Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts (Paperback)

~ Marc Saltzman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Get expert advice on all aspects of game creation from the masters of the games. Saltzman reveals expert advice via interviews with the industry's best-known and most admired game designers like Wil Wright, Peter Molyneux, and Tommy Tallarico, just to name a few. Throughout Masters of the Game, Marc Saltzman chats with more than 150 ofthe world's most-connected, top-notch game designers about how to create stellar games and break into the business today. Topics covered include creating games for the new generation platforms such as X-Box, Playstation 2, and GameCube - including online console game design tips and techniques. Massively multiplayer computer games, PDAs, and cell phone game development are also addressed. Saltzman discusses in detail the business side of the game industry, and the pros and cons of working with well-known franchises. Additionally, readers learn how to successfully sell their own shareware via the internet and how to produce PR and marketing on a shoestring. There is also a section on game design schools and courses, plus key conventions, organizations, and publications. Finally, readers find dozens of rare, never-before-seen sketches, storyboards, 3D renders, and documents. This in-depth reference is a "must read" for anyone in the game industry.

From the Back Cover

Get expert advice on all aspects of game creation from the masters of the games. Saltzman reveals expert advice via interviews with the industry's best-known and most admired game designers like Wil Wright, Peter Molyneux, and Tommy Tallarico, just to name a few. Throughout Masters of the Game, Marc Saltzman chats with more than 150 ofthe world's most-connected, top-notch game designers about how to create stellar games and break into the business today. Topics covered include creating games for the new generation platforms such as X-Box, Playstation 2, and GameCube - including online console game design tips and techniques. Massively multiplayer computer games, PDAs, and cell phone game development are also addressed. Saltzman discusses in detail the business side of the game industry, and the pros and cons of working with well-known franchises. Additionally, readers learn how to successfully sell their own shareware via the internet and how to produce PR and marketing on a shoestring. There is also a section on game design schools and courses, plus key conventions, organizations, and publications. Finally, readers find dozens of rare, never-before-seen sketches, storyboards, 3D renders, and documents. This in-depth reference is a "must read" for anyone in the game industry.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 744 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Games (July 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735713677
• ISBN-13: 978-0735713673
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,165,104 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good to get advice from industry pros, January 21, 2004

By	Happy Gamer (WA USA) - See all my reviews

So many times I have picked up books on game programming and game design and how to get a job in the video game industry only to be let down. This book is basically for beginners and amateurs that need some guidance in game design and breaking into the industry. This book is a compilation of interviews with professionals in the video game industry. The author, Marc Salztman, has broken down these interviews and placed the relevant portions into their respective chapters. It flows quite nicely and you can get the information you need without sifting through interview after interview. You won't find a lot of detail here on programming specifics or any of that, which is nice, because this book is geared towards people that want to design games.

You get a Q/A with some of the best in the industry like Sid Meier(Civilization), Will Wright(SimCity), John Romero(need I say more), Peter Molyneux(Populous, more recently Black and White and Dungeon Keeper), Scott Miller(Duke Nukem), Shigeru Miyamoto(billed as the "Spielberg of video games", known for the Mario bros. series, Zelda and Metroid), Brad McQuaid(EverQuest), Richard Garriot(aka Lord British, creator of the Ultima series and Ultima Online), Alexey Pajitnov(Tetris) and dozens of others.

I found the information on breaking into the industry the most valuable and entertaining. Actual stories of how some of the most famous names in the biz got their start. Bill Roper, formerly from Blizzard, got his start by trading an alpha Rock Hydra(Magic: The Gathering) and doing voice over work on Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. Chris Taylor, creative genius behind Total Annihilation and Dungeon Siege, started out working on a baseball game. The advice these guys give is very pertinent, considering most of them run their own development studios and their opinion carries a lot of weight when hiring.

I would say the 35 pages devoted to breaking into the industry is better than most other complete books on the subject(Get in the Game, GamePlan, Break Into the Game Industry, etc). Simply put, if you want into this industry, get an entry level job doing ANYTHING and go get that job NOW. Then be prepared to put in 10 hour days, 7 days a week for months on end. Oh yeah, a college education doesn't hurt either.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you are not sure about working in video game design..., January 11, 2006

By	Brian Borman (Potsdam, NY USA) - See all my reviews

...then this book is for you. It is loaded with interviews from the industry leaders, to help you gain an understanding of what are the different jobs in video game development and what a working professional can expect. I found it interesting how varied the industry is-some will assert that you should never work for a company that treats you poorly, whereas others will claim that's how it is and to be prepared for it.

In addition, there are anecdotal stories about lessons learned while developing games. These stories range from unintended behavior that became a prominent feature to how a promising game fell apart from feature creep.

If you already know video game design is for you, this book will not offer advice to enhance your skills. It will however provide encouragement as you find everyone has struggled on a project sooner or later. However, if you are unsure about the video game career field, I recommend borrowing from the library to help make your decision.

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of time if your looking for definitive topic solutions, September 12, 2006

By	Van Der Schaat "PRoFeSsOr DoOm" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This book is a summation of interview questions and answers that are too general and have no topic construction. The book's chapter titles are unrelated to the content within the chapter and the same questions were asked over and over again. There are no objectives for what you are supposed to be learning from this book. And the advice given by most of the designers is pedestrian at best or let's just say extremely obvious. The book shows little organization and is written in a substandard format. If you like name dropping you'll love this book. I'm really surprised Marc Saltzman wrote this. Not worth the money.