| I had always planned to write a book on game design someday, a magnum opus that would contain everything I’ve learned about design during my years in the industry. Now I’ve finally done it, working with Andrew Rollings, after a two-year odyssey that included a title change (it used to be called Patterns in Game Design), some very late nights, and our original publisher going bankrupt. It’s a monster: 650 pages of advice and analysis, filled with examples. Game Design is divided into two parts. The first section of the book deals with fundamental principles: concept creation, game worlds, storytelling, character development, gameplay, and core mechanics. In the second half, we examine how the key elements of game design are implemented in each of the major genres: action, strategy, role-playing, sports, vehicle simulations, construction & management simulations, and adventure games. There is also a chapter on several minor genres, and a separate chapter on online games. The last chapter is blue-sky speculation about the future of gaming. Appendix A includes a detailed discussion of the three types of design documents a professional game designer is most likely to need to make: high concepts, game treatments, and full design scripts. Attention academics: Rollings & Adams can also be used as a textbook. Each chapter ends with a worksheet of questions to help focus the reader’s attention on specific issues in his or her own design.
More quotes from some of our reviewers: Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams On Game Design shows how to design great computer games in all the major genres, and it's useful to both students and experienced professionals. If you're serious about game design, this book belongs on your shelf. — Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation and Dungeon Siege
| From basic technical considerations to questions of ethical and emotional content, Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams On Game Design covers every phase of designing a product, while also maintaining a top-down perspective on the most important aspect of any game - keeping it fun! — Bill Roper, Vice President of Blizzard Entertainment
| Filled with insightful anecdotes and useful checklists, Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design gives you a rigorous conceptual foundation that will help you design better games. If you want to become a game designer, start here. — Scott Kim, Full-time independent designer of visual puzzles
| I highly recommend both [Rollings & Adams and Game Architecture and Design] and I suggest reading this latest book, co-authored by Ernest Adams, first, and then follow-up with the larger, more advanced book co-authored by Dave Morris. Together, they provide a comprehensive guide to making fun, successful games. — Scott Miller, CEO of 3D Realms
creators of Duke Nuke’em
| This book sets the record straight as to what “game design” is and why it's important. — Tom Sloper, President, Sloperama Productions
| A wise future designer would do well to read this before launching his or her career in the field. — John Feil, Level Designer, LucasArts Entertainment
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Text from the back cover: How do you take a great idea and turn it into a game design? What makes one design better than another? Why does a good design document matter, and how do you write one? This book will answer these questions and stimulate your creativity! Game design consists of four essential tasks: imagining a game, defining the way that it works, describing the elements that make it up, and communicating this information to others. Game Design examines each of those tasks, and shows you not only what issues you will need to address in your design, but how to think about games and gameplay. This book discusses both the theory and the practice of game design; both the why and the how. You’ll get practical advice about how to design a game, what kinds of decisions you’ll need to make as you go along, and how to write it all down. By the end of the book you will have the tools you need to design many kinds of games, and to create a professional-quality game design document. Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design will show you: - The key design elements of every computer and video game, and how to think about them.
- How to write a high concept document, a treatment, and a full design script.
- How to craft an imaginary world and populate it with interesting characters.
- The essentials of user interface design—perspective, interaction model, and the player's role—and how to use them to define your game's look and feel.
- How to construct and balance your game’s internal mechanics to make sure the game is both fun and fair.
- The relationship between interactivity and narrative, and how to write compelling stories.
- The unique design problems in each of the major game genres.
- How to design multi-player games to maximize player interaction and minimize cheating.
Each chapter contains a worksheet listing key design decisions to help you at every step of the way!
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Table of Contents Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design Introduction Part I The Elements of Game Design Chapter 1 What Is Game Design? Art, Science, or Craft? The Anatomy of Game Design Documenting the Design Anatomy of a Game Designer Imagination
Technical Awareness
Analytical Competence
Mathematical Competence
Aesthetic Competence
General Knowledge
Writing Skills
Drawing Skills
The Ability to Compromise
Putting It Together
Chapter 2 Game Concepts Getting an Idea The Elements of a Game Games, Toys, and Puzzles
Challenges, Gameplay, and the Victory Condition
Setting, Interaction Model, and Perspective
The Players Role
Modes and Structure
Realism
A Word About Story
Understanding Your Audience The Genres of Interactive Entertainment The Types of Game Machines Motivations That Influence Design Market-Driven Games
Designer-Driven Games
License Exploitation
Technology-Driven Games
Art-Driven Games
Entertainment and Integration
Game Concept Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 3 Game Settings and Worlds The Purpose of a Game Setting The Graphics Versus Gameplay Debate
Immersiveness and Suspension of Disbelief
The Importance of Harmony
The Dimensions of a Game World The Physical Dimension
The Temporal Dimension
The Environmental Dimension
The Emotional Dimension
The Ethical Dimension
Realism and Abstraction The Save-Game Issue Reasons for Saving a Game
Consequences for Immersion and Storytelling
Ways of Saving a Game
To Save or Not to Save
Putting It Together
Chapter 4 Storytelling and Narrative Stories in Games The Story Vehicle Storytelling and Narrative Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 5 Character Development Art-Driven Character Design Story-Driven Character Design Character Development Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 6 Creating the User Experience What Is the User Experience? The Human-Computer Interface Components of the User Experience User Interface Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 7 Gameplay Chapter 8 The Internal Economy of Games and Game Balancing What Is Game Balance? Static Balance Randomness and Average Values
Dominant Strategies
Symmetry
Trade-Offs
Combination
Emergence
Feedback Loops
Summary of Static Balance
Dynamic Balance Tools for Balancing Internal Economy Worksheet Putting It Together
Part II The Genres of Games Chapter 9 Action Games Action Game Genres Design Elements Special Design Considerations for Action Games Action Game Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 10 Strategy Games The Common Elements of Strategy Games Strategy Game Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 11 Role-Playing Games The Common Elements of Role-Playing Games CRPG Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 12 Sports Games The Common Elements of Sports Games Rules
Competition Modes
Victory and Loss Conditions
Setting
Interaction Model
Perspective
User Interface Design
Player Roles
Structure
Special Design Issues for Sports Games Physics for Sports Games
Rating the Athletes
Athlete AI Design
Injuries
Arcade Mode Versus Simulation Mode
Simulating Matches Automatically
Licenses, Trademarks, and Publicity Rights
Audio Commentary
Other Peculiarities
Sports Game Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 13 Vehicle Simulations The Common Elements of Vehicle Simulations The Rules
Competition Modes
Gameplay and Victory Conditions
Setting
Interaction Model
Perspective
User Interface Design
The Players Role
Other Vehicles Special Design Considerations for Vehicle Simulations Vehicle Simulation Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 14 Construction and Management Simulations The Common Elements of CMSs Special Design Considerations for CMSs Construction and Management Simulation Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 15 Adventure Games What Is an Adventure Game? The Common Elements of Adventure Games User Interface Design Special Design Considerations Adventure Game Worksheet Putting It Together
Chapter 16 Artificial Life, Puzzle Games, and Other Genres Artificial Life Games Puzzle Games Games for Girls Putting It Together
Chapter 17 Online Games Advantages of Online Games Player Socializing
Human Intelligence Instead of Artificial Intelligence
Online Gameplay Versus Local Multi-Player Gameplay
Disadvantages of Online Games Technical Issues
It’s Harder to Suspend Disbelief
Misbehavior
The Need to Produce Content
Customer Service
Design Issues for Online Gaming Arriving Players
Disappearing Players
Real-Time Versus Turn-Based Games
Chat
Collusion
Technical Security
Persistent Worlds The Origins of Persistent-World Gaming
How Persistent Worlds Differ from Games
The Four Types of Players
Creating an Avatar
World Models
Avatar Death
The Player-Killer Problem
The Nature of Time
Persistent World Economies
Final Thoughts on Persistent Worlds
Putting It Together
Chapter 18 The Future of Gaming Gaming Hardware Location-Based Entertainment
Home Video Game Consoles
Personal Computers
Handheld Game Machines, PDAs, and Telephones
Virtual Reality
The Future of Game Programming Game Genres Action Games
Strategy Games
Role-Playing Games
Sports Games
Vehicle Simulations
Construction and Management Simulations
Adventure Games
Broadband Networking The Distant Future Interactive Entertainment as an Art Form A Few Final Words
Part III Appendixes Appendix A: Sample Design Documents Creating and Using Design Documents The High-Concept Document The Game Treatment The Design Script
Appendix B: Bibliography Game Design Game Theory History and Sociology of Video Games Architecture and Graphic Design Writing and Narrative
Index
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