Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Designing Games” as Want to Read:
Designing Games
by
Ready to give your design skills a real boost? This eye-opening book helps you explore the design structure behind most of today’s hit video games. You’ll learn principles and practices for crafting games that generate emotionally charged experiences—a combination of elegant game mechanics, compelling fiction, and pace that fully immerses players.
In clear and approachable ...more
In clear and approachable ...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
February 21st 2013
by O'Reilly Media
(first published January 1st 2013)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Designing Games,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
I Am Boss
Why of course it does
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Designing Games
If you want to be a game designer, this is a book you should read. It is not targeted specifically on a certain type of games and most of the advice can be generalized to any genre. That said, it is clearly visible that the author has most experience with computer games and most of all narrative-driven 3D FPS games.
The book discusses both the toolbox of a game designer (narrative tools, balance tools, ...) and the usual processes used by the development teams (iteration, playtesting, communicati ...more
The book discusses both the toolbox of a game designer (narrative tools, balance tools, ...) and the usual processes used by the development teams (iteration, playtesting, communicati ...more
I have a feeling this book is going to be my game design bible. It puts into words and solidifies a lot of concepts I’ve been thinking about but couldn’t quite put my finger on.
For example, the fact that people play games not only because they’re “fun,” but because they trigger all sorts of emotions. I wouldn’t describe the creepily realistic fear of sharks and drowning that Subnautica gives me as fun, yet I keep wanting to play it.
There’s also a great discussion about elegance of design, which ...more
For example, the fact that people play games not only because they’re “fun,” but because they trigger all sorts of emotions. I wouldn’t describe the creepily realistic fear of sharks and drowning that Subnautica gives me as fun, yet I keep wanting to play it.
There’s also a great discussion about elegance of design, which ...more
I'm speechless. What an excellent book. Every page is filled with invaluable wisdom. While the books title might indicate that this is a primer to game design, I would say this is actually a quite advanced game design book. And that's good, since there is a lack of literature which covers design related topics in more detail, giving generally applicable device.
There is one caveat to this however: I find one of the last chapters, the one about Authority, to be a bit disrespectful. The author spea ...more
There is one caveat to this however: I find one of the last chapters, the one about Authority, to be a bit disrespectful. The author spea ...more
If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. It is incredibly well thought-out and well written, illuminating incredibly complicated and nuanced subjects in a straightforward manner. The final two pages are a roaring crescendo of inspiration. They are a masterpiece even when viewed with no context.
It's brilliant!!
a great book for game design that cover many topics from the very basics to managing a team.
the only thing that can be better is the organization of the sections in each chapter. sometimes I don't know when the context changes. ...more
a great book for game design that cover many topics from the very basics to managing a team.
the only thing that can be better is the organization of the sections in each chapter. sometimes I don't know when the context changes. ...more
Designing Games covers a lot of what goes into designing games, from the initial point of "Engineering Experiences" to how to Market and why we should even care about the craft.
Here are a few lessons I took from it: https://blog.punygames.com/designing-... ...more
Here are a few lessons I took from it: https://blog.punygames.com/designing-... ...more
An excellent book, this takes you through not only the high level concepts, but the details that matter in creating a game. I think it's even worthwhile if you're not a game developer, but a developer in general.
...more
I highly recommend reading this one, easily one of the best, it approaches complex topics in a simple way, so much material here.
I felt so upset when I reached the end pages, reading this book was a rich journey full of moments of fun, sadness and excitement.
Tynan has a lot to say in this book, from how emotions create experience to stack dependency (which was a quite helpful concept for me).
I highly recommend it to all game designers.
Tynan has a lot to say in this book, from how emotions create experience to stack dependency (which was a quite helpful concept for me).
I highly recommend it to all game designers.
It was a good read, but I keep not going back to this, so I'm giving up.
...more
Excellent book, well worth the time invested.
It is okay-ish. There are some extraordinary chapters but then there are some that I gladly skipped. There are also topics I expected to get some info about that were missing
看完感觉自己懂了，其实还是没什么用。
A very detailed, insightful and content-heavy book which I found to be full of very valuable information as an indie game developer. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the subject.
As the title suggest, this is a book about game design and with a focus on computer games. While I enjoy playing computer games, I have no interest in developing a computer game. However what drew me into this title was the subtitle of "A Guide To Engineering Experiences". I myself work for a software company that makes business critical software that monitors and manages critical infrastructure. For some time now, I've thought that there is room for enterprise software to learn from games. Not
...more
I found this book extremely disappointing. Not only does the author seem to suggest that he has more experience than he has, but he speaks with an authority on subjects that he really has no idea about. There were several passages that I found patronizing, but the one in particular that really spoke to me was the final sentence in his chapter 'Dependencies': "But in the end, it's the only way to do a task as hard as game design with small human minds."
Considering that he spent the entire chapter ...more
Considering that he spent the entire chapter ...more
This was a spectacularly brilliant book. The advice was deep, wide and masterfully communicated. The made-up examples were surprisingly and pleasingly indepth and many of the real-life stories from the industry were fascinating. The book is almost completely non-technical and many of the ideas presented are relevant beyond game design; a wide range of ideas on psychology, management, and storytelling are presented. I actually somehow found the book exciting to read.
Overall, this book seemed like a good introduction to the scope of game design, and I feel like I know more now about the skills and knowledge required to design games. I think it was a little heavy on vocabulary and terms coined or regurgitated by the author, but I appreciated the effort for clarity.
I'm not a game designer or even a game developer - I work in software and I play games - still, I found this book extremely interesting and even useful for getting a fresh look in how complex systems get to be made. Highly recommended if you have any interest in games: developer or (serious) player.
...more
For me, this book was a great insight into the psychology of gaming, what are the elements of games that make players want to keep coming back and progress further. These simple devices could be effective in non-game programs and software that might otherwise be dry & boring.
Well-written, entertaining and highly informative, especially for this reader who knew very little on the topic. I learnt a lot about video games specifically but also much about the mechanics of games in general, fantasy and storytelling.
Best game design book ever. As a video game designer for 12 years, I've learned so much from this book. Thank you Tynan.
...more
Хороша і незамінна книга для тих, хто хоче почати робити ігри.
Mar 28, 2013
Michael
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gaming,
nonfiction
Loved this book. Great introduction to thinking about game design in a structured way. A significant portion of the book is applicable to software development in general, as well.
Excellent take on the thinking processes involved in designing games. Feels like Robert McKee's Story book but for games.
...more
Lots of thought provoking ideas.
Many of the examples are from video games, but also from games like poker, chess, Go, etc.
Well worth reading, more than once.
Many of the examples are from video games, but also from games like poker, chess, Go, etc.
Well worth reading, more than once.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Goodreads is hiring!
Related Articles
“I'm in a weird place because the book is about to come out. So I'm basically just walking around like a raw nerve and I'm not sure that I...
16 likes · 3 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Some imagine game development as a path that we follow toward our
destination. I disagree with this image. I think it’s more like a dark forest
full of stinging monsters, waiting to inject you with anesthetic poison.
Each time you bump into one, it stings you and the poison makes you
feel warm and content. But under the surface, the stings are stealing your
vigor, dissolving you from the inside. It’s only later, as your strength runs
low and the moon clouds over, that you might realize that the pleasant
feeling you’ve enjoyed all this time wasn’t progress. It was death.”
—
0 likes
destination. I disagree with this image. I think it’s more like a dark forest
full of stinging monsters, waiting to inject you with anesthetic poison.
Each time you bump into one, it stings you and the poison makes you
feel warm and content. But under the surface, the stings are stealing your
vigor, dissolving you from the inside. It’s only later, as your strength runs
low and the moon clouds over, that you might realize that the pleasant
feeling you’ve enjoyed all this time wasn’t progress. It was death.”
“An EXPERIENCE is an arc of emotions, thoughts, and decisions inside the player’s mind.”
—
0 likes
More quotes…
