Would you like to design world-class games? The Deck of lenses is the ultimate game design creativity toolkit! Companion to the acclaimed book The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, this convenient deck contains 100 unique "lens cards" each featuring key questions that will make your game great, and a magnificent color illustration to help you remember each principle. The lenses span every aspect of game design - story, game mechanics, technology, aesthetics, psychology, creativity, teamwork, playtesting, and even business issues. Included instructions explain how to use the cards to design board, card, and videogames. Whether you are a novice or expert game designer, this deck of lenses will change the way you look at games. What people are saying about "The Art of Game Design" System:"A toolchest crossed with a kaleidoscope" -Heather Kelly "Comprehensive and Practical" -Will Wright "Fertilizer for the subconscious" -Kyle Gabler "Inspiring and practical for both veterans and beginners" -Bob Bates
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
I love this product, other than the fact that they aren't really cards. I was expecting them to have some stiffness to them like playing cards or baseball cards. In fact, they are rather flimsy and so, only earn 4 stars instead of 5 from me.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
this deck of cards goes with _the art of game design_ book. the book does a great job discussing how each lens helps you consider the design of a game, but the cards actually enable you to apply these ideas while you're designing your game. definitely worth getting both the book and this deck of cards.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By MacBryce
Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed Jesse's book and looked forward to this deck of cards. They contain the exact same questions from the lenses in the book and they have lovely artwork, that occasionally reminded me of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game.
I just have three complaints that make me give it 4 stars instead of 5: 1) The cards are much bigger than regular playing cards. There's a lot of text on some of them, but I would've preferred to have regular-sized cards. This deck isn't as convenient to carry as a normal deck of cards. 2) The cards don't feel like playing cards. They are a bit flimsy and it's still a pretty thick deck. Once again, I'd prefer regular-sized cards even if that meant that they would've been seperated in two decks. 3) The box is firm and durable, I guess, but the finishing isn't very good. It feels like it's something that's been put together manually.
That said, I would still recommended the deck. As a creative or evaluative tool it's excellent.
I just have three complaints that make me give it 4 stars instead of 5: 1) The cards are much bigger than regular playing cards. There's a lot of text on some of them, but I would've preferred to have regular-sized cards. This deck isn't as convenient to carry as a normal deck of cards. 2) The cards don't feel like playing cards. They are a bit flimsy and it's still a pretty thick deck. Once again, I'd prefer regular-sized cards even if that meant that they would've been seperated in two decks. 3) The box is firm and durable, I guess, but the finishing isn't very good. It feels like it's something that's been put together manually.
That said, I would still recommended the deck. As a creative or evaluative tool it's excellent.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
I'm enjoying Jesse Schell's THE ART OF GAME DESIGN--A DECK OF LENSES.
They are useful for much more than game design. For example, my husband , a professional square dance caller, says he can use them to design square dance arrangements/dances. They will be helpful to me as I create picture books. Obviously they are splendid for game design! And frankly, I enjoy "looking at the pictures" and reading the text and just thinking about it all.
Diana Patton artist/writer
They are useful for much more than game design. For example, my husband , a professional square dance caller, says he can use them to design square dance arrangements/dances. They will be helpful to me as I create picture books. Obviously they are splendid for game design! And frankly, I enjoy "looking at the pictures" and reading the text and just thinking about it all.
Diana Patton artist/writer
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Noah Dudley
This product is brilliant on any number of levels. The idea of applying "lenses", or different ways of looking at design issues is wonderful all by itself, but it is very clear that Professor Schell has given a great deal of thought to each of the lenses in the deck, and designed approaches and questions that really force the designer to look hard at her/his work, probably in a way that never occured to him/her before. I am VERY impressed.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Great to help remind you of basics of game design.
I give it 5 *, but I agree with some of the 4 * people.
Card stock is to light. But not tremendously so, just needs to be a bit heavier.
Then again . . . iPhone app for these cards is coming out in a few months.
But still worth the cost.
I give it 5 *, but I agree with some of the 4 * people.
Card stock is to light. But not tremendously so, just needs to be a bit heavier.
Then again . . . iPhone app for these cards is coming out in a few months.
But still worth the cost.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By John Bacak
Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a Game Art and Design student and if i had not been told to buy this book and deck for my Game Design Class, i probably would have never found it. I'm glad i bought it though. these are essential tools for any game designer to help them think about how they want to go about making their game. Not just video games, but board games and such too.
Even if you don't think of yourself as a game designer(Schell talks about this in the book), you can still find these interesting to help you learn about what exactly goes into making a video game or board game. You then learn to appreciate games for what they are.
This is a must have for anyone interested in the slightest in games.
Even if you don't think of yourself as a game designer(Schell talks about this in the book), you can still find these interesting to help you learn about what exactly goes into making a video game or board game. You then learn to appreciate games for what they are.
This is a must have for anyone interested in the slightest in games.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
To be fair I'm not a game designer - I'm a game artificial intelligence programmer, but the "Deck of Lenses" is the one game design tool that I make sure to always have at my desk. Not only is this deck (as well as the Book of Lenses) a fantastic tool for game design... but a fantastic tool for any type of abstract design. Whenever I have some downtime I flip through this deck and always leave with plenty to think about - not just in terms of game design, but in terms of AI design and problem solving in general.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!
Fantastic tool, writing simply and helps application of ideas - supports the book. I would definitely recommend the set to anyone
Published 4 days ago by Michelle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
A great add-on to the book "The Art of Game Design". A helpful way to remember the lenses and great to look at
Published 7 days ago by Brenden J
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent insight on the art that is game design
With lots of great examples, thorough explanation and a very solid understanding of what game design means, this book is a must have for anyone who wants to start creating their... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Miguel Angel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required reading for all game designers
What Jesse does with this book is ask important questions that are pertinent to nearly every game. The other thing he does is create a clear and concise vocabulary for those... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Edward Sigler
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic for brainstorming sessions
We used these for a creative (non-game) brainstorming session; I'm a huge fan of Jesse Schell's book and have used it on game design projects, but wanted to see how they would... Read more
Published 3 months ago by bookrunner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring
This deck of cards are very inspiring. And it's very convenient to take a look during breaks between working time. Read more
Published 3 months ago by joysword
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thinking sideways
The whole idea of these cards is to get you to think about design, plot, feel, mood, character etc. and with that comes imagination and hopefully something great. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Quentin Pain
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Cards
I had to get them for a Video Game Design Class, but I've been using them for other courses as well. Read more
Published 14 months ago by CSMANIAC
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great tool
The cards are great! I really like to just go through the deck and get some ideas or countercheck a new concept. The artwork of the cards fits great to the overall theme. Read more
Published 19 months ago by ThorstenNeff
4.0 out of 5 stars
an interesting list of questions to ask when designing a game
the book is pleasant to read and provides lots of convincing examples. It may not be necessary to buy the cards.
Published 20 months ago by sipivu
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