Making Videogames: The Art of Creating Digital Worlds

by Duncan Harris, Alex Wiltshire

Making Videogames is an extraordinary snapshot of modern interactive entertainment, with insight from pioneers about the most important games in the world. Illustrated with some of the most arresting in-game images ever seen in print, this book explores the unique alchemy of a technical and artistic endeavor that constitutes the magic of videogames, striking a captivating balance between insight and accessibility.


Across eleven chapters, each focusing on a specific game from AAA blockbusters such as Tom Clancey’s The Division, Control, and Gran Turismo to cult breakthrough games including No Man’s Sky and Fortnite, the book will document the incredible craft of videogame worldbuilding and visual storytelling via the world’s most popular, but seldom fully understood, entertainment medium. The book’s text orbits breathtaking, specially created imagery "photographed" in-engine by the author, demonstrating the magic and method behind each studio’s work.  


A book not only for die-hard videogame fanatics, but also for designer-creatives and the visually curious, Making Videogames is a thrilling showcase of the boundless creativity of this amazing industry.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Design

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 14, 2022

Reviews

[Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable mix of an art book (with extraordinarily great screenshots) with a behind-the-scenes examination of how a selection of 12 games was created, with emphasis on the visual aspects of those titles. There’s a good diversity of titles, from indies (Thumper) to high-budget AAA games (Control), and I loved the extended quotes from developers explaining why and how the visuals of these games came to be. It’s a little slight, perhaps, with maybe a couple thousand words about each game, tops. But what’s here is fairly fascinating, and the captured screenshots do an excellent job illustrating the games in question.

[Tabish Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated coffee table book on the art of videogames. It's a great idea to take 12 different games that range from the highly realistic graphics of driving game Grid to the grainy styling of Return of the Obra Dinn.

It touches on where the games draw inspiration from including previous games and also wider sources such as paintings and Brutalist architecture. It also deals with the practical things that need to be considered such as what a scene looks like if the player has their flashlight on or off. It's all the little things that we players thankfully don't have to worry about as art designers have spent hours getting it right.

Each game gets a simple overview rather than diving deep into each game and it's largely written for a non-technical audience even if does occasionally drift into talk about shaders. It's one that will likely be best enjoyed by gamers rather than those unfamiliar with videogames.

[Vanja Petkovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

really cool!!!!!!!!

[Adan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this book about art direction in video games (especially the chapters on games I had already played/am currently playing, like Control, Return of the Obra Dinn, and River City Girls), and its chapter on A Plague Tale: Innocence made me finally go back and finish that game after like three years. And its chapter on Thumper makes me want to play it even though it’s a rhythm game that I will undoubtedly suck at. So yeah, I mostly enjoyed this book, but my only gripe is that every chapter ended so abruptly! I was getting into the groove of a chapter and then suddenly it was over with no warning. A better concluding paragraph would have been very welcome addition to basically every chapter.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and quick read profiling the visual art of 12 recent videogame titles. Each game is chosen to highlight specific approaches and techniques and provides insights from the devs about how and why they made their design choices. Highly recommended for anyone interested in digital art for games, particularly students starting a games education.

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brushes over subject in a style of a gaming magazine. If you ever seen a good game dev and/or level designer talk how the sausage is made, you won't find anything new here. Sadly most of the graphics (nice) arw tad too dark for print too.. all in all nice afternoon browse nothing more..

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look into some visually stunning games with very beautiful screen grabs. A must read. And it’s an easy read.