Chapter 1: Defining Games; What Do We Mean When We Say ‘Game’?; Games Have Rules and Mechanics; Ludology; Games Have Always Been With Us; the Rhetorics of Play; Game Culture; Defining Culture; Beginning the Quest; Interview Adam Saltsman, Game Maker (Gravity Hook, Canabalt); Case Study: Cababalt Chapter 2: World Building (Mechanics, Rules & Behaviors); When You Build a Game, You Construct a Universe; Games, Rules and Mechanics; The Building Blocks of Game Design ; The Field of Play; Game Mechanics, an Overview; Player Numbers as Mechanic; Rules of Play; Video Game Rule Taxonomy; Objects and Concepts; Restricting Actions; Circumstantial Effect; Outcomes of Play; Objectives of Play (Goals); Player Resources; Conflict (Resources); Case Study Kentucky Route Zero, Cardboard Computer Chapter 3: Video game Analysis; Thinking Like a Game Designer; Understanding Bias; Recognising Bias; Starting the Analysis Process; Bias Informs the Mechanic (Cognitive Bias; Priming, Anchoring, Availability); First Order Optimal Strategies; Game Consistency; Becoming a Designer/Player; The Rollercoaster Experience; Interview James Portnow Ceo, Rainmaker Games/Director, Games for Good Chapter 4: Understanding the Motivations for Play; Bartle’s Taxonomy of Play; The Big Five; Personality Traits & Video Game Players; Personality Traits of Players; Translating the OCEAN Model to Game Design; Correlating the Player Models; Patterns of Play; Designing an Experience; Interest Curves; Pacing; Pacing Is Important In Establishing Tone; Pacing: Arc, Scene and Action; A Quick Word on Tutorials and On-Boarding; Interview: Brandon Sheffield Director, Necrosoft Games Chapter 5: The Formal Game Design Concepts; Video Games Are Event-Driven Experiences; Experiences Come From Emotions; Where Do Emotions Come From?; Identify the Emotion; Emotions Triggered Through the Game’s Mechanic; Flow; Getting Into the Zone; Emotions Transmitted Through Story; Emotions Transmitted Through the World; Emotional Experiences; Case Study: Gone Home, Steve Gaynor Co-Founder the Fullbright Company Chapter 6: The Preparation Phase; Lack of Experience; Models for Planning; Planning and Iteration; Iteration; Paper Prototype Phase; Fixing on the Game’s Visuals; There Are No Crystal Balls; The Three Cs: Character Design, Camera Design and Control Design; Play-Testing the Game (Prototype) ; Leave the Ego Outside and Observe; Try Not to Fixate on the Negatives; Audience; Getting What You Need; Common Play-Testing Questions; Early Access as Play-Testing; Interview: Kate Craig, Environment Artist, the Fullbright Company Chapter 7: The Principles of Level Design; Concept Art and Sketches; Creating an Emotional Aesthetic; Level Design Is Storytelling; Planning the Level; Listing the Level Components; Birds Eye View and Environment Flow; The Player Path; Lines of Sight and Paths; Limiting Lines of Sight; Building on Differences; Case Study: Gunpoint Chapter 8: Principles of Level Design Part 2; Invisible Boundaries; Occlusion Culling, Overdraw and Frustum Culling; Bounding the Level; Scale Is Important; Sizing and Field of View; Wayfinding Systems; Modular Models and Textures; Texture Sheets; The Texture Atlas; Silhouette Environment Design; The Principles of Silhouette Design:; Choke Points and Strong Points; Looking Back Is Important; Interview: Creating Games at Media Molecule Kareem Ettouney, Art Director Rex Crowle, Creative Lead Chapter 9: Character Design; What Is a Character?; The Building Blocks of Character Design; Personality and Personification; Characters That Serve a Purpose; What Is In a Name?; Stereotypes: Uses and Misuses; Building the Character ; Generic Characters Vs Stand-Out Characters; Making the Character ‘Real’; Non-Player Characters and Relationship Maps; Further Defining the Character Aesthetic Using Mood Boards and Model Sheets; Conclusion: Game Characters Come In All Shapes and Sizes Chapter 10: Getting Them to Play, Keeping Them Playing; Tutorials, On-Boarding and Rewards; Tutorial Design, Easing the Player In; Unconventional Controls; Win Early, Win Often; On-Boarding; On-Boarding Methods; Rewarding the Player; Designing Rewards; Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards; Motivating By Design; Conclusion Engagement and Rewards Are Unique to Games; Interview Kenneth Young Head of Audio Media Molecule Chapter 11: Interface Design and Audio Design; Constrained Choices, How to Think About Interfaces; Pick a Path, Designing Constraints; Interface Design; Invisibility and Feedback; Interface Design Schemes; Interfaces Are Communication; Interface Types; Non-Diegetic; Meta; Spatial; Mapping and Modes; Interface Overload; Audio Design, a Brief Overview; Sound as Manipulation; Designing Sounds That Do Not Exist; Audio for Atmosphere; Conclusion: Interfaces and Audio Complete the Prototype; Interview Tyson Steele, User Interface Artist, Epic Games Chapter 12 Where Next? ; Ethics, Inclusion and Monetization; Ethics and Gaming; Games Are Transformative; Inclusion; Inclusion and Doubt; Be Wary of Hubris; Be Wary of Negative Stereotypes; Game Violence; Copyright and Intellectual Property; Personal Responsibility; Monetization Conclusion: Thanks for Playing; Technical Resources; Industry Standard Software for Non-Programmers; Tools for Programmers (On a Budget); Open Source (Free) Tools and Communities; Overview of Common Industry Terms; Further Reading; Glossary; Index; Acknowledgements
Offers what every game designer needs to know - how to produce strong characters, addictive game play and challenging level design. Using psychology, aesthetics and usability testing, budding game designers will learn to produce their own unique projects that gamers will love to play.
Michael Salmond, Digital Media Design, Florida Gulf Coast University, USA. Michael is a digital interaction designer, video game artist and digital theorist. His work has been exhibited and published nationally, internationally and online. He has been teaching video game design and interaction design for over ten years in the UK and the USA. He is the co-author of The Fundamentals of Interactive Design (2013).
Offers readers a much more comprehensive view of the industry than
other books of its kind. Practical game making information,
analytic methods, and academic concepts are combined to give game
designers a rich toolset for their own work.
*Christopher Totten, Game Artist in Residence, American University,
Washington DC*
An excellent, comprehensive book that successfully covers all areas
of game design and development. It uses a good range of sources and
a variety of styles and contexts. Easy to access and dip into. It's
an ideal and thorough introduction to game design.
*Ros Allen, University of Sunderland, UK*
Offers a complete breakdown of the process, context and application
of how to make a game based on insightful information from a
variety of studios at the cutting edge of game development. For
anyone new to the subject area they will be under no illusion as to
the depth of complexity and skill levels required to produce a
video game for today's market place. From initial concept ideas and
pre-production all the way to investment and management, the book
goes to great lengths to cover all areas with as much clarity and
precise, relevant information as possible. It is one of the best
books available on the subject.
*Simon Reed, Course Leader BA Game Art, University of South Wales,
UK*
From games we play as kids in the schoolyard to video games we play
as adults this well-designed book examines and explains the rules
and mechanics that make them historically relevant for us humans.
From the conceptual to the technical, dedicated chapters to every
aspect of game design will help you understand the structure, depth
and complexity of one of the most pervasive storytelling activities
of our time. Aided by interviews with game makers, exercises and
examples demonstrate how fluidity in a game arises from planning,
execution and reiteration. But as the author states, and I could
not agree more, “If you want to make games, go make games. Make
games, make mistakes and learn from them.” This book helps you do
just that.
*Arturo Sinclair, Assistant Professor, Media Arts, Sciences and
Studies, Ithaca College, New York*
Very rich in examples and exercises to develop necessary skills: a
serious text for serious learners.
*Luca Pulvirenti, Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, Italy*
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