Maker Comics: Design a Game!

Maker Comics

by Bree Wolf, Jesse Fuchs

Inside Maker Design a Game! , the next volume of First Second's DIY comic series, you'll find step-by-step instructions for six tabletop game design projects!

Siblings Shen, Shondra, and Shontoya arrive at Ludum Omega Summer Camp with a passion for games, and Professor Zephyr is excited to teach this year’s students all about the art and science of game design! What makes a game fun? What kinds of games are out there? How can designers turn an okay game into a great one?

With Maker Design a Game! as your guide, you’ll play and modify classic games and learn how to build and test a prototype of a new game that’s all your own!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Childrens, Comics, Middle Grade

128 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2022

About the author

Previously published as Brian Wolf

Bree Wolf is a cartoonist and game designer in Portland, OR. They love every single cat, especially blobby green space cats.

Reviews

[Syntaxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miigweetch NetGalley and First Second books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a graphic novel about how to think about games; it is not about how to code games, although the principles discussed throughout can certainly be applied to the digital game space. I like that all the exercises can (and should!) be done with simple tools like a pen and paper; it makes things more accessible for all kids. There are example games throughout, and I like that the purpose of the game is explained after the reader has been given an opportunity to try it, such as the first example “Mind Meld” which encourages budding developers to observe the patterns that emerge from each game and serve as a jump-off point for discussing player behaviors and choice-making.

I wasn’t initially sold on the narrative format or characters, but I did really liked that a Black girl is the main character, along with her fraternal twin siblings, and that there is a maternal legacy of female STEM involvement referenced within the first two pages (Grandma asks, “Y’all gonna become game devs like your mom?” I AM HERE FOR IT). I decided to stick it out and found that the format works better than I would have expected.

This would be a great read for students looking to get into game development. I recommend it for middle grade readers especially. It would make a great addition to a makerspace library shelf!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel (or comic) tells the story of a group of people and aliens (I think?) who decide that they want to create a game. The work together to solve the challenges that designing a fun game bring such as answering the question “what makes a good game”. The fun and colourful characters and large speech bubbles make this book look interesting and attractive to young readers. Graphic novels are well loved by middle grade readers and this book will be no exception. I like that the focus of the story is something of substance and would be interesting but also could be something teachers relate back to content areas. As a grade 3 teacher, I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 8-11 range. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

[Karen Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part fiction, part non-fiction.
Space camp for game creators (that's obviously the fiction) - but what they learn is very usable information for kids interested in creating games (the non-fiction part).
I think a book with just the how-tos would not be nearly as engaging to kids as the way this one is presented.
I liked the progression of simple games and ideas to the more complex ones, as well as the myriad ways to change them. It even included information on how to test a game.
Many kids want to create games - especially video games, with no idea of what's involved. This would be a good start.
The characters kept the story moving.
There was also a glossary and a feedback form

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was really well put together - breaking down the process of creating a board game into good basic steps, and building on each one, so if a reader actually followed through they'd have a game prototype to play at the end! I especially liked that they included materials to photocopy and use along the way in the back of the book.
The fantasy outer space plot location seemed a bit unnecessary though - I'm not sure it added anything to the book, but if it makes it more fun for middle grade readers, I'm all for it!

[Sah Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute book that teaches the fundamentals of how to build a game. The author makes the content accessible for readers through a sweet story.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this after my 7yo was done, and it does an amazing job of getting into some pretty crunchy ideas in an accessible way. Way to go, Bree and Jesse!

[Deidra Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked all the exercises, and it was presented well.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.