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Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by [Jason Schreier]

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Jason Schreier

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Kindle Edition

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Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous.

Taking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart.

Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.

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300 pages
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English
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Harper Paperbacks
Publication date

September 5, 2017
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The creative and technical logistics that go into building today’s hottest games can be more fraught with challenges and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of six hundred overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong–sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it’s nothing short of miraculous.

Examining some of the bestselling games and most infamous failures, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it’s RPG studio BioWare’s challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone’s single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man’s vision into a multimillion-dollar franchise; or Bungie employees spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand-new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart.

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Review

A lively, informative look at how a video game gets made...The author, who writes for the video-game website Kotaku, is clearly a huge fan of video games, and his enthusiasm is contagious.

-- "Booklist"

Making video games is one of most transformative, exciting things I've done in my two decades as a freelance writer. Making video games is also an excruciating journey into Hellmouth itself. Jason Schreier's wonderful book captures both the excitement and the hell. Here, at long last, is a gripping, intelligent glimpse behind a thick (and needlessly secretive) creative curtain.

-- "Tom Bissell, author of Extra Lives and Apostle"

My only complaint about Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is that there wasn't more to read.

-- "Forbes" --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

About the Author

Jason Schreier is the news editor at Kotaku, a leading website covering the industry and culture of video games. He has also covered the video-game world for Wired and has contributed to a wide range of outlets including the New York Times, Edge, Paste, Kill Screen, and the Onion News Network. --This text refers to the mp3_cd edition.

From the Inside Flap

The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more fraught with challenges and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of six hundred overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean--it's nothing short of miraculous.

Examining some of the bestselling games and most infamous failures, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio BioWare's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multimillion-dollar franchise; or Bungie employees spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand-new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings--even as it nearly ripped their studio apart.

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell--and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.

--GameZone --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01NAKSWW1
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Paperbacks (September 5, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1355 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #59,013 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #8 in Sports & Entertainment Industry (Kindle Store)
- #34 in Entertainment Industry
- #73 in Video & Electronic Games

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Jeff DeSurra

Wonderful book, but one issue with the chapter ordering

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018

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I've been a reading of Kotaku and a listener of SplitScreen for some time, and I was very excited when I found out Jason was writing this book. The book does not disappoint. The stories of each game's development is well crafted and told expertly. Each story had its own twists, its own suspense, sometimes ending in triumph, other times ending in sadness. Even for the games for which I knew the basic story, I was already surprised by new information and I felt as though I didn't know what was going to come next. That's the sign of a great storyteller, and Jason is certainly that.

Two points that stick with me as I think about this book that I hope help you decide whether to read it (which I highly recommend you do). One is that I have a much greater respect for game developers at all levels of the process. Making video games is a cruel, life-sucking process, whether you work for a big studio or are a single developer trying to make the next big thing. The studios that strive to put out good work are busting it every day, and for those studios and individuals that really care about making good games, this book will illustrate why they deserve that praise even if they make a game that doesn't come out great. The other point that sticks with me is that the video game industry seems incredibly broken. Jason talked about this on the podcast and the overall sustainability of the industry, but it certainly seems like something is going to give soon given what game developers have to endure just to get something done. I don't know what that will look like or when it will happen, but this book clearly shows that something has to change.

There's only one thing that bugged me about the book, though not enough to knock it down a star. I wish the last two chapters had been switched. Star Wars 1313 is such an incredibly sad story that having that finish off the book left me feeling really depressed about the book as a whole and almost colored the book more negatively as a result. The story of Shovel Knight, on the other hand, with a scrappy team with a huge vision was a much more uplifting, inspiring story even if it doesn't have a perfect ending. I wish the book had led into the epilogue with that ending. I understand why 1313 was put in last: it's the story everyone wants to get the inside scoop on, so save it to the end. Still, I think the book could have ended on a more positive note, and switching the last two chapters I think would have done the trick. That's pretty nit-picky and a bit of a personal preference though.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes history, likes videos games, or just likes good stories. Props to Jason on this excellent book. I look forward to his next book, whatever it may be.

45 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

interesting but not compelling

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

most of the stories seem the same. a group is super pumped about an exciting unprecedented game idea. it takes longer than expected. they crunch. they take even longer. they finish.

no real details of personl drama to help you connect. Stardew Valley came closest, but that was a one man show.

30 people found this helpful

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James Wink

How Videogames are Made - A Project Management Perspective

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

Overview – Jason Schreier’s Blood, Sweat and Pixels is a fascinating look at how videogames are made from a production standpoint. Taking ten games, ranging from indie-darlings to the most high-profile games made in the last decade, he investigates the production process to determine what does it take to make a hit game. Written as a series of exemplars, Jason Schreier highlights how each game’s development is different but experience common challenges.

Each exemplar is well-written and an unexpected page-turner. Part history and part business textbook, each exemplar has lessons for those outside the gaming industry. While each of the 10 games are a good read, Jason Schreier leaves it to the reader to identify the good project practices and lessons. Project management is incredibly difficult, Scherier illustrates how high profile games have multiple teams that are interdependent (for example: the art team is reliant on the tech team and vice-versa). Recommended.

The Good – Each of the ten games that Jason Schreier uses as examples are well known. He goes into how each were developed, the problems, and how they may have been overcome. Few of the games were 100% successful, with many of the production problems dragging down the game’s final reviews and sales. He is sympathetic to the designers and that shines through.

The Bad – Jason Schreier loves videogames – and this book is an ode of those in the industry. The book reads like a series of vignettes as opposed to a unified whole. Each vignette is interesting but if the reader is looking for a book more focused on the business and project management of videogames, than it will be a disappointment, but still a fascinating book. It would have been valuable if Schreier highlighted some of the games that appear to have a less rocky development process (such as Call of Duty or Madden) to illustrate successful production methods.

8 people found this helpful

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ahoffoss

I REALLY hope there's a followup!

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

I gotta say, I'm a sucker when I comes to a biography or documentary. ESPECIALLY one that delves into the world of game creation. I'm a avid read of Kotaku, so when this gem popped up in the "about me" at the end of a Jason Schreier article, I knew I had to check it out! I will say that I'm not typically as interested in the "AAA" game development process as I am an indie game, but these chapters give enough information that I found reading those almost as interesting. But that's me,...nothing to do with Jason's writing style. That beings said, my two favorite chapters were "Stardew Valley" and "Shovel Knight". I'll admit, Stardew Valley really isn't my style of game (I tried it once), but the story behind it was amazing! Also, Shovel Knight I've never actually played, but this book made me get the game, so it does a really good job there! Each chapter tells a different story of the "creation" of a particular game. It doesn't go into all the details about what programs are used of where the workers got start in the industry (does tell backstories of a few during different chapters, but no particulars). It basically starts from where the game idea began and how it unfolded,...for better or worse.

I can only hope that Jason Schreier continues with more of this in the future. I'd love to hear about Five Nights at Freddy's, Ori and the Blind Forest, and Inside!

Final Verdict: If you enjoyed Indie Game: The Movie , this is a must read! If you enjoy reading anything about the creative process of video games, this is a must read! You know what, just read it! You won't be disappointed!

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

A. Whitehead

A well-written beginner's guide to the crazy world of video game development

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

Making video games is hard work, whether you're a solo operator developing an indie game inspired by a Nintendo classic or an experienced team of 200 working with a budge in nine figures. In this book, video game journalist Jason Schreier investigates the making of ten different video games: Pillars of Eternity, Uncharted 4, Stardew Valley, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, Halo Wars, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Shovel Knight, Destiny, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Star Wars: 1313.

Most people know that the making of video games is a difficult, long-winded and expensive process. But just how long-winded and expensive that task is remains mind-boggling. This book explores some of those stories. A single cancelled contract almost destroyed veteran video game studio Obsidian Entertainment, until they launched a successful Kickstarter for an old-skool RPG called Pillars of Eternity that was a big commercial hit and saved the company. Naughty Dog Studios had already delivered three critically-acclaimed Uncharted games and were a well-oiled machine, but still almost crashed into ruin whilst making the fourth game in the series. Blizzard Entertainment had been a 20-year veteran of game development with almost 100 million games sold but still managed to release Diablo III in a chaotic and divisive state, forcing them to save the game with an expansion pack that revamped a lot of how the game worked. Star Wars: 1313 was a game that looked absolutely amazing and was playing very well when it was abruptly cancelled when Disney took over LucasArts in 2012, flushing several years, tens of millions of dollars and thousands of hours of work down the toilet.

Schreier recounts the story of each game in a well-researched, intelligent manner based on interviews with the people involved and, in some cases, spending time embedded at the studio in question. Arguably the most fascinating chapter is on the development of Stardew Valley, a rare modern game created by just one person (Eric Barone), showing the insane work required to bring what is apparently a very simple game idea to the masses. The most explosive is certainly about the development of Destiny, an online game created by Bungie Studios to escape the treadmill of developing Halo games until the end of time, but that was easier said then done and by the end of development most of those who had been pushing for abandoning Halo had left the company, leaving a lot of anger and bitterness behind (which is an ongoing story, through the problematic release of Destiny's expansion and sequel). The most frustrating story is that of 1313, a genuinely exciting-sounding game that was killed in its infancy.

If there are any negatives to the book, it's probably the lack of depth. The book can only give about 25 pages to each project, and often the chapter ends just as the story gets interesting and we're moving onto the next game. There could also be better context: the Diablo III chapter focuses on the expansion, but we learn nothing about the ten-year development of Diablo III itself and why the game ended up being released in such a chaotic state. The Witcher III chapter also lowballs the game's reportedly hellish crunch period, which led to many people leaving the company (also it also resulted in arguably the greatest video game of the last twenty years). You occasionally feel that Schreier pulls his punches - at least a little - to retain future access to the companies involved.

That said, if you play video games but have no idea how they're made or the workload involved, this book (****) will be revelatory. Well-written, informative and entertaining, it marks a good beginner's guide to the crazy world of making video games.

14 people found this helpful

Jason

Pretty good but a little repetitive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Mostly a quite enjoyable read overall but each chapter was very similar:

Small games company has idea for a great game
They write software which takes a lot longer than planned so many late nights are required
Money is tight so funds need to be raised
Game is finally released to much acclaim

It's not a technical/geeky book, so if you're into the nuts-and-bolts of writing games or how to develop a game, this isn't the book for you. It's pretty high level and while quite interesting as to how these gaming companies managed to release their games, there's nothing that exciting here.

4 people found this helpful

Jojo Chanway

Interesting, if repetitive reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

The book is structured by specific games with interviews from those who worked on the projects. There are some interesting and quite funny observations such as a live demo of a Dragon Age prototype being staged animations, but because of this structure, most of the information of these different games overlap each other so much that it becomes too repetitive to casually enjoy reading, I skimmed through some chapters because of it.
I think the book would've been better if it was instead structured according to the typical process and stages of gaming development production. It would have removed some of the repetition, and it would have resulted in a much shorter read, but if the author researched more games, he could've had enough good research for a good 250 - 300 page book.

David Barnett

More info than insight...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

Game development is quite the story Tales of odds overcome, challenges faced from within and without not to mention the immense strain both personal and professional placed upon those who go out on a limb to see their vision through to completion.

It is quite the story but when you've read the tenth consecutive version of it you begin to wonder if something is off either in the story or the telling thereof. Without a doubt it's well researched and I was gripped to those first few chapters.

But then it becomes apparent that every story plays out to the same template with some interesting omissions made to fit the narrative. Hit me especially during the Destiny chapter, a story of hope outreaching it's grasp to hear it here.

No real discussion of the business practices that lead to such an incomplete game being released, of the DLC model filling in the gaps or the monetisation that crept in after. Just plucky endeavor and long hours at the code mines. It's quite the story but not really a definitive one.

Esiotrot

A good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is my first book based on games and it was definitely a great introduction to the gaming industry. Each chapter is based on a different game and how the developer sought to deliver it to he public without getting too heavy on politics or specific knowledge of the games in question. One lesson I have learnt from this book is how many developers over promise and under deliver and it’s a shoddy practice that needs calling out a lot more. The interviews with staff and team members are insightful but for each chapter I wanted a little more meat on the bones of it all. This might be a bit of a stretch given game companies don’t really want to talk about their struggles publicly, however the author has certainly received some good sources for the material. A good book and would happily recommend to anyone interested in games.

3 people found this helpful

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