolves]

Anti-Pillars (What This Game Is NOT)

Anti-pillars are equally important — they prevent scope creep and keep the vision focused. Every "no" protects the "yes."

• NOT [thing]: [Why this is explicitly excluded and what it would compromise]
• NOT [thing]: [Why]
• NOT [thing]: [Why]

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Inspiration and References

Reference	What We Take From It	What We Do Differently	Why It Matters
[Game 1]	[Specific mechanic, feeling, or approach]	[Our twist]	[What it validates about our concept]
[Game 2]	[What we learn]	[Our twist]	[Validation]
[Game 3]	[What we learn]	[Our twist]	[Validation]

Non-game inspirations: [Films, books, music, art, real-world experiences that influence the tone, world, or feel. Great games often pull from outside the medium.]

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Target Player Profile

[Be specific. "Gamers" is not a target audience.]

Attribute	Detail
Age range	[e.g., 18-35]
Gaming experience	[Casual / Mid-core / Hardcore]
Time availability	[e.g., "30-minute sessions on weeknights, longer on weekends"]
Platform preference	[Where they play most]
Current games they play	[2-3 specific titles]
What they're looking for	[The unmet need this game fills]
What would turn them away	[Dealbreakers for this audience]

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Technical Considerations

Consideration	Assessment
Recommended Engine	[Godot / Unity / Unreal and why — consider scope, team expertise, platform targets]
Key Technical Challenges	[What's technically hard about this game?]
Art Style	[Pixel / 2D / 2.5D / 3D stylized / 3D realistic]
Art Pipeline Complexity	[Low (asset store + modifications) / Medium (custom 2D) / High (custom 3D)]
Audio Needs	[Minimal / Moderate / Music-heavy / Adaptive]
Networking	[None / P2P / Client-Server / Dedicated Servers]
Content Volume	[Estimate: X levels, Y items, Z hours of gameplay]
Procedural Systems	[Any procedural generation? What scope?]

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Risks and Open Questions

Design Risks

[Things that could make the game unfun or uncompelling]

• [Risk 1 — e.g., "Core loop may not sustain sessions > 30 minutes"]
• [Risk 2 — e.g., "Player motivation unclear after main story ends"]

Technical Risks

[Things that could be hard or impossible to build]

• [Risk 1 — e.g., "Procedural generation quality is unproven"]
• [Risk 2 — e.g., "Networking for 100+ players may require dedicated infrastructure"]

Market Risks

[Things that could prevent commercial success]

• [Risk 1 — e.g., "Genre is saturated with established competitors"]
• [Risk 2 — e.g., "Target audience may be too niche for financial sustainability"]

Scope Risks

[Things that could blow the timeline]

• [Risk 1 — e.g., "Content volume exceeds team capacity"]
• [Risk 2 — e.g., "Feature X depends on technology we haven't prototyped"]

Open Questions

[Things that need prototyping or research before we can answer]

• [Question 1 — and how we plan to answer it]
• [Question 2 — and what prototype would resolve it]

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MVP Definition

[The absolute minimum version that validates the core hypothesis. The MVP answers ONE question: "Is the core loop fun?"]

Core hypothesis: [The single statement the MVP tests, e.g., "Players find the combat-crafting loop engaging for 30+ minute sessions"]

Required for MVP:

1. [Essential feature 1 — directly tests the hypothesis]
2. [Essential feature 2]
3. [Essential feature 3]

Explicitly NOT in MVP (defer to later):

• [Feature that's nice but doesn't test the hypothesis]
• [Feature that adds scope without validating the core]

Scope Tiers (if budget/time shrinks)

Tier	Content	Features	Timeline
MVP	[Minimal]	[Core loop only]	[X weeks]
Vertical Slice	[One complete area]	[Core + progression]	[X weeks]
Alpha	[All areas, placeholder]	[All features, rough]	[X weeks]
Full Vision	[Complete content]	[All features, polished]	[X weeks]

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Next Steps

• Get concept approval from creative-director
• Fill in CLAUDE.md technology stack based on engine choice (/setup-engine)
• Create game pillars document (/design-review to validate)
• Prototype core idea (/prototype [core-mechanic]) — before writing GDDs, validate the concept is worth designing
• If prototype PROCEEDS: Decompose concept into systems (/map-systems)
• Design each system (/design-system [system-name]) — use prototype learnings in Tuning Knobs and Formulas sections
• Build vertical slice in Pre-Production (/vertical-slice) — validate full game loop before committing to Production
• Validate core loop with playtest (/playtest-report)
• Plan first milestone (/sprint-plan new)