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Game Design Foundations
This book is targeted for the beginner to intermediate wanna-be game designer who wants to learn a step-by-step, easy to follow process of expressing their concepts through documentation into a real game that a publisher or a development team can create.
- GenresGamesProgramming
400 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 31, 2026
★★★★★ Excellent Resource for Anyone Interested in Game Design
Game Design Foundations by Roger E. Pedersen is a practical and informative guide that breaks down the fundamentals of game design in a clear and engaging way. The author draws on extensive industry experience to explain concepts that are useful for both beginners and experienced developers looking to strengthen their design skills.
What I appreciated most is the book's focus on the reasoning behind good game design rather than just technical implementation. The explanations are easy to follow, and the real-world examples help connect theory with practice. It encourages readers to think creatively while understanding the principles that make games enjoyable and memorable.
Whether you're an aspiring game designer, a student, or simply curious about how great games are created, this book provides valuable insights and a strong foundation. I highly recommend it to anyone serious about learning the craft of game design.
Game Design Foundations by Roger E. Pedersen is a practical and informative guide that breaks down the fundamentals of game design in a clear and engaging way. The author draws on extensive industry experience to explain concepts that are useful for both beginners and experienced developers looking to strengthen their design skills.
What I appreciated most is the book's focus on the reasoning behind good game design rather than just technical implementation. The explanations are easy to follow, and the real-world examples help connect theory with practice. It encourages readers to think creatively while understanding the principles that make games enjoyable and memorable.
Whether you're an aspiring game designer, a student, or simply curious about how great games are created, this book provides valuable insights and a strong foundation. I highly recommend it to anyone serious about learning the craft of game design.
August 7, 2013
so it looks to me like Pedersen cobbled together a bunch of old parts and presto! called it a book.
i acquired the book to learn what i can about how game designers work--what they produce, what people need from them, some of the day-to-day. how they interact with others on the team; what they need to know in terms of art and programming and management. you know, work stuff.
but this book is a bunch of long, long lists with copious examples. you'd think the latter would help, but they don't, not really.
for example: there's an 11-page list of movies that you could make a videogame of, with a one-line synopsis of the plot. this, in an 18-page chapter on videogame ideas.
well, i'm assuming that most readers already have a ton of videogame ideas... but anyway.
Pederson makes it clear that the one big document required of the game designer is the Design Document, and then proceeds to give an example of same from a poker game he designed. this isn't as useful as it sounds. think, for example, if you were trying to learn to be a baker--you'd need to know how to bake bread and cookies and so on. but there are commonalities to all baker-related work. what Pederson has done here, instead of teasing out the meta task, is just give us a recipe for one item. he won't tell us the principles behind it.
which happens over and over in this book.
anybody want to recommend a book on what game design is all about to me?
i acquired the book to learn what i can about how game designers work--what they produce, what people need from them, some of the day-to-day. how they interact with others on the team; what they need to know in terms of art and programming and management. you know, work stuff.
but this book is a bunch of long, long lists with copious examples. you'd think the latter would help, but they don't, not really.
for example: there's an 11-page list of movies that you could make a videogame of, with a one-line synopsis of the plot. this, in an 18-page chapter on videogame ideas.
well, i'm assuming that most readers already have a ton of videogame ideas... but anyway.
Pederson makes it clear that the one big document required of the game designer is the Design Document, and then proceeds to give an example of same from a poker game he designed. this isn't as useful as it sounds. think, for example, if you were trying to learn to be a baker--you'd need to know how to bake bread and cookies and so on. but there are commonalities to all baker-related work. what Pederson has done here, instead of teasing out the meta task, is just give us a recipe for one item. he won't tell us the principles behind it.
which happens over and over in this book.
anybody want to recommend a book on what game design is all about to me?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews