December 2015
Beginner
480 pages
13h 25m
English
book
Players Making Decisions: Game Design Essentials and the Art of Understanding Your Players
by Zack Hiwiller
Overview
Game designers today are expected to have an arsenal of multi-disciplinary skills at their disposal in the fields of art and design, computer programming, psychology, economics, composition, education, mythology—and the list goes on. How do you distill a vast universe down to a few salient points?
Players Making Decisions brings together the wide range of
topics that are most often taught in modern game design courses and
focuses on the core concepts that will be useful for students for
years to come. A common theme to many of these concepts is the art
and craft of creating games in which players are engaged by making
meaningful decisions. It is the decision to move right or left, to
pass versus shoot, or to develop one’s own strategy that
makes the game enjoyable to the player. As a game designer, you are
never entirely certain of who your audience will be, but you can
enter their world and offer a state of focus and concentration on a
task that is intrinsically rewarding.
This detailed and easy-to-follow guide to game design is for both
digital and analog game designers alike and some of its features
include:
A clear introduction to the discipline of game design, how game development teams work, and the game development process
Full details on prototyping and playtesting, from paper prototypes to intellectual property protection issues
A detailed discussion of cognitive biases and human decision making as it pertains to games
Thorough coverage of key game elements, with practical discussions of game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics
Practical coverage of using simulation tools to decode the magic of game balance
A full section on the game design business, and how to create a sustainable lifestyle within it
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