Fundamentals of Game Design, Second Edition

Chapter 12. General Principles of Level Design

If you have ever found yourself admiring the environment of a game or enjoying the way the game’s challenges keep you guessing, you are appreciating the work of that game’s level designer. The level designer creates not only the space in which the game takes place—its furnishings and backgrounds—but also the player’s moment-by-moment experience of the game, and much of its emotional context. Successful level designers draw on fundamental design principles that apply to any kind of game, such as ensuring the player always knows his short-term goals and the consequences of risks, as well as design principles specific to the type of game being designed. Level designers work closely with the game designer ...