Game Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (Gama Network Series) [Paperback]

Tracy Fullerton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240809742 | ISBN-13: 978-0240809748 | Publication Date: February 8, 2008 | Edition: 2

Master the craft of game design so you can create that elusive combination of challenge, competition, and interaction that players seek. This design workshop begins with an examination of the fundamental elements of game design; then puts you to work in prototyping, playtesting and redesigning your own games with exercises that teach essential design skills.

Workshop exercises require no background in programming or artwork, releasing you from the intricacies of electronic game production, so you can develop a working understanding of the essentials of game design.

Features:
* A design methodology used in the USC Interactive Media program, a cutting edge program funded in part of Electronic Arts.
* Hands-on exercises demonstrate key concepts, and the design methodology
* Insights from top industry game designers, including Noah Falstein, American McGee, Peter Molyneux

Editorial Reviews

Review

Game design is something of a black art. The trick to doing it well is retaining the black magic but training oneself to control it. There are a lot of books on game design out there, but "Game Design Workshop" is among the very few that develops a wizard rather than a drone.
-Ian Bogost, professor of digital media, the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-founder, Persuasive Games

About the Author

Tracy Fullerton, M.F.A., is a game designer, educator and writer with fifteen years of professional experience. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Interactive Media Division of the USC School of Cinema-Television where she serves as Co-Director of the Electronic Arts Game Innovation Lab. Recent credits include faculty advisor for the award-winning student game Cloud, and game designer for The Night Journey a unique game/art project with media artist Bill Viola. Prior to joining the USC faculty, she was president and founder of the interactive television game developer, Spiderdance, Inc. Spiderdance's games included NBC's Weakest Link, MTV's webRIOT, The WB's No Boundaries, History Channel's History IQ, Sony Game Show Network's Inquizition and TBS's Cyber Bond. Before starting Spiderdance, Tracy was a founding member of the New York design firm R/GA Interactive. As a producer and creative director she created games and interactive products for clients including Sony, Intel, Microsoft, AdAge, Ticketmaster, Compaq, and Warner Bros. among many others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 2 edition (February 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240809742
• ISBN-13: 978-0240809748
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Game Programming
  • #91 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Video & Electronic Games

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must-have for aspiring game designers, March 25, 2010

By 

Aaron Hill "ahill" (Richmond, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Game Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (Gama Network Series) (Paperback)

The top rating is well-deserved -- this book is both thorough and well-written. Fullerton provides in-depth discussion and a progressive approach to introducing the material. It begins with the absolute basics, discussing the basics of where game ideas come from, and ends with a treatise on the inner-workings of the game publishing industry.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about game development, as a trade, and especially for anyone looking to do it as a profession.

There were so many things to love about this book, but three things really stand out in my mind as being particularly awesome:

1. The "Designer Perspective" sidebars (insight into how some famous game designers got started and some behind-the-scenes knowledge about the industry)
2. The focus on iterative-design (prototype and test early and often)
3. The Exercises (real application exercises that hold your hand through the development of games, and of yourself as a career designer)

There were basically only two things I *didn't* like about this book, and they are purely circumstantial.

The first thing is that this book is college-textbook dense. Seriously. The page-count is just shy of 450 pages, and each page is divided into two columns, with a relatively small font-size. It was a beast to get through. There were many times when finishing the book felt like a daunting task, particularly towards the end.

The second thing that I wished was different was that the book's focus changes almost completely to digital game development (video games). The first half of the book was about basic game development, and so it could apply to either tabletop games or digital games; but as the book progresses, it makes a clear shift towards digital game development.

Realistically, this is not surprising -- the video game industry is gigantic, with revenues exceeding Box Office sales, and it keeps growing. The market for tabletop games is vastly smaller, domestically, and although it enjoys a much larger market share in Europe, particularly Germany, it is still comparatively diminuitive. So this particular nitpick is purely arbitrary, on my part -- I don't begrudge the authors for their decision regarding the content.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Search Has Ended!, February 27, 2008

By 

Scott A. Jacobson "jnoodle" (Coeurd Alene, ID USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Game Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (Gama Network Series) (Paperback)

This book is honestly an answer to my prayers! I'm using the first half of this superb book to remodel my introductory game design class & after school game design club. The included exercises are definitely geared toward capturing the attention of the type of kids I want to attract to my program. I think I'm going to have to buy a 2nd book as my son is using the last half of the book to develop and market his senior game project and plan for his Indie game company :)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A doctorate in video game design?, August 22, 2011

By 

Charles Frederick "Charlie" (Bellingham, Wa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (Gama Network Series) (Paperback)

There is a lot of information in this book. It is a fabulous text and reference, but it's quite a commitment by to get through. I feel like a video game genius now that I have digested the information in this text. I have to admit though, when I first saw how dense this book was I was a little intimidated - wondering if I had chosen the wrong career. Now that I finished it that I have a deeper understanding of video game design and am now concentrating on the visual aspects of game design. On my nightstand now is Create 3D Like a Superhero! and How'd You Do That?: Poser Character Creation For Beginners

The three chapters that I got the most benefit from were:
· Digital prototyping
· Playtesting
· Functionality, Completeness and Balance

I felt this book really prepared me for what my life will be like as a game designer - and what pitfalls I should look out for. I feel so far ahead of the pack now. A must buy for anyone considering a career in videogames.