Next Level
Making Games That Make Themselves
Published on 7. May 2026
288 pages
978-1-3994-2342-7 (ISBN)
Description
How generative systems are reshaping the way games are made, how we experience them, and what this reveals about creativity itself.
In video games creativity isn't just seen, it's played - from exploring endless landscapes to diving into character details and immersing ourselves in unpredictable narratives. Yet these elements are often the result of procedural generation - the creative use of algorithms to design game content. These generative systems lie behind some of the biggest hits in video game history, from genre-defying titles in the 1980's to the most famous blockbusters of today.
Next Level demystifies the techniques that are often as mysterious as their creations. Written by game designer and creative AI researcher Mike Cook, this book takes us on a tour of generative systems past and present, exploring how they work, the artistic uses they have in some of our favourite games, and how these algorithms didn't just revolutionise how we design games - they changed how we think about creativity itself.
In video games creativity isn't just seen, it's played - from exploring endless landscapes to diving into character details and immersing ourselves in unpredictable narratives. Yet these elements are often the result of procedural generation - the creative use of algorithms to design game content. These generative systems lie behind some of the biggest hits in video game history, from genre-defying titles in the 1980's to the most famous blockbusters of today.
Next Level demystifies the techniques that are often as mysterious as their creations. Written by game designer and creative AI researcher Mike Cook, this book takes us on a tour of generative systems past and present, exploring how they work, the artistic uses they have in some of our favourite games, and how these algorithms didn't just revolutionise how we design games - they changed how we think about creativity itself.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
Black and white illustrations throughout
File size
10,77 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-3994-2342-7 (9781399423427)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
approx. 05/2026
Bloomsbury Sigma
€27.50
Not yet published
Person
Mike Cook is an AI researcher, game designer and writer from London, where he is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Informatics at King's College London. He is best-known for his research into automated game design - building AI systems that can design games from scratch. His AI systems have won numerous awards.
Content
Prologue: Shuffle and Roll
1: Elite and Rogue
2: Cut and Paste
3: Spelunky's Shifting Walls
4: Noise
5: Minecraft
6. Simulation
7: Dwarf Fortress
8: Caves of Qud
9: Machine Learning and Generative AI
10: Evaluation
11: The Future
Epilogue: Next Level
1: Elite and Rogue
2: Cut and Paste
3: Spelunky's Shifting Walls
4: Noise
5: Minecraft
6. Simulation
7: Dwarf Fortress
8: Caves of Qud
9: Machine Learning and Generative AI
10: Evaluation
11: The Future
Epilogue: Next Level
