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Game Design: Impossible: The drama of game development
How do you deal with workplace drama?
Similar to any kind of project where creative people are involved, this is a story of the development of a game.
Follow the characters Stephan and Angelo as they try to wrangle the project team into a state where they can work together constructively instead of having to fight for every step of the way. Understand the perspectives of the people working on it and get into all the little quirks and ambiguities that make interacting with other humans so complicated.
This book is written in a two-fold way, hopping back and forth between both. One part is the story of the development of a game based on over 20 years of experience in the industry. Fictional characters find themselves in situations drawn from the real world. The other part is theory, where the events in the book are analyzed and explained through the lens of psychology, shining light on the reasons why humans behave the way they do.
Learn how the dynamics of a team are working and how human behavior, cognitive biases and logical fallacies make working with other people such a challenge.
Similar to any kind of project where creative people are involved, this is a story of the development of a game.
Follow the characters Stephan and Angelo as they try to wrangle the project team into a state where they can work together constructively instead of having to fight for every step of the way. Understand the perspectives of the people working on it and get into all the little quirks and ambiguities that make interacting with other humans so complicated.
This book is written in a two-fold way, hopping back and forth between both. One part is the story of the development of a game based on over 20 years of experience in the industry. Fictional characters find themselves in situations drawn from the real world. The other part is theory, where the events in the book are analyzed and explained through the lens of psychology, shining light on the reasons why humans behave the way they do.
Learn how the dynamics of a team are working and how human behavior, cognitive biases and logical fallacies make working with other people such a challenge.
237 pages, Paperback
Published August 7, 2022
11 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 10, 2024
Great for anyone who is about to work in game industry. There are nice examples and stories about making some well known games. Book format is somehow simple but it works.
September 30, 2024
I really enjoyed how this book talks about team dynamics and creative process in the context of game development. In some ways it reminds me of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, but in a game context, covering also techniques and processes useful in managing a game project.
The author neatly divides the chapters into story chapters and analysis chapters on what went wrong and how to fix it. The story chapters are particularly involving. Even though they might seem like exaggerated caricatures sometimes, and everyday situations might be more nuanced, they serve well for giving a tangible example.
The analysis chapters are longer and more in depth, and there you can learn of a variety of approaches and callouts to other helpful books and materials.
The main takeaway for me is that even very established teams and senior people can fall into a variety of negative patters, and making sure that doesn’t happen is something that requires constant attention and will to cooperate from all parties involved.
There was only one problem that I had with the book and that is text formatting, which made it harder to read than most other paperback books I read. However it’s a small issue, and the content is worth it.
The author neatly divides the chapters into story chapters and analysis chapters on what went wrong and how to fix it. The story chapters are particularly involving. Even though they might seem like exaggerated caricatures sometimes, and everyday situations might be more nuanced, they serve well for giving a tangible example.
The analysis chapters are longer and more in depth, and there you can learn of a variety of approaches and callouts to other helpful books and materials.
The main takeaway for me is that even very established teams and senior people can fall into a variety of negative patters, and making sure that doesn’t happen is something that requires constant attention and will to cooperate from all parties involved.
There was only one problem that I had with the book and that is text formatting, which made it harder to read than most other paperback books I read. However it’s a small issue, and the content is worth it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews