Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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 :)

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.

This book is really phenomenol. I am a two decade veteran from the industry and only somewhat recently stumbled across Fullerton's work. In this book you will encounter a rich analysis of the industry that covers various insight from numerous perspectives. Her writing style is very engaging while also being analytical; providing observations about common topics expressed in ways I had not heard before - or at least put so eloquently. I'm a big fan of the book.

So why only 4 stars and not 5? I like to think that 5 stars for anything just requires excellence that is at a whole different level. A Pixar Animation Studios "5 stars" level - if you know what I'm saying. My one complaint about the book would be that embedded within the book are exercises forcing the reader - I should say strongly encouraging the reader - to partake in applying the knowledge; or more fairly sometimes learning about the industry through observation of real-world product. I think this is all very good to be honest. But the consequence of this is that often if the reader doesn't have time to devote to these exercises (or isn't home while reading), they might feel compelled to delay reading until they can execute said exercises. Or maybe it's just me? Since I read a lot of my books during my commute on the bus, I often find myself struggling to get through this book in its entirety. Probably most people would just blow off the exercises but then again I think you'd miss a lot of Fullerton's message if you did that.

So that's why only 4 of 5 stars. But really, it's my commute-on-the-bus' fault - not the book's. I strongly suggest anyone interested in learning more about the process of Game Design to check out this literary work. There are some great "real-world" stories from other people in the industry so it provides a well rounded view and I have yet to find a book that covers so much interesting ground so effortlessly. Now, back to my exercises...

This book is a great read if you are planning a career in Game Design. In currently studying game development and this is the only book I really need. Good illustrations and useful tips! Shipping was also very fast, as always.

Seriously, this is the best book on game design i have read so far, and I have read quite a few. I definitely recommend it. And by the way, if you guys want to share opinions on game ideas i'm happy to enter a group discussion. About the book again, it's very good, seriously.

I was compelled to buy this book because it is used in a class that I'm currently taking. I gave it a chance, but have developed a strong dislike towards this book.

The book is written by academics with industry experience from Electronic Arts. It seems to me to be an attempt to fit a design process that a big corporation would use to design something like some financial software and make it fit for the gaming industry. It just seems like a big mismatch to me, game creation is just so much more wide open and demands so much more creativity imho.

Dunno, maybe that is why Electronic Arts has such a tough time coming up with decent new games from their own in-house designers. It's funny the book actualy resorts to "random" yet formalized processes for developing game ideas. When I read about this, I can't help but think of the whole "million monkeys at typewriters" trying to come up with the next great american novel. Maybe that is what the bean counters at the big gaming companies have resorted to. It's kind of sad, and I find it very synical. I also find it funny that they include some interviews with famous game designers in the book, and what they say seems to directly contradict many of the ideas that the book is pushing.

Some may like this book, but to me the ideas just don't ring true, and I didn't learn much that I consider useful from this book. I recommend a book like "A Theory of Fun" instead.

This is an amazing game design book. Trust me, I should know. I've been
playing vids since I was in junior high and my brother-in-law works for a major game publisher, and he brings home every new title there is, so I've played them all but never quite grasped the process of making a game of my own. Game Design Workshop takes you step-by-step through the process. After reading just the first few chapters, I actually could grasp the mechanics necessary for constructing a video game.

Unlike other books that focus on genres of games, this book gives you the
building blocks and its lessons teach you how to use them. It also has some really valuable interviews with top designers, and from those alone you can learn a lot. I cannot recommend this enough. 5 stars, at least!

With the success that videogames have enjoyed in our popular culture, there have been no shortage of books written on the subject of design: Game Design Workshop should be a "must-read" for anyone wishing to enter the field of interactive entertainment. Tracy Fullerton takes a practical and pragmatic approach in covering the many facets of design and production. There are numerous exercises that can be completed by an individual or as a team. Fullerton's writing style is personable and easy to read. It's hard to imagine anyone who wants to be a game maker not finding this book helpful and full of insights into creating a game.

This book covers a LOT (if not everything) you want to know as a game designer, or someone interested in that field of study. You also get input and pieces of advice from designers already in the industry and more.
This book is an easy-read, interesting, thorough and really insightful.
Overall, a great book.