ABSTRACT

The Art of Game Design guides you through the design process step-by-step, helping you to develop new and innovative games that will be played again and again. It explains the fundamental principles of game design and demonstrates how tactics used in classic board, card and athletic games also work in top-quality video games.

Good game design happens when you view your game from as many perspectives as possible, and award-winning author Jesse Schell presents over 100 sets of questions to ask yourself as you build, play and change your game until you finalise your design.

This latest third edition includes examples from new VR and AR platforms as well as from modern games such as Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us, Free to Play games, hybrid games, transformational games, and more.

Whatever your role in video game development an understanding of the principles of game design will make you better at what you do. For over 10 years this book has provided inspiration and guidance to budding and experienced game designers - helping to make better games faster.

chapter Chapter One|7 pages

In the Beginning, There Is the Designer

chapter Chapter Two|16 pages

The Designer Creates an Experience

chapter Chapter Three|8 pages

The Experience Takes Place in a Venue

chapter Chapter Four|17 pages

The Experience Rises Out of a Game

chapter Chapter Five|9 pages

The Game Consists of Elements

chapter Chapter Six|11 pages

The Elements Support a Theme

chapter Chapter Seven|21 pages

The Game Begins with an Idea

chapter Chapter Eight|26 pages

The Game Improves through Iteration

chapter Chapter Nine|18 pages

The Game Is Made for a Player

chapter Chapter Ten|14 pages

The Experience Is in the Player’s Mind

chapter Chapter Eleven|11 pages

The Player’s Mind Is Driven by the Player’s Motivation

chapter Chapter Twelve|46 pages

Some Elements Are Game Mechanics

chapter Chapter Thirteen|40 pages

Game Mechanics Must Be in Balance

chapter Chapter Fourteen|15 pages

Game Mechanics Support Puzzles

chapter Chapter Fifteen|29 pages

Players Play Games through an Interface

chapter Chapter Sixteen|17 pages

Experiences Can Be Judged by Their Interest Curves

chapter Chapter Seventeen|26 pages

One Kind of Experience Is the Story

chapter Chapter Nineteen|9 pages

Stories and Games Take Place in Worlds

chapter Chapter Twenty|22 pages

Worlds Contain Characters

chapter Chapter Twenty-One|15 pages

Worlds Contain Spaces

chapter Chapter Twenty-Two|15 pages

Some Interfaces Create a Feeling of Presence

chapter Chapter Twenty-Three|9 pages

The Look and Feel of a World Is Defined by Its Aesthetics

chapter Chapter Twenty-Four|6 pages

Some Games Are Played with Other Players

chapter Chapter Twenty-Five|15 pages

Other Players Sometimes Form Communities

chapter Chapter Twenty-Six|11 pages

The Designer Usually Works with a Team

chapter Chapter Twenty-Seven|8 pages

The Team Sometimes Communicates through Documents

chapter Chapter Twenty-Eight|17 pages

Good Games Are Created through Playtesting

chapter Chapter Twenty-Nine|15 pages

The Team Builds a Game with Technology

chapter Chapter Thirty|7 pages

Your Game Will Probably Have a Client

chapter Chapter Thirty-One|13 pages

The Designer Gives the Client a Pitch

chapter Chapter Thirty-Two|13 pages

The Designer and Client Want the Game to Make a Profit

chapter Chapter Thirty-Three|18 pages

Games Transform Their Players

chapter Chapter Thirty-Four|6 pages

Designers Have Certain Responsibilities

chapter Chapter Thirty-Five|3 pages

Each Designer Has a Purpose