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Level Up! the Guide to Great Video Game Design
Want to design your own video games? Let expert Scott Rogers show you how!If you want to design and build cutting-edge video games but aren't sure where to start, then the SECOND EDITION of the acclaimed Level Up! is for you! Written by leading video game expert Scott Rogers, who has designed the hits Pac Man World , Maximo and SpongeBob Squarepants , this updated edition provides clear and well-thought out examples that forgo theoretical gobbledygook with charmingly illustrated concepts and solutions based on years of professional experience.Level Up! 2nd Edition has been NEWLY EXPANDED to teach you how to develop marketable ideas, learn what perils and pitfalls await during a game's pre-production, production and post-production stages, and provide even more creative ideas to serve as fuel for your own projectsDeveloping your game design from the spark of inspiration all the way to production Learning how to design the most exciting levels, the most precise controls, and the fiercest foes that will keep your players challenged Creating games for mobile and console systems - including detailed rules for touch and motion controls Monetizing your game from the design up Writing effective and professional design documents with the help of brand new examples Level Up! 2nd Edition is includes all-new content, an introduction by David " God of War " Jaffe and even a brand-new chili recipe -making it an even more indispensable guide for video game designers both "in the field" and the classroom.Grab your copy of Level Up! 2nd Edition and let's make a game!
552 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
435 people are currently reading
2642 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
June 4, 2017
This is a great book if you don't know much about games and want to have a generic overview of game design. However, if you are like me -an experienced gamer and a novice game developer who makes 2D low budget indie games- you won't get much out of this book. It's very shallow and feels like a glossary most of the time.
February 24, 2019
I am not a game designer; I am certainly not a “video” game designer; I haven’t put together a computer program for a long, long time. So why am I reviewing this book?
I play games; I play some video games and I play RPG. I have some ideas about what makes a great game and I was curious about Rogers’ thoughts on the subject.
I liked his short history of video games.
He moves logically from ideas and story through characters, point of view, elements of combat, bad guys, multiplayer, and covers additions such as music. In each case he deconstructs the topic and then adds his own thoughts. Finally, he has some thoughts on “the business” side.
Here is a sample: “There are many ways to start building level maps. The designers of the original Metal Gear built their levels out of Lego blocks. Many developers do rapid level prototyping in 3-D tools like Maya or 3-D Studio Max. One designer I know liked to model his levels in clay. Myself, I like a ream of blank paper, a very sharp #2 pencil and an eraser. I like making maps on paper because it reminds me of the good old days of creating Dungeons and Dragon levels.”
And speaking of D&D, there is a lot in this book that a dungeon master could use to improve their RPG.
I agree with the publisher's blurb that says that when you read this book you will learn how to:
Create what gamers want
Bring compelling (and playable) characters to life
Build game levels that tell stories and challenge players
Design everything from controls to cutscenes to combat
Structure your game documents for success
Pitch your game like the professions
I hope you are successful and I am sure that this book will be of help.
PS: There is a newer edition of this book, but that wasn’t important for what I was seeking.
I play games; I play some video games and I play RPG. I have some ideas about what makes a great game and I was curious about Rogers’ thoughts on the subject.
I liked his short history of video games.
He moves logically from ideas and story through characters, point of view, elements of combat, bad guys, multiplayer, and covers additions such as music. In each case he deconstructs the topic and then adds his own thoughts. Finally, he has some thoughts on “the business” side.
Here is a sample: “There are many ways to start building level maps. The designers of the original Metal Gear built their levels out of Lego blocks. Many developers do rapid level prototyping in 3-D tools like Maya or 3-D Studio Max. One designer I know liked to model his levels in clay. Myself, I like a ream of blank paper, a very sharp #2 pencil and an eraser. I like making maps on paper because it reminds me of the good old days of creating Dungeons and Dragon levels.”
And speaking of D&D, there is a lot in this book that a dungeon master could use to improve their RPG.
I agree with the publisher's blurb that says that when you read this book you will learn how to:
Create what gamers want
Bring compelling (and playable) characters to life
Build game levels that tell stories and challenge players
Design everything from controls to cutscenes to combat
Structure your game documents for success
Pitch your game like the professions
I hope you are successful and I am sure that this book will be of help.
PS: There is a newer edition of this book, but that wasn’t important for what I was seeking.
April 6, 2012
This book is GREAT! It's a whole bunch of really practical thinking about game design. How should the camera work? What should the power-ups be? Level design, achievements, villains, music? Sound effects? It's all illustrate with charming drawings and has a good sense of humour about itself. This is the Understanding Comics of video games, and my only problem with it is that it is priced like a computer book - halfway between a reasonable price and a textbook price. But, I guess that's the way of computer books, and it wouldn't be fair to take a star off for that.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in video games and how they do what they do. If you are interested in creating a game, or even if you like to understand more about what kind of choices and compromises go into the games you love.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in video games and how they do what they do. If you are interested in creating a game, or even if you like to understand more about what kind of choices and compromises go into the games you love.
October 18, 2022
Get the ebook version here:
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/leve...
Pretty good. Multiple 'Starship Troopers' references.
Does the annoying thing of mixing in 'she' and 'her' with 'he' and 'his' when giving examples, eg: 'Can the player steady her shot?'. Firstly, it feels forced and jarring, since this just isn't how the English language is written, and it's forcing politics and feminism into a book that is supposed to be about videogame design, not a book about feminism and politics. And it doesn't make feminists happy anyway; if you ask them, they insist on the use of genderless pronouns, like 'xe, xir,' etc. There is no point in bending the knee. No matter how low you grovel, they just say 'Grovel more. Grovel lower.' So just write like a normal human being instead of like an ideological puppet. Let your words be in your mouth and their words be in their mouths.
Other than that, I found this very insightful. It helped me to understand why some things are fun and others aren't. That's actually pretty useful in general. If you can make something fun, or at least less unfun, it's easier to get yourself to keep doing it. After reading this I've started to notice not just that some things are not fun, but why they aren't. So that's nice.
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/leve...
Pretty good. Multiple 'Starship Troopers' references.
Does the annoying thing of mixing in 'she' and 'her' with 'he' and 'his' when giving examples, eg: 'Can the player steady her shot?'. Firstly, it feels forced and jarring, since this just isn't how the English language is written, and it's forcing politics and feminism into a book that is supposed to be about videogame design, not a book about feminism and politics. And it doesn't make feminists happy anyway; if you ask them, they insist on the use of genderless pronouns, like 'xe, xir,' etc. There is no point in bending the knee. No matter how low you grovel, they just say 'Grovel more. Grovel lower.' So just write like a normal human being instead of like an ideological puppet. Let your words be in your mouth and their words be in their mouths.
Other than that, I found this very insightful. It helped me to understand why some things are fun and others aren't. That's actually pretty useful in general. If you can make something fun, or at least less unfun, it's easier to get yourself to keep doing it. After reading this I've started to notice not just that some things are not fun, but why they aren't. So that's nice.
July 16, 2025
Casually mentioning AI without critiquing its morality upset me right off the bat. This author seems to demean art yet provide it, speak highly of his past regarding it, and despise it all at the same time.
The book progresses with some good facts and helpful information while skirting the line of being a how to manual and a helpful sounding big brother. Some of this stuff makes me recall my college classes on the subject material other parts seemed like pure opinion with no basis.
I was startled by him advocating for people to do this kind of thing on their own and then pushing subscription programs and expensive materials that can easily be found as open software. He will push AI for example and its “free availability” but then recommends the pay for use Mid Journey. Only art, not how AI has been used for programming and music creation, he only pushed that AI should be used for art and again that’s deeply upsetting as he doesn’t respect the material.
The book has its flaws and is too opinionated for my liking in some sections. And pushing certain materials almost makes me think that he was being paid to do so to discourage people from using open software and free services.
I appreciated the deep dive into roles and definitions for certain slang, as well as some minor background information to his working years, but they didn’t do enough to gloss over the issues. I also think this book purposely dates itself so that it has to be republished constantly.
I got the digital edition of this book and it would appear that quality assurance didn't do their job. Some text is white on white and can't be read without highlighting it. Certain pictures are uploaded poorly and don’t help the flow. The publisher should fix these issues.
Considering how this book keeps getting published, almost like it’s a college textbook that gets slapped out every year, I’m not surprised at these problems.
The book progresses with some good facts and helpful information while skirting the line of being a how to manual and a helpful sounding big brother. Some of this stuff makes me recall my college classes on the subject material other parts seemed like pure opinion with no basis.
I was startled by him advocating for people to do this kind of thing on their own and then pushing subscription programs and expensive materials that can easily be found as open software. He will push AI for example and its “free availability” but then recommends the pay for use Mid Journey. Only art, not how AI has been used for programming and music creation, he only pushed that AI should be used for art and again that’s deeply upsetting as he doesn’t respect the material.
The book has its flaws and is too opinionated for my liking in some sections. And pushing certain materials almost makes me think that he was being paid to do so to discourage people from using open software and free services.
I appreciated the deep dive into roles and definitions for certain slang, as well as some minor background information to his working years, but they didn’t do enough to gloss over the issues. I also think this book purposely dates itself so that it has to be republished constantly.
I got the digital edition of this book and it would appear that quality assurance didn't do their job. Some text is white on white and can't be read without highlighting it. Certain pictures are uploaded poorly and don’t help the flow. The publisher should fix these issues.
Considering how this book keeps getting published, almost like it’s a college textbook that gets slapped out every year, I’m not surprised at these problems.
September 13, 2020
This is the first book I've read on Game Design. I am a player. I have played board games, video games and sports all my life. I did not find anything groundbreaking in this book. I guess that it has merit collating all those ideas together and it makes for a nice read but I never felt like I was learning.
Also, there are some concepts I plain disagree with, like the way the author insists on dynamic difficulty. It feels like a manual to create successful games, as in games that people like to play, keep playing till the end and then recommend to other people . What I wanted instead is a manual to create great games (as the title of the book suggests), as in games that leave a mark on the player even if they are not able to finish it, games that push the gaming industry and set new milestones. Sadly, I found none of that.
Also, there are some concepts I plain disagree with, like the way the author insists on dynamic difficulty. It feels like a manual to create successful games, as in games that people like to play, keep playing till the end and then recommend to other people . What I wanted instead is a manual to create great games (as the title of the book suggests), as in games that leave a mark on the player even if they are not able to finish it, games that push the gaming industry and set new milestones. Sadly, I found none of that.
September 23, 2023
Promete ser una guía para el diseño de videojuegos, pero habla muchísimo de marketing, comunicación, plazos de entrega, mercado secundario... También habla, por supuesto, de cómo conseguir que un juego tenga una buena historia y mucha jugabilidad. Para mi gusto, mucho más que la leve introducción que andaba buscando. Muy útil para gente que seriamente esté considerando entrar en el mundo del videojuego en cualquiera de sus facetas.
September 27, 2017
RU:
Хоть я и работаю много лет в индустри видео-игр, я никогда не считал себя гейм-дизайнером. Но нельзя за все годы не научиться абсолютно ничему, особенно работая в команде с отличными специалистами. А потому всегда хочется узнать больше о том, что является частью твоей работы и жизни.
Один из коллег посоветовал книгу "Level Up!" как отличное руководство по теме.
Книга является не столько пособием по гейм-дизайну, сколько хорошим справочником по этой професии. Автор не только рассказывает о всевозможных формах каждого аспекта создания игр с точки дизайна, но и даёт примеры, как это лучше документировать и описывать.
И книга могла бы показаться скучной, если бы не отменный юмор автора, а также десятки иллюстраций, выполненных автором в ироничном и даже карикатурном стиле. Из-за них книга читается почти как юмористический комикс.
Очень рекомендую всем, кому интересна тема гейм-дизайна, а уж если это часть вашей работы, то книга — своего рода Библия (опять же, по уверению коллег, гейм-дизайнеров).
-----------
EN:
Although I work in a video game industry for years, I never thought I am any kind of a game designer. But it is impossible to avoid all this knowledge after all these years, especially if you have a lot of great professionals around you. This is why you want to know more about a big part of your job and entire life.
One of my colleagues recommended me to read 'Level Up!' as one of the best 'manuals' of game design.
The book isn't just a game design tutorial, it is a great handbook. The author explains every type of all aspects of game creation, and give a lot of examples how to document it and keep ideas.
One can say that it most likely too boring to read step-by-step manual, but there are so many humour and dozens of great artwork, created by the author himself in a very ironical and even cartoonish style. This makes the book very easy to read, almost like a comic graphic novel.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a game design. And if it is a part of your job then you have to have it, the book is like a Bible of every game designer (by words of my colleagues, game designers).
Хоть я и работаю много лет в индустри видео-игр, я никогда не считал себя гейм-дизайнером. Но нельзя за все годы не научиться абсолютно ничему, особенно работая в команде с отличными специалистами. А потому всегда хочется узнать больше о том, что является частью твоей работы и жизни.
Один из коллег посоветовал книгу "Level Up!" как отличное руководство по теме.
Книга является не столько пособием по гейм-дизайну, сколько хорошим справочником по этой професии. Автор не только рассказывает о всевозможных формах каждого аспекта создания игр с точки дизайна, но и даёт примеры, как это лучше документировать и описывать.
И книга могла бы показаться скучной, если бы не отменный юмор автора, а также десятки иллюстраций, выполненных автором в ироничном и даже карикатурном стиле. Из-за них книга читается почти как юмористический комикс.
Очень рекомендую всем, кому интересна тема гейм-дизайна, а уж если это часть вашей работы, то книга — своего рода Библия (опять же, по уверению коллег, гейм-дизайнеров).
-----------
EN:
Although I work in a video game industry for years, I never thought I am any kind of a game designer. But it is impossible to avoid all this knowledge after all these years, especially if you have a lot of great professionals around you. This is why you want to know more about a big part of your job and entire life.
One of my colleagues recommended me to read 'Level Up!' as one of the best 'manuals' of game design.
The book isn't just a game design tutorial, it is a great handbook. The author explains every type of all aspects of game creation, and give a lot of examples how to document it and keep ideas.
One can say that it most likely too boring to read step-by-step manual, but there are so many humour and dozens of great artwork, created by the author himself in a very ironical and even cartoonish style. This makes the book very easy to read, almost like a comic graphic novel.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a game design. And if it is a part of your job then you have to have it, the book is like a Bible of every game designer (by words of my colleagues, game designers).
March 10, 2017
Good if you're into the massively produced, tried and true game formulas, but more like junk food, with cheap humor, if you wanna get intellectual about game design. Unfortunately haven't found a good theory book like that yet.
April 16, 2021
Se game design te interessa, abra uma amostra deste livro, leia as páginas iniciais e tenho certeza que vai querer conferir o restante.
A forma de escrever do autor é engraçada e direta ao ponto, acompanhada de uma visão profissional e com diversas dicas baseadas na experiência dele. Recomendo!
A forma de escrever do autor é engraçada e direta ao ponto, acompanhada de uma visão profissional e com diversas dicas baseadas na experiência dele. Recomendo!
October 23, 2013
This is a great book. Many things said here aren't anything revolutionary, but are very important as a base for game design and shows how to avoid common pitfalls - some of which are still prevalent in major AAA titles, so a lot of this is rightly mentioned. Sometimes it feels as if there's not enough information, that a topic is barely scratched, but in this kind of book the focus is on game design in general, not on specifics. The book has a definite action bias, but its full of advice useful for all kinds of games.
I can definitely see myself picking this book up many more times to revise the basics, or use the great documentation examples as a basis for my docs.
Highly recommended to any starting-out game designer.
Re-read the book recently, was as useful as the first time!
I can definitely see myself picking this book up many more times to revise the basics, or use the great documentation examples as a basis for my docs.
Highly recommended to any starting-out game designer.
Re-read the book recently, was as useful as the first time!
August 24, 2018
Overall, I thought this was a really good book when taken in context. This is NOT a book to explain game design way down at the programming level. This book is an excellent 20,000 foot level overview of game design in general. It explains the major modules involved with the design of games such as marketing, financing, artwork, level design, camera control and gives advice on what to do and what not to do from someone whos been on the inside.
This book will not hold your hand and explain how to do video game design, but it will give you the background knowledge to have your own "ah-ha" moments when you start your own designs.
This book will not hold your hand and explain how to do video game design, but it will give you the background knowledge to have your own "ah-ha" moments when you start your own designs.
Want to read
January 17, 2011Just found out about this book from this article on gaming. The article weighs up the pros and cons of playing computer games and surmises that 7-21 hours per week is ideal, especially if half of your time is spent playing games with other people (either multi-player online or real-life against each other or cheering each other on). It also suggests using this book to learn how to make games.
September 29, 2013
By far the best book on Game Design put there. It has a great blend of friendly advice, and healthy installment of how to do things, complete with comparisons of good vs. bad design documentation etc.
If you are looking to learn more about our industry, or how to get started, this book is a great place to start. Heck, even if you are just an avid gamer with a curiosity for how we do it, check this book out.
If you are looking to learn more about our industry, or how to get started, this book is a great place to start. Heck, even if you are just an avid gamer with a curiosity for how we do it, check this book out.
July 24, 2012
A good, wide introduction to the non-technical aspects of creating games. If you're looking for a programming book you should look elsewhere, but this covers (in broad strokes) lots of the other parts of making games.
Focuses more on bigger-budget games created by larger studios and less on the indie game developer, but single developers can still learn a lot from reading it.
Focuses more on bigger-budget games created by larger studios and less on the indie game developer, but single developers can still learn a lot from reading it.
February 7, 2019
An amazing guide for both Newbies and veterans on the game developing industry, written in an easygoing diction with some anecdotes, it is really helpful as it can serve both as a guide and as a reminder.
August 17, 2020
A must-read for anyone planning to start or already in the game industry. It has a lot of content and great advice, all presented in a easy to understand, lighthearted manner, with tons of examples and with an excellent pacing.
Wholeheartedly recommend it.
Wholeheartedly recommend it.
September 1, 2014
Didn't get a chance to read the whole thing, but I liked what I read, and it has helped us in game design, much more than Rules of Play did.
December 13, 2016
hi
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2017
Anyone wanting to get into designing video games has to start with this book first. And keep a copy on hand to reference later. It puts the fun in functional.
February 6, 2018
It is сalled a Game Design Bible, and I totally agree with that. Easy-reading book with a lot of examples and principles of designing games.
February 26, 2018
Great book. Good logical flow. Easy to dip in and out of when your looking for specifics. Lots of content related to development in general.
March 3, 2018
One of the best books on game design I’ve read. Very practical and easy to read.
September 14, 2018
One of the best all-in-one primers to game making. Of course there are simplifications and shortcuts but still a great read for any beginners and people working WITH gamedev.
March 2, 2020
A great book for all game designers, very practical and easy to read
September 8, 2020
Great overview on game design, organised very neatly in the chapters and sub topics inside.
Fun and engaging to read.
Fun and engaging to read.
December 19, 2025
C'est le premier livre de gamedev que j’ai lu, sur des recommandations qui promettaient une lecture agréable et plus digeste qu'un livre purement théorique.
Et honnêtement, la forme est agréable : style fluide et narrateur sympathique, avec des petites illustrations qui font sourire.
Mais dans mon cas, c'est le fond qui n’était pas à la hauteur de mes attentes.
L’auteur passe en revue tous les composantes d'un jeu vidéo : du personnage à la musique, en passant par la monétisation et le pitch.
C'est donc assez lourd à lire d'une traite, et plus à considérer comme un guide qu’on ouvre régulièrement pour se référer à un chapitre précis.
Et surtout, même avec la dernière édition, ça fait très daté, et peu adapté aux développeurs indépendants. L’auteur fait régulièrement des listes de choses à inclure ou à faire d'une certaine façon, qui correspondent aux standards des AAA des années 2010, donc à des jeux qui, s'ils sortaient aujourd'hui, seraient des produits formatés, sans saveurs, qui essaient de tout faire sans être mémorables, et avec une envergure démesurée pour un dev solo !
En réalité, vu l’âge de la première édition, il aurait fallu réécrire en profondeur ce livre. Car même si on a des fois droit à des noms de jeux très récents (qui font un peu« name dropping », sans cohérence), ou des chapitres « nouveaux » (comme pour la VR), le cœur du propos n’est plus en phase avec le medium qui a énormément changé. Par exemple, comment peut-on encore parler de *shooting gallery* aujourd'hui ?
Plus problématique, des erreurs qui montrent que l’auteur n'a pas joué aux jeux qu'il cite comme exemple (j'ai en tête Superhot, mais il y en a d'autres).
Également des takes un peu éclatées, comme « WALKING IS NOT GAMEPLAY » qui crache à la gueule de nombreuses productions indé.
Attention, je pense que ce livre est une bonne introduction à l’industrie, et notamment pour celles et ceux qui veulent rejoindre un studio AAA. On y apprend le process de développement classique et le travail dans de grandes équipes.
Mais dans mon cas, à part quelques chapitres sur des sujets que je connaissais peu (la musique ou la VR), je n'y ai pas trouvé ce que je cherchais. En effet, il n’y a qu’un seul chapitre (le 19e, à la fin !) qui aborde le game design en particulier, alors que c'est la colonne vertébrale de tout jeu « fun » ! De plus, la modélisation d'un jeu comme un ensemble de systèmes est intéressante, mais trop brève et confuse pour bien comprendre.
En conclusion, ça vous plaira sûrement en tant que joueuse ou joueur qui veut découvrir l’envers du décor, mais si vous souhaitez sérieusement apprendre le game design, vous préféreriez probablement des ouvrages plus concis, récents et techniques.
Et honnêtement, la forme est agréable : style fluide et narrateur sympathique, avec des petites illustrations qui font sourire.
Mais dans mon cas, c'est le fond qui n’était pas à la hauteur de mes attentes.
L’auteur passe en revue tous les composantes d'un jeu vidéo : du personnage à la musique, en passant par la monétisation et le pitch.
C'est donc assez lourd à lire d'une traite, et plus à considérer comme un guide qu’on ouvre régulièrement pour se référer à un chapitre précis.
Et surtout, même avec la dernière édition, ça fait très daté, et peu adapté aux développeurs indépendants. L’auteur fait régulièrement des listes de choses à inclure ou à faire d'une certaine façon, qui correspondent aux standards des AAA des années 2010, donc à des jeux qui, s'ils sortaient aujourd'hui, seraient des produits formatés, sans saveurs, qui essaient de tout faire sans être mémorables, et avec une envergure démesurée pour un dev solo !
En réalité, vu l’âge de la première édition, il aurait fallu réécrire en profondeur ce livre. Car même si on a des fois droit à des noms de jeux très récents (qui font un peu« name dropping », sans cohérence), ou des chapitres « nouveaux » (comme pour la VR), le cœur du propos n’est plus en phase avec le medium qui a énormément changé. Par exemple, comment peut-on encore parler de *shooting gallery* aujourd'hui ?
Plus problématique, des erreurs qui montrent que l’auteur n'a pas joué aux jeux qu'il cite comme exemple (j'ai en tête Superhot, mais il y en a d'autres).
Également des takes un peu éclatées, comme « WALKING IS NOT GAMEPLAY » qui crache à la gueule de nombreuses productions indé.
Attention, je pense que ce livre est une bonne introduction à l’industrie, et notamment pour celles et ceux qui veulent rejoindre un studio AAA. On y apprend le process de développement classique et le travail dans de grandes équipes.
Mais dans mon cas, à part quelques chapitres sur des sujets que je connaissais peu (la musique ou la VR), je n'y ai pas trouvé ce que je cherchais. En effet, il n’y a qu’un seul chapitre (le 19e, à la fin !) qui aborde le game design en particulier, alors que c'est la colonne vertébrale de tout jeu « fun » ! De plus, la modélisation d'un jeu comme un ensemble de systèmes est intéressante, mais trop brève et confuse pour bien comprendre.
En conclusion, ça vous plaira sûrement en tant que joueuse ou joueur qui veut découvrir l’envers du décor, mais si vous souhaitez sérieusement apprendre le game design, vous préféreriez probablement des ouvrages plus concis, récents et techniques.
May 30, 2024
What makes a video game great? Is it the graphic fidelity or the storyline? Is it the complexity of mechanics or the simplicity of controls? Depending on what game you're talking about, all of these could be said of great games.
Scott Rogers provides a holistic overview of the game development industry and some different aspects that makeup video games. Rogers talks about the various roles of the members in a studio, the progression of video games in history, and, more importantly, the mechanics and components that make great video games. Roger's background is in 3D action-adventure games, so the points he touches relate to those concepts. This is great if that is in your realm of curiosity, but unfortunate if you want to learn more about different genres. Another drawback is that Rogers spends time giving an overview of the different systems in video games. He may provide an overview of different types of enemies in a game, but not about how those specific types of enemies may interact in a game. For example, he may discuss that there is an enemy that shoots from afar, but not how to design the enemy so that it doesn't become annoying. However, I don't think that was the aim of the book. Rogers gives a great overview of game design but doesn't explain what makes certain things great.
If you are just getting into game design, this is a great first book to read and go through. If you are already familiar with game design principles and are wanting to learn something to take your skills to the next level, there are still some gems to be found.
Scott Rogers provides a holistic overview of the game development industry and some different aspects that makeup video games. Rogers talks about the various roles of the members in a studio, the progression of video games in history, and, more importantly, the mechanics and components that make great video games. Roger's background is in 3D action-adventure games, so the points he touches relate to those concepts. This is great if that is in your realm of curiosity, but unfortunate if you want to learn more about different genres. Another drawback is that Rogers spends time giving an overview of the different systems in video games. He may provide an overview of different types of enemies in a game, but not about how those specific types of enemies may interact in a game. For example, he may discuss that there is an enemy that shoots from afar, but not how to design the enemy so that it doesn't become annoying. However, I don't think that was the aim of the book. Rogers gives a great overview of game design but doesn't explain what makes certain things great.
If you are just getting into game design, this is a great first book to read and go through. If you are already familiar with game design principles and are wanting to learn something to take your skills to the next level, there are still some gems to be found.
September 23, 2017
If you're anything but a complete novice, then perhaps this isn't the book for you: it does only cover the very basics of what a computer game should (and should not be), and is in essence a glossary of the fundamental mechanics underpinning games. For a complete novice (like myself), however, or for someone who is interested in designing games but needs a little inspiration/food for thought, I think this a good starting place.
It's easy to read, I found Scott to be an entertaining writer but also able to convey what is in essence a large quantity of fairly tedious information, and the amusing diagrams and illustrations did help to both convey some of the concepts as well as break up the walls of text. There's also a lot of information about creating your Game Design Document (GDD) and pitches - with full examples of these at the end of the book - which I think justify the existence of the book on their own. I'll definitely be referring back to these when I start cobbling my ideas together!
I'm sure there are more insightful / thought-provoking books than this out there - but if you want an overview/refresh of the fundamentals without being bogged down in theory, I'd definitely recommend this book.
It's easy to read, I found Scott to be an entertaining writer but also able to convey what is in essence a large quantity of fairly tedious information, and the amusing diagrams and illustrations did help to both convey some of the concepts as well as break up the walls of text. There's also a lot of information about creating your Game Design Document (GDD) and pitches - with full examples of these at the end of the book - which I think justify the existence of the book on their own. I'll definitely be referring back to these when I start cobbling my ideas together!
I'm sure there are more insightful / thought-provoking books than this out there - but if you want an overview/refresh of the fundamentals without being bogged down in theory, I'd definitely recommend this book.
February 2, 2024
Wide and thin. A lot of stating the obvious. The book is more of a "what games are" than "how to make good games".
A big chunk of the book focuses on mentioning different type of elements in games, with examples, within all types of genres. Maybe this could be useful for someone new to the field, but I can hardly imagine someone understand why is it of any importance without having the proper context of what those games look like, and why these examples work and fit within a game's design.
The book paints a very broad picture of games. You will know what types of games, environments, enemies, mechanics and worlds there were* within the gaming space (*it's quite dated), which you will probably know about anyway if you want to read books on making games.
But it's not all bad if you are a beginner game designer and you don't mind reading a lot, cause from time to time you will find a small nugget of knowledge that will be useful. And overall even though the text is rudimentary, I did agree with most of what was said.
While the lettuce and tomato is good, there is not much meat to chew on.
So sadly, I did not level up.
A big chunk of the book focuses on mentioning different type of elements in games, with examples, within all types of genres. Maybe this could be useful for someone new to the field, but I can hardly imagine someone understand why is it of any importance without having the proper context of what those games look like, and why these examples work and fit within a game's design.
The book paints a very broad picture of games. You will know what types of games, environments, enemies, mechanics and worlds there were* within the gaming space (*it's quite dated), which you will probably know about anyway if you want to read books on making games.
But it's not all bad if you are a beginner game designer and you don't mind reading a lot, cause from time to time you will find a small nugget of knowledge that will be useful. And overall even though the text is rudimentary, I did agree with most of what was said.
While the lettuce and tomato is good, there is not much meat to chew on.
So sadly, I did not level up.
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