ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief introduction to the core concerns around both doing things with games and the results of the things one do. In more formal terms, it focuses on the design intentions and their consequences. There are a variety of economic models that can outline when and how much one should spend on a project. There are many, many ways to prototype a playable experience. It’s common to prototype in a completely different environment than the planned release. It is important to keep in mind the many potential spaces where ethics can be breached in a game design. Examining a game design is a combination of many disciplines. Playtesting is the activity of evaluating the elements of the game when they are presented as one unit. Playtesting can be formal or informal, but generally follows the informality of play.
