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The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
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Anyone can master the fundamentals of game design—no technological expertise is necessary. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses shows that the same basic principles of psychology that work for board games, card games and athletic games also are the keys to making top-quality video games. Good game design happens when you view your game from many different perspectives,
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Paperback, 489 pages
Published
August 4th 2008
by CRC Press
(first published 2008)
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Start your review of The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
On one level, this is a textbook about how to design a game. On another level, this a work of love by someone who clearly understands why games are fun, and how to manage the tricky business of coordinating all the people required to build one. Jesse Schell breaks games down into their individual components, and explains how those can work together to reinforce an experience of fun. The book is full of practical, folksy wisdom on managing artists, programmers, playtesters, and clients. A
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This book contains some thought-provoking suggestions about game design, but it also contains enough empty truisms to become annoying. For example: "there were many decisions the designer made to lay it out, and these decisions made a significant impact upon the game experience" (p. 237). The final paragraph of each chapter and subchapter could probably be omitted without removing any information from the book.
And the number of typos was astounding. (I sent Jesse Schell a list of nearly twenty ...more
And the number of typos was astounding. (I sent Jesse Schell a list of nearly twenty ...more
My crash course into game design continues. This book is an excellent resource for the whole process of making a game (most of these lessons can also be used for software development in general). It covers everything from the original concept/idea for a game to the end product, with all the hurdles in between (teem communication and organization, testing, balancing, talking to clients...). My only problem is that some of the topics were covered too generally, but I understand that this is the
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Update: My giftee has read deeper into this book and shared some parts with me that I hadn't yet seen. This book is sexist and misogynistic.
I'll update with more details as soon as I have time (I want to look into who else is responsible for publishing this material in support of the author), but, wow: those parts are terrible, poorly cited, and contain glaring problems such as "people are saying" weasel words.
I'm going to go ahead and say most reviewers here likely would not have let this pass ...more
I'll update with more details as soon as I have time (I want to look into who else is responsible for publishing this material in support of the author), but, wow: those parts are terrible, poorly cited, and contain glaring problems such as "people are saying" weasel words.
I'm going to go ahead and say most reviewers here likely would not have let this pass ...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. To start with the good: Schell takes a very holistic approach to game design. He's also plain spoken, demystifying a lot of the work that goes into making games. On the downside: the range of topics Schell covers in his effort to be holistic leads to some shallow treatments. His insistence on accessibility means things are sometimes dumbed down too much, assumptions aren't examined or (in the worst cases) arguments are based on questionable pseudoscience. I
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I read this book mostly because a friend was reading it and game design is something I'm peripherally interested in. That being said, with a few exceptions, I found the book pretty useful. It covers the full range of decisions that go into game design and has tips, or at the book puts it 'lenses' through which you can examine you game. Who is your game for. What is your games 'world'. How do the players inter-act with that world. What are the spaces of that world. It was effective is getting me
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This is a life changing book, not as a game designer only, but as a human. For it contains many valuable lessons on the design of human experiences, I would recommend this book to anyone.
The last three chapters were the most effecting for me, for they discussed the effect of games and how they can transform us.
Once you finish it, you will get a ring, a secret ring, but I can't tell you more. So, go read it yourself :)
The last three chapters were the most effecting for me, for they discussed the effect of games and how they can transform us.
Once you finish it, you will get a ring, a secret ring, but I can't tell you more. So, go read it yourself :)
Jesse has to be one of the smartest people I know...and this book is proof.
This book is not only a great way to learn about designing games, but teaches a lot of good tips for creating anything. I particularly appreciate that the book is not overly technical (its easily accessible to anyone who would pick it up), but it does go into some complex ideas...he hit that perfect balance in creating a book that anyone, regardless of skill or education level, can read and learn from.
This book is not only a great way to learn about designing games, but teaches a lot of good tips for creating anything. I particularly appreciate that the book is not overly technical (its easily accessible to anyone who would pick it up), but it does go into some complex ideas...he hit that perfect balance in creating a book that anyone, regardless of skill or education level, can read and learn from.
This is a fantastic intro to the field of game design. It chooses to be comprehensive instead of detailed, so towards the end, you get some very breezy chapters about working in a team and with clients, for example, and mentions enough biz talk so that you've at least heard the terminology but don't totally get it. I didn't fault the book for glossing over these topics. I was happy that it mentioned them, in a getting-to-know-the-lay-of-the-land way, and I also appreciated that the author
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I figured it was about time I read this, having heard such great things about it from other game designers, and it is an excellent book. It should have been a standard part of curriculum in college for my Game Art & Design degree. Honestly, anyone interested in going into game design, be it for board games, RPGs, or video games should spend some time reading this book.
However, as great as it is, I still disagree with parts of it. And to be fair, Schell does say in the book to question the ...more
However, as great as it is, I still disagree with parts of it. And to be fair, Schell does say in the book to question the ...more
Finished this book in under a week. Not a very strong book, but still indeed contains some gems. At times it feels like the book is more aimed towards game enthusiasts rather than game designers. The author often derails too far into the definition territory of things, making it hard to stay on point. When done with definitions, the book goes on about setting the right framework of mind, how to stay on track, overcome psychological pressures, and so on--which apply to many other creative fields
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Pros: A thorough and thought-provoking guide to game design, and many of the techniques and knowledge from the book could be applied to general artistic creation as well as performance art.
Cons: After reading this book, I often find myself compulsorily analyzing the design when I'm playing a game, or studying carefully the structures of the plot line right in the middle of a movie or novel...which could sometimes be disrupting.
Cons: After reading this book, I often find myself compulsorily analyzing the design when I'm playing a game, or studying carefully the structures of the plot line right in the middle of a movie or novel...which could sometimes be disrupting.
Thorought, interesting, useful. From concept to market release with interesting stories and personal tidbits added to make it more fun to read. Highly recommended to anyone interested in tabletop or computer games.
You don't really read a book like this cover to cover, but I've been skipping through it for quite some time at sporadic intervals. If you're interested in game design this is one that might help you think about different perspectives: maybe even break you out of some dead ends.
A fantastic book that gave me a lot to think about as I continue to design tabletop games. While it isn't 100% (some concerns with gender, understanding of choice-based narratives, etc), it is overall very useful. I've found ways to apply the contents to my (not game related) day job and other aspects of my life. I definitely recommend reading it, even if you don't agree with everything in it.
(I'm not sure how much I'll use the lenses, but the ideas around them are great. And, to echo some of ...more
(I'm not sure how much I'll use the lenses, but the ideas around them are great. And, to echo some of ...more
This amazing author find connections in the most wonderfully and seemingly unrelated subjects. I learned many invaluable insights about life in general.
I found it very insightful and quite fun. Easy to read through.
Jan 09, 2009
Bruce
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
every mouth-breather on the planet, even ostrich
Shelves:
philosophy-religion
The Art of Game Design is a fabulous, fun book, a must-read, a wonderful amalgam of philosophy, psychology, criticism, and analysis of games as both literary genre and practical design. Let me hyperbolize further. I think this book should be compulsory reading for anyone in the business of communicating with others for a living as the advice and insights here speak not just to game designers, but to museum exhibit designers, web developers, filmmakers, educators, politicians, and public
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The obvious reader who is interested in this book is the guy or the girl interested in game design or gaming in general. But don't be tricked by that. It's more than just a textbook on game design. It's psychology, anthropology, and art, a little bit of everything condensed into this simple word, a game.
Like stories, people played games since the dawn of our civilization. It's one of the best ways we learn and communicate and get to know each other. Then it's no surprise that games are so ...more
Like stories, people played games since the dawn of our civilization. It's one of the best ways we learn and communicate and get to know each other. Then it's no surprise that games are so ...more
Good inspiration for beginners, but with flaws
I am torn about this textbook. There is much to like in The Art of Game Design, and the book is arguably at it's best when Schell relays his extensive personal experiences in the industry. I indeed found some sections to be excellent, for instance the discussions of design principles, of games in education, or or the social responsibilities of designers. I also appreciated the accessible writing style.
That said, as a uni instructor looking for a ...more
I am torn about this textbook. There is much to like in The Art of Game Design, and the book is arguably at it's best when Schell relays his extensive personal experiences in the industry. I indeed found some sections to be excellent, for instance the discussions of design principles, of games in education, or or the social responsibilities of designers. I also appreciated the accessible writing style.
That said, as a uni instructor looking for a ...more
Wow. Often when I read I pay attention to the nuggets of wisdom inside some larger fabric or narrative. This book is a goldmine of them. To some extent they're the brilliantly crafted lense statements, but also the way each of them is motivated by some humourous enlightening anecdote. After essentially every chapter I wanted to show what I had just read to a friend so we could talk about his points.
This book is very broad indeed. Schell doesn't limit himself to games of a particular platform or ...more
This book is very broad indeed. Schell doesn't limit himself to games of a particular platform or ...more
This is...well, basically, it's a textbook on game design (focused on video game design but most of it is applicable to other forms of games as well, which is why I read it.) and as you can expect in textbooks, if they're on a subject that you've already given a lot of thought yourself, you will encounter bits that make you go "Well duh, that's self-evident, isn't it?".
But, as one can expect from GOOD textbooks, it will take a closer look at these "self-evident" bits and explain why they are the ...more
But, as one can expect from GOOD textbooks, it will take a closer look at these "self-evident" bits and explain why they are the ...more
I've had an interest in game design for quite awhile but have never read a book on the topic (having misses that they even exist). So this is my first read on the subject, but I think it's a good one. Schell addresses a lot of problems I wouldn't have thought of, at least not without designing many more games.
Many or most sections left me with something to think about. While the book presents a stack of a hundred odd lenses, the whole comprises another lens to view everything else through. That ...more
Many or most sections left me with something to think about. While the book presents a stack of a hundred odd lenses, the whole comprises another lens to view everything else through. That ...more
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to do Game Design or has started to do Game Design or even who has worked in that field for two or three years to recap and add to what is already known.
He gives a good overview over all the tasks a Game Designer has to takle. The lenses with their questions are good guidelines for the design process and the advice he gives is very useful and novel compared to other Game Design books. Practical.
The book is already quite long so obviously he ...more
He gives a good overview over all the tasks a Game Designer has to takle. The lenses with their questions are good guidelines for the design process and the advice he gives is very useful and novel compared to other Game Design books. Practical.
The book is already quite long so obviously he ...more
2.5-3. This is an approachable book on a very complicated topic, but Schell's organization is overly specific and the use of "lenses" gets ridiculous after a while. I think the main value in this book is using it as a reference when making games. Need to check yourself on mechanics? Here's five ways to analyze them. I found myself constantly skimming or skipping paragraphs or chapters because Schell would explain a point in the first three sentences, then beat it into the ground for the next
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The book is great. It covers all aspect of game developement I can imagine, from idea and prototipes to seling and making a pitch. It is almost like a definitive book on game design. Everything is organised well writen and full of useful informations. Jesse is experineced designer, he mentiones quite a few stories from his projects and from industry. The knowledge from the book can easly be aplied outside the game developemtent, to any other project of yours. It teaches you how to think about
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Finally finished this bad boy. Most people who are into games or game design would be familiar with most of the subjects presented in this book but, I see this book as a hub for the more sophisticated information about games and related disciplines. Recommended readings at the end of each chapter leads you to deeper knowledge on the subject.
Approach of lenses will make me come back again and again to help me put my work in perspective. Simple questions these lenses provide are sometimes the ...more
Approach of lenses will make me come back again and again to help me put my work in perspective. Simple questions these lenses provide are sometimes the ...more
Definitely a must read for a game designer OR a fan of video/board games.
While it doesn't go too much into any technicalities, each chapter provides you numerous 'lenses' on how to look at the various aspects of game design, starting with chosing a theme to the business and production side of things. By answering the open ended questions the 'lenses' give you, you will polish your ideas more.
It is especially good, if you are stuck for whatever reason and you need inspiration or a methodology, ...more
While it doesn't go too much into any technicalities, each chapter provides you numerous 'lenses' on how to look at the various aspects of game design, starting with chosing a theme to the business and production side of things. By answering the open ended questions the 'lenses' give you, you will polish your ideas more.
It is especially good, if you are stuck for whatever reason and you need inspiration or a methodology, ...more
I enjoyed this book, despite it being a 530 page textbook. Seriously, it was so long, I've been reading it before bed for months. It did have a lot of useful information in it and even though I'm not a game developer, I did get quite a bit out of it. I found a lot of information applied to creation in general, including for my writing. As my husband (a game designer) have had discussions, we've brought up a lot of the principles in this book. It also is organized in a really good way.
Cool book. It explain many aspects of game design, with examples, and so thoroughly. The book use many illustration to help explain "what is play", "what is game", and many others. This book's content is philosophical rather than practical.
I know this is a great book, but, it needs more compacting. The book takes a very long time to explain one point and it is a bit irritating for me. The writer should have condensed it into shorter book.
I know this is a great book, but, it needs more compacting. The book takes a very long time to explain one point and it is a bit irritating for me. The writer should have condensed it into shorter book.
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“Often, the things people enjoy most about games, such as social interaction or physical exercise, have nothing to do with problem solving. But while these other activities might improve a game, they are not essential to the game. When problem solving is removed from a game, it ceases to be a game and becomes just an activity.”
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