THEGAMEDESIGN

Free field guide

AI Game Production Checklist

Use this before adding more features. A fast pipeline helps only when each build answers a clear player or production question.

  1. Name the player and the promise

    Write one sentence: who is this for, and what should feel good in the first five minutes?

  2. Choose one core loop

    Describe the action, feedback, reward, and reason to repeat. Cut every feature that does not help test that loop.

  3. Set the evidence question

    Decide what this build must teach you: comprehension, control feel, repeat intent, price interest, or something else observable.

  4. Separate AI speed from human judgment

    List where AI accelerates drafting or implementation and where a named human owns taste, rights, and final acceptance.

  5. Track asset rights

    Record the source, license, model or tool, edit history, and approved use for every asset that might ship.

  6. Make the first minute legible

    A new player should know what they control, what matters, and what success looks like without a live explanation.

  7. Test the exported build

    Verify the actual browser, desktop, or mobile export. A source-tree smoke test is not a release test.

  8. Ask behavior-first questions

    Watch where players stop, repeat, hesitate, or improvise. Pair opinions with what happened on screen.

  9. Package the promise

    Make the title, thumbnail, first screenshot, and store copy sell the same experience the build delivers.

  10. Make the next decision explicit

    After the test, choose one: invest, revise, re-scope, pause, or stop. Write down the evidence behind it.