The purpose of this book is to look over the past 35 years of games to discuss titles whose design deserves to be studied by anyone with an interest in game design. While there are plenty of books that focus on the technical side of Game Development, there are few that study the nature of game design itself. Featuring a mix of console and PC offerings, I purposely left off some of the easy choices (Mario, Starcraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch) to focus on games that stood out thanks to their designs.
Key Features
An informative breakdown focusing on the design and gameplay of successful games Written to be useful for students or designers starting out in game developmentBooks focused specifically on design are rarePerfect for students and professionals alike, or can be read for the nostalgia and history Foreword. Star Control 2 (1992) PC 3dO Choose Your Own Space Adventure. Super Metroid (1994) Super Nintendo Distilled Metroidvania. X-Com UFO Defense (1994) PC Multi-System Gameplay. The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis (1996) PC A Rewarding Experience. Goldeneye (1997) Nintendo 64 Bringing the FPS to the Consoles. Metal Gear Solid (1998) Playstation 1 Tactical Espionage Gameplay. Diablo 2 PC -- The Art of Loot (2000). Half-Life 2 PC (2004) Sectional Game Design. Katamari Damacy Playtstation 2 (2004) Simplistic Beauty. Devil May Cry 3 Playstation 2 (2005) Bringing Style to the Action Genre. Shadow of the Colossus Playstation 2 (2005) Boss-Focused Design. Team Fortress 2 PC (2007) The Birth of Games as a Service. The World Ends With You Nintendo DS (2007) Thinking Way outside the Box. Left 4 Dead PC (2008) (Coop) Friends to the Very End. Spelunky PC (2008) Procedural Platforming. Demons Souls Playstation 3 (2009) The Action Rogue-Like. Plants vs. Zombies PC (2009l“A
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