Section 8: Legal Documentation, part 1

This article is set to receive further refinement at a later date. This installment serves as one of many in a series dedicated to providing in-depth insights into the art of Game Design and Development. Within the scope of this educational endeavor, one will encounter comprehensive explanations of the fundamental principles and terminologies that underpin the field of Game Design and Development. This note will be removed upon completion of all necessary revisions and improvements to the article.

Legal documentation is a crucial aspect of game design & development. It provides protection for developers & their intellectual property and ensures compliance with legal regulations. In this article, we will explore what legal documentation is, its importance in game design & development, & the types of legal documentation needed to create successful games.

Legal documentation refers to the various legal contracts, agreements, & licenses that game developers must obtain or create during the game development process. This can include things like copyright registration, trademark registration, end-user license agreements, privacy policies, & terms of service.

One of the most critical components of legal documentation in game design & development is protecting intellectual property. Game developers invest a significant amount of time, money, & resources in creating their games, & protecting their intellectual property is essential for preventing infringement and theft. Copyright registration is one way to protect game assets, including the game code, graphics, sound effects, & music.

Another essential component of legal documentation in game design & development is compliance with legal regulations. This includes things like data protection laws, consumer protection laws, & advertising regulations. End-user license agreements, privacy policies, & terms of service help to ensure that developers are compliant with legal regulations and that players are aware of their rights & responsibilities.

End-user license agreements (EULAs) are legal contracts that establish the terms and conditions for using the game. They outline things like licensing terms, intellectual property rights, and limitations on how the game can be used. EULAs can help to protect developers from liability in case of player misuse of the game.

Privacy policies are another critical component of legal documentation in game design & development. They outline how user data is collected, stored, & used by the game developer. Privacy policies are essential for complying with data protection laws, as well as building trust with players.

Finally, terms of service (TOS) outline the rules and guidelines that players must follow when using the game. TOS can help to prevent abusive behavior, cheating, & harassment, & they can also provide protection for developers from liability.

Legal documentation is an essential aspect of game design & development. It provides protection for developers & their intellectual property and ensures compliance with legal regulations. Legal documentation includes various contracts, agreements, & licenses, such as copyright registration, trademark registration, end-user license agreements, privacy policies, & terms of service. Protecting intellectual property, complying with legal regulations, & building trust with players are all critical components of successful game development. If you are interested in game design & development, learning about legal documentation is an essential part of the process.




8. Legal Documentation
8.1 Design Documents
Put your GDD here.
8.2 Technical Documents
- System Requirements
- Scripting Documents
8.3 Asset Creation Documents
- Level Design Documents
- Art Assets
- Audio Assets
- Character Design Documents
- Storyline Design Documents
- Interface Design Documents
8.4 Quality Assurance Documents
- Build Notes
- Bug Tracking Documents
- Version Control Documents
- Change Logs
- Release Notes
- User Documentation
- Licensing Documentation
8.5 Project Management
- Project Scope
- Game Time Scale
(How long will it take to make this game?)
- Cost? (How much will it cost?)
- Total Costs with breakdown
- Licenses / Hardware / Other Costs
- Team Size & Positions
- Project leader
Ensuring that all deliverables are completed on time.
Responsibilities
- Revenue: Ensuring that the game delivers on the revenue projections.
- Engagement: Making sure that the teams are engaged and working collaboratively.
- Organization: Creating an effective and efficient project management system.
- Technical Director
Ensuring all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Requirements Management: Investigating and tracking game development requirements as they are developed and verifying they are achievable and consistent with the game's vision and goals.
- Working with Development Teams: Coordinating the efforts of various game development teams and ensuring that all game development requirements are met.
- Game Production Management: Reviewing and approving all game production materials, ensuring that they are of the desired quality and conforming to the game development requirements.
- Debugging and Testing: Performing on-site or off-site debugging and testing of the game code to ensure that it meets all requirements.
- Project Management: Managing the project schedule, resources, and communications.
- Game Designer
Ensuring all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Create a playable prototype of the game
- Work with the team to develop the game's design
- Write, design and test the game's mechanics
- Research and create the game's setting
- Plan and create the game's graphics and art
- Coordinate with the team to create the game's sound and music
- Work with the team to market and distribute the game
- Act as a consultant for game development issues
- UX Designer
A game development UX designer typically has the following responsibilities:
- Researching user needs and designing interface and interaction patterns that meet those needs
- Creating wireframes, prototypes, and mockups to test and optimize user experience
- Working with the development team to integrate user feedback into the game design
- Providing guidance on how to improve game design throughout the development process
- Level Designer
Ensuring all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Designing levels based on the game play objectives
- Coordinating the level design with the game development team
- Reviewing player feedback to improve the game experience
- Supporting the game development team with level design suggestions
- Debugging levels and gameplay logic
- Providing feedback to the artists on level design concepts
- Ensuring levels are optimized for performance
- Art Director
Managing the art assets, providing guidance and direction to the art team, and managing the game's visuals and style. Ensuring all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Development: Working with the game's designers to create art assets that meet the game's requirements, and working with the programming team to ensure that the art is integrated seamlessly into the game.
- Composer
Managing the sound assets, providing guidance and direction to the sound team, and managing the game's audio style. Ensuring all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Work with the game's developers to create music that enhances the gameplay experience.
- Assist in the creation and implementation of game soundtracks.
- Assist in the development of game audio systems.
- Assist in the creation and implementation of game music tracks.
- Assist in the development of game audio files.
- Sound Designer
Sound design includes the creation of all audio for a game, including music, sound effects, and voiceovers. Ensuring all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Sound designers must be familiar with game engines, sound production techniques, and audio editing software.
- They must also have knowledge of game mechanics and design, and be able to create soundscapes that support the game's gameplay.
- Sound designers may also be responsible for creating marketing materials for their games.
- Programmer
Ensuring the game meets design specifications, meeting client deadlines, all coding game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Development: Creating the game code and ensuring it meets the required specifications.
- Testing: Testing the game code to ensure it meets the required specifications.
- Requirements gathering: Collecting information about the game's intended target audience and ensuring the game meets their needs.
- Documentation: Producing documentation about the game code and the game's design.
- Quality Assurance Manager
Ensuring that all game content meets design specifications, rules & guidelines, and all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- Testing: Ensuring that game content is testable, and that all unit and game mechanics work as intended.
- Reporting: Reporting any issues or findings to the development team.
- Documentation: Keeping track of design, development and testing progress, and documenting findings.
- Coordination: Working with other departments on the game such as marketing, product, and QA.
- Marketing Manager
A Game development Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and executing marketing plans for video games and related platforms. Ensuring all game development requirements are met and documented.
Responsibilities
- The Marketing Manager is also responsible for creating and executing promotional activities for their game, including but not limited to advertising, public relations, and social media.
- Lastly, the Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and managing relationships with key stakeholders, such as publishers, retailers, and media outlets.
- Legal Specialists
- Accountant
- Game data analytics team
- Game data scientist
- Game data analyst
- Game data engineer
- Game data visualization specialist
- Game data management specialist
- Game data security specialist
- Game data privacy specialist
- Game data governance specialist

- Core Team
- Team Member name
- What do they do?
- Cost to employ them full time or part time?
- etc.
(List as many core team members as you need to, but there should be a lead for each of the 13 core positions. List who is working for them under their lead and whomever may be under them all the way down the cain of command.)
Example:
- Marketing Team
- Team Leader Name: (Put name here)
- What do they do?
- Cost to employ them full time or part time.
- Etc.
- Team (Supervising Position Title Here) name: (Put name here)
- What do they do?
- Cost to employ them full time or part time.
- Etc.
- Team Member name:
- What do they do?
- Cost to employ them full time or part time.
- Etc.
- Team Member name:
- What do they do?
- Cost to employ them full time or part time.
- Etc.
(List as many marketing team members as you need to)

8.6 Schedule
- Objective #1
- Time Scale
- Milestone 1
- Milestone 2
- Etc.
- Objective #2
- Time Scale
- Milestone 1
- Milestone 2
- Etc.
- Objective #3
- Time Scale
- Milestone 1
- Milestone 2
- Etc.
- Objective #4
- Time Scale
- Milestone 1
- Milestone 2
- Etc.
8.7 Legal Documentation

8.8 Game credits
This is a single document with a list of everyone who works on the project and what their job title was.
Job title(s): persons first & last name.