ABSTRACT

The purpose of this book is to look over the past 35 years of games to discuss titles whose design deserves to be studied by anyone with an interest in game design. While there are plenty of books that focus on the technical side of Game Development, there are few that study the nature of game design itself. Featuring a mix of console and PC offerings, I purposely left off some of the easy choices (Mario, Starcraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch) to focus on games that stood out thanks to their designs.

 

Key Features

  • An informative breakdown focusing on the design and gameplay of successful games
  • Written to be useful for students or designers starting out in game development
  • Books focused specifically on design are rare
  • Perfect for students and professionals alike, or can be read for the nostalgia and history
  • chapter 1|4 pages

    Star Control 2 (1992; PC, 3DO)

    Choose Your Own Space Adventure

    chapter 2|4 pages

    Super Metroid (1994; Super Nintendo)

    The Blueprint of Metroidvania Design

    chapter 3|5 pages

    X-COM UFO Defense (1994; PC and Playstation 1)

    Multi-System Gameplay

    chapter 4|5 pages

    The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis (1996; PC)

    A Rewarding Experience

    chapter 5|4 pages

    Goldeneye 64 (1997; Nintendo 64)

    Bringing the FPS to the Consoles

    chapter 6|4 pages

    Metal Gear Solid (1998; Playstation 1)

    Tactical Espionage Gameplay

    chapter 7|5 pages

    Diablo II (2000; PC)

    The Art of Loot

    chapter 8|4 pages

    Half-Life 2 (2004; PC and Multiple Platforms)

    Sectional Design

    chapter 9|4 pages

    Katamari Damacy (2004; Playstation 2)

    Simplistic Beauty

    chapter 10|5 pages

    Devil May Cry 3 (2005; Playstation 2)

    Bringing Style to the Action Genre

    chapter 11|4 pages

    Shadow of the Colossus (2005; Playstation 2)

    Boss-Focused Design

    chapter 12|4 pages

    Team Fortress 2 (2007; PC and Multiple Platforms)

    The Birth of Games as a Service

    chapter 13|5 pages

    The World Ends with You (2007; Nintendo DS)

    Thinking Way Outside the Box

    chapter 14|4 pages

    Left 4 Dead (2008; PC, Xbox 360, and Mac)

    (Co-op) Friends to the Very End

    chapter 15|4 pages

    Spelunky (2008; PC, and Multiple Platforms)

    Procedural Platforming

    chapter 16|5 pages

    Demon's Souls (2009; Playstation 3)

    The Action Rogue-Like

    chapter 17|4 pages

    Plants vs. Zombies (2009; PC and Multiple Platforms)

    The Ultimate Hardcore Casual Game

    chapter 18|5 pages

    The Binding of Isaac (2011; PC and other Platforms

    Perfected Persistence

    chapter 19|5 pages

    Infinifactory (2015; PC)

    Emergent Puzzle Design

    chapter 20|5 pages

    Doom (2016; PC and Consoles)

    Fighting in Flow