Video Game Design

Chapter 1: Defining Games; What Do We Mean When We Say 'Game'?; Games Have Rules and Mechanics; Ludology; Games Have Always Been With Us; the Rhetorics of Play; Game Culture; Defining Culture; Beginning the Quest; Interview Adam Saltsman, Game Maker (Gravity Hook, Canabalt); Case Study: Cababalt

Chapter 2: World Building (Mechanics, Rules & Behaviors); When You Build a Game, You Construct a Universe; Games, Rules and Mechanics; The Building Blocks of Game Design ; The Field of Play; Game Mechanics, an Overview; Player Numbers as Mechanic; Rules of Play; Video Game Rule Taxonomy; Objects and Concepts; Restricting Actions; Circumstantial Effect; Outcomes of Play; Objectives of Play (Goals); Player Resources; Conflict (Resources); Case Study Kentucky Route Zero, Cardboard Computer

Chapter 3: Video game Analysis; Thinking Like a Game Designer; Understanding Bias; Recognising Bias; Starting the Analysis Process; Bias Informs the Mechanic (Cognitive Bias; Priming, Anchoring, Availability); First Order Optimal Strategies; Game Consistency; Becoming a Designer/Player; The Rollercoaster Experience; Interview James Portnow Ceo, Rainmaker Games/Director, Games for Good

Chapter 4: Understanding the Motivations for Play; Bartle's Taxonomy of Play; The Big Five; Personality Traits & Video Game Players; Personality Traits of Players; Translating the OCEAN Model to Game Design; Correlating the Player Models; Patterns of Play; Designing an Experience; Interest Curves; Pacing; Pacing Is Important In Establishing Tone; Pacing: Arc, Scene and Action; A Quick Word on Tutorials and On-Boarding; Interview: Brandon Sheffield Director, Necrosoft Games

Chapter 5: The Formal Game Design Concepts; Video Games Are Event-Driven Experiences; Experiences Come From Emotions; Where Do Emotions Come From?; Identify the Emotion; Emotions Triggered Through the Game's Mechanic; Flow; Getting Into the Zone; Emotions Transmitted Through Story; Emotions Transmitted Through the World; Emotional Experiences; Case Study: Gone Home, Steve Gaynor Co-Founder the Fullbright Company

Chapter 6: The Preparation Phase; Lack of Experience; Models for Planning; Planning and Iteration; Iteration; Paper Prototype Phase; Fixing on the Game's Visuals; There Are No Crystal Balls; The Three Cs: Character Design, Camera Design and Control Design; Play-Testing the Game (Prototype) ; Leave the Ego Outside and Observe; Try Not to Fixate on the Negatives; Audience; Getting What You Need; Common Play-Testing Questions; Early Access as Play-Testing; Interview: Kate Craig, Environment Artist, the Fullbright Company

Chapter 7: The Principles of Level Design; Concept Art and Sketches; Creating an Emotional Aesthetic; Level Design Is Storytelling; Planning the Level; Listing the Level Components; Birds Eye View and Environment Flow; The Player Path; Lines of Sight and Paths; Limiting Lines of Sight; Building on Differences; Case Study: Gunpoint

Chapter 8: Principles of Level Design Part 2; Invisible Boundaries; Occlusion Culling, Overdraw and Frustum Culling; Bounding the Level; Scale Is Important; Sizing and Field of View; Wayfinding Systems; Modular Models and Textures; Texture Sheets; The Texture Atlas; Silhouette Environment Design; The Principles of Silhouette Design:; Choke Points and Strong Points; Looking Back Is Important; Interview: Creating Games at Media Molecule Kareem Ettouney, Art Director Rex Crowle, Creative Lead

Chapter 9: Character Design; What Is a Character?; The Building Blocks of Character Design; Personality and Personification; Characters That Serve a Purpose; What Is In a Name?; Stereotypes: Uses and Misuses; Building the Character ; Generic Characters Vs Stand-Out Characters; Making the Character 'Real'; Non-Player Characters and Relationship Maps; Further Defining the Character Aesthetic Using Mood Boards and Model Sheets; Conclusion: Game Characters Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Chapter 10: Getting Them to Play, Keeping Them Playing; Tutorials, On-Boarding and Rewards; Tutorial Design, Easing the Player In; Unconventional Controls; Win Early, Win Often; On-Boarding; On-Boarding Methods; Rewarding the Player; Designing Rewards; Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards; Motivating By Design; Conclusion Engagement and Rewards Are Unique to Games; Interview Kenneth Young Head of Audio Media Molecule

Chapter 11: Interface Design and Audio Design; Constrained Choices, How to Think About Interfaces; Pick a Path, Designing Constraints; Interface Design; Invisibility and Feedback; Interface Design Schemes; Interfaces Are Communication; Interface Types; Non-Diegetic; Meta; Spatial; Mapping and Modes; Interface Overload; Audio Design, a Brief Overview; Sound as Manipulation; Designing Sounds That Do Not Exist; Audio for Atmosphere; Conclusion: Interfaces and Audio Complete the Prototype; Interview Tyson Steele, User Interface Artist, Epic Games

Chapter 12 Where Next? ; Ethics, Inclusion and Monetization; Ethics and Gaming; Games Are Transformative; Inclusion; Inclusion and Doubt; Be Wary of Hubris; Be Wary of Negative Stereotypes; Game Violence; Copyright and Intellectual Property; Personal Responsibility; Monetization

Conclusion: Thanks for Playing; Technical Resources; Industry Standard Software for Non-Programmers; Tools for Programmers (On a Budget); Open Source (Free) Tools and Communities; Overview of Common Industry Terms; Further Reading; Glossary; Index; Acknowledgements