Despite the proliferation of video games in the twenty-first century, the theory of game design is largely underdeveloped, leaving designers on their own to understand what games really are. Helping you produce better games, Game Design Theory: A New Philosophy for Understanding Games presents a bold new path for analyzing and designing games.
The author offers a radical yet reasoned way of thinking about games and provides a holistic solution to understanding the difference between games and other types of interactive systems. He clearly details the definitions, concepts, and methods that form the fundamentals of this philosophy. He also uses the philosophy to analyze the history of games and modern trends as well as to design games.
Providing a robust, useful philosophy for game design, this book gives you real answers about what games are and how they work. Through this paradigm, you will be better equipped to create fun games.
Reviews
While literature and music, for example, stand on a solid theoretical foundation, the theory of game design is much less developed. … It is possible that thought-provoking books such as this one may be just the spark required to kick start the industrial revolution of game design.
—From the Foreword by Reiner Knizia
Contents
Introduction
The Death of Tetris
Our Story
My Story
Problem Statement
On Game Design
Game Design Theory Today
What This book Is
What This book Is Not
Why Video Games?
The Concept of "Game"
Definitions
Types of Interactive Systems
The Abstract and the Literal
The "Meaningful" Decision
Are Games "Art"?
Games: The "Finer" Interactive System
Game-Playing Itself Is An Art
The Value of Games?
Misconceptions about Games
Games Can Occur Naturally
"Video Games" and the Value of Words
Exploration
Game Design
Do You Want to Make a Game?
