Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games (Prima Tech's Game Development) [Paperback]

Bob (Bob Bates) Bates (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761531653 | ISBN-13: 978-0761531654 | Publication Date: April 1, 2002 | Edition: 1

Whereas books about screenwriting and Hollywood abound, there are very few books that discuss how to break into the games business despite the fact that the videogame market is twice the size of the movie industry. . Offering advice and insight on everything from how to get a foot in the door to what to do once inside, this is a true inside scoop on the industry.. Find out how to license a game, settle contract issues, and demonstrate the game to prospective companies..

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bob Bates began his game writing career at Infocom in 1985. Since then he has written, co-designed, or produced over 25 games that have garnered more than 30 industry awards. The most notable of those awards is the CGW 1993 Adventure Game of the Year Award for Eric the Unready.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

4.6 THE HERO’S JOURNEY

In the end, your game should be your hero’s story. Sure, you have to
be careful not to screw up what makes a good game in the first place,
but you can still make the gameplay experience even more interesting
by wrapping a good story around it.

Each genre is restrictive – we’ve got conventions we must observe, and it might seem that there is little room for creativity – but they are certainly less hidebound than the genre of the Elizabethan “Revenge Tragedy,” which is what Shakespeare was faced with when his producer told him to sit down and bat out the play he eventually called Hamlet.

But it’s not good enough to understand how to tell a story; you also need a story worth telling.

Don’t sell this short. You can’t just say, “Hey, it would be cool to have this villain kidnap the hero’s sister and now he has to go rescue her.” This can be where you end up, but it should not be where you start.

Where do you start?

You are the author. Your job is to have a vision, a purpose, a greater truth. You have the job of any artist. You need to think of yourself as a hero – not a Lawrence of Arabia-kind of hero but a Joseph Campbell-kind of hero. Every author and every artist must make what Campbell calls the hero’s journey. You must step outside conventional society or philosophy and look back at the way things really are, or perhaps the way you think they should be. You must go beyond the boundaries of the known and accepted in search of something new and important.

What you acquire on the Journey is the Hero’s Prize. It is that thing which only you know. Many of you have probably already taken that journey. You have a vision of your own, a personal slice of reality, something that you know in your heart is true, even though the rest of the world doesn’t believe it.

When you find it, you must bring it back to us so that we will all benefit from it. That is what a hero does. That is what you must do.

If you take that journey, that piece of knowledge will become imbedded in your story. Not in a preachy way – it will just be there.

So before you sit down to write a story game, think hard about that thing which only you know. If you do, it will subtly inform all the design decisions you make in your game. It will be the thing that sustains your interest across the eighteen months to two years you will be working on the project. Eventually, it will become the thing that your game is about. And that story will be one worth playing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761531653
• ISBN-13: 978-0761531654
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #780,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, June 12, 2001

By 

Andrew Rohs (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games (Prima Tech's Game Development) (Paperback)

As a level designer for a California based startup, one of the few things that stands out in my mind as being an important step towards realising the scope of game development was reading this book.

This book doesn't give tutorials for map design, code snips, or instructions for texture creation, as well it shouldn't - that information quickly becomes dated with emerging technological trends. What this book DOES do (and masterfully), is to explain the methodology and theory behind the design of the game itself, from original concepts to final marketing and publishing. This is 10 times as valuable as the tutorials, snips, and instructions mentioned above could ever be.

One underlying theory runs through the entire book - namely, the game has to be fun. Using many useful examples through gaming history, the author provides crystal clear explanation, caveats, and suggestions. Upon reading this you step away with two things: the ideas behind implementing your own brand of fun in a game you may be creating, and respect for the amount of work that designs must go through for even the most 'simple' (at least, to the casual player's view) steps during the creation, development, and publishing of their game.

Ultimately, I would definently recommend this book as required reading to anyone in the industry, and would suggest buying a copy if you are a die-hard fan who is curious as to how games are created.

5 stars for an excellent guide, which, while is contains information that should be obvious, apparently isn't THAT obvious, judging by a few of the games that have been released recently. Definently one of the ultimate desk reference guides to game design and business - it's great to have all this information in one place at easy reach.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Vital Tool for the Modern Game Designer, September 7, 2001

By 

Ryan Shwayder (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games (Prima Tech's Game Development) (Paperback)

Written by a seasoned industry veteran (Bob Bates, Legend Entertainment, creators of Unreal 2), this book is a definite must for any current game designer or someone seeking to enter the business.

It covers every aspect of the game design process, including how to get your idea published and even ways to get into the business yourself.

In fact, after reading this book, I've secured a potential job as a game developer, making a port of a PC game to the Xbox console.

This will supply you with the knowledge needed to be successful in the game design industry, and I believe it is a book that every shelf needs.

5 stars go out to this essential book. It is absolutely up-to-date, and will provide you with the power to become a better game designer.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lightweight and narrow, December 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games (Prima Tech's Game Development) (Paperback)

This book preaches about how to make a clone of an action game without really explaining the principles behind why a good game is good or the art of computer game design.

I found that it often contradicted Game Design Theory & Practice by Richard Rouse which is a much better book as it explains the principles of design with support from many experts rather than just saying that all games should be done a certain way.

Bates' book is quick and easy to read but not inspiring or thought provoking. Most of it was just common sense.