Reddit reviews Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals (The MIT Press)

Besides the obvious standards, there's quite a bit out there. Reality is Broken is quickly becoming my go-to book for introducing people to talking about video games. If you're less focused specifically on video games, then Hamlet on the Holodeck is basically required reading for any discussions about interactive narrative and Pervasive Games: Theory and Design gives a great introduction to pervasive games, which are definitely different from video games, but there's a fair amount of overlap in good design principles there.

Hey there, I'm a game designer working in AAA and I agree with /u/SuaveZombie that you'll probably be better off with a degree in CS. BUT... don't give up on wanting to be a designer!

 

You should realize that it's not giving up on your dream at all, in fact, it's great advice for how to reach that dream. A designer with an engineering background is going to have a lot more tools at their disposal than one who doesn't.

 

Design is way more than just coming up with a bunch of cool, big ideas. You need to be able to figure out all the details, communicate them clearly to your teammates, and evaluate how well they're working so you can figure out how to make something people will enjoy. In fact, working on a big game often feels like working on a bunch of small games that all connect.

Take your big game idea and start breaking it down into all the pieces that it will need to be complete. For example, GTA has systems for driving and shooting (among many other things). Look at each of those things as its own, smaller game. Even these "small" parts of GTA are actually pretty huge, so try to come up with something as small as possible. Like, super small. Smaller than you think it needs to be. Seriously! You'll eventually be able to make big stuff, but it's not the place to start. Oh, and don't worry if your first game(s) suck. They probably will, and that's fine! The good stuff you make later will be built on the corpses of the small, crappy games you made while you were learning.

 

If you're truly interested in design, you can learn a lot about usability, player psychology, and communication methods without having to shell out $17k for a degree. Same goes for coding (there are tons of free online resources), though a degree will help you get in the door at companies you might be interested in and help provide the structure to keep you going.

 

Here's some books I recommend. Some are specific to games and some aren't, but are relevant for anything where you're designing for someone besides yourself.

 

• Universal Principles of Design

• The Design of Everyday Things

• Rules of Play

• The Art of Game Design This and the one below are great books to start with.

• A Theory of Fun This is a great one to start with.

• Game Feel

• Depending on the type of game you're making, some info on level design would be useful too, but I don't have a specific book to recommend (I've found pieces of many books and articles to be useful). Go play through the developer commentary on Half-Life 2 or Portal for a fun way to get started.

 

Sounds like you're having a tough time, so do your best to keep a positive attitude and keep pushing yourself toward your goals. There's nothing to stop you from learning to make games and starting to make them on your own if that's what you really want to do.

Good luck, work hard!

While I haven't read the books in this bundle yet, you might be interested in looking into Rules of Play. It's also published by the MIT Press and it is definitely a textbook on Game Design. It's currently a bit expensive, but it has gone on sale for much much cheaper in the past.

An artist. :P

No but seriously, here are some things I'd love to be gifted as an indie game dev (if I didn't have them already):

• Rules of Play. It's maybe getting a little harder to find at a reasonable price, but is a wonderful resource. Some people pan it as a beginner textbook, but as a 10-year game dev veteran I still go back to it occasionally and it reminds me about fundamentals I've let slip over the years. Worth every penny.
  
• Envisioning Information. Not directly game dev related, but it's a definitive resource for the kinds of visual design problems we have to solve every day (and that so, so many game devs simply don't know anything about, sadly).
  
• The Design of Everyday Things. You can probably get this in paperback for super cheap. It's old, and it's about industrial design, but more importantly it's usability. The core principles in this book should be the backbone of any game designer's education.
  
• Got an excellent card/board game shop in the area? Gift certificate the fuck out of the bitch. (Video game devs loooove tabletop games. Yes, we're even bigger nerds than you thought.)

(Re)lendo o Rules of Play, livro sobre game design bem interessante.

http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Play-Game-Design-Fundamentals/dp/0262240459

For game DESIGN, I personally like A Book of Lenses and Rules of Play. I didn't get much out of Theory of Fun, and the internet seems to like Level Up! but I haven't read it.

And none of those teach you really about game DEVELOPMENT -- the process, gameplay architecture philosophies, the pipelines, the team structures, the milestones, the industry jargon. The closest I've seen to that is having a games producer de-code chapters of Rapid Development for how it relates to games, back before I joined the industry and had my trial by fire. :)

Do you know what kind/platform/genre of game you're making, and what size the team is?

Have to add another recommendation for The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell. A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster is also a very good, accessible read (and heavily illustrated, which is always nice!)

Finally, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals is good for a more exhaustive, technical look at game design theories.

For basic Ludic principles, you will probably want to read Rules of Play at least.

Software isn't important (yet - you will be led to that by your programming), being able to draw isn't important though it can make things easier when you are on your own (you will need for sure to know how to use Photoshop or Gimp), actually making things and working out what is fun is important. For that, I'd recommend, while you are learning the basics of programming, making card games and board games. Then, once you have some programming basics, try and make a computer game - either an implementation of one of your physical games or to try making your own versions of classic games (lightbikes, pacman, breakout, rtype, pretty much every game made before 1985 that isn't Elite can be made by a beginner). You can also try focusing on making something classic but playing with one element of the gameplay and seeing where that takes you.

Rules of Play is an amazing book, it's a shame you haven't read it. Its one big drawback is that it focuses very little on video games in particular and goes in-depth on what separates games from non-games, and how various kinds of games are constructed.

It may not be useful to someone looking to get their hands dirty and start throwing Flash at the Internet, but it's a very good "big picture" book when you want to know more about the philosophy and mindset of building games. How to encourage behaviors, how to subtly direct play so your players don't get lost or confused, how and why you give feedback via play mechanics, and things like that.

Many of the suggestions on this list are great (Koster's "A Theory of Fun" is especially good in my opinion), but one of the best books I've read is Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman's "Rules of Play".

In some ways it's an introduction to game design for designers, but it's way more than that - it touches on the philosophy behind "play" and "games," histories of gaming, personal anecdotes, insights from famous designers and way more.

You can ind a PDF of it very easily on Google, but I think buying it is very, very much worth it.

Also, as a shameless self-plug, I did my PhD work on videogames so I'm happy to talk about resources etc. - PM me or reply and we can chat about it!

I found "Level Up! The guide to great video game design" to be an interesting book that describes on what you should aim for in your game mechanics, enemies and such. Plus pretty easy to read, both in length and content.

I haven't read this other one, but I've heard Rules of play is a pretty good one too.

Another great source are youtube channels. My personal favorite is Extra Credits. I'm just about to get into the industry so it might be worth keeping that in mind ^^"

Play a ton of games. Try games that are outside of your comfort zone! the Book Rules of Play is great too

If you can get away with a required book, I would insist you use Theory of Fun. It's not about boardgames specifically, but more about what is fun and why games are fun. It's quite easy to read (every other page is a drawing), but it's excellent and deep. It would definitely give you a good foundation to go on and talk about games from a more educated standpoint.

"Why do you like this game?" "Ok, do you remember where the book says that's a fun thing to do?"

Or look at some critically acclaimed games and see why they fall under good design, or some popular, yet poorly designed games and why some people don't like them (Monopoly for one).

Scott Nicholson had a great video series called Boardgames With Scott that might have some useful videos. He's currently at MIT on sabbatical doing game design/teaching research (looks like maybe he just finished).

If you're looking for a book for yourself,

• http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Game-Design-lenses/dp/0123694965/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1
  
• http://www.amazon.com/A-Theory-Fun-Game-Design/dp/1932111972/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Play-Game-Design-Fundamentals/dp/0262240459/ref=pd_sim_b_7
  
  You'll notice a lot of them aren't specifically games, but deal with fun and play. It's important to understand those before you can talk about games. That is also a good topic. What is a game? How do you define it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game#Definitions
  I personally like Chris Crawford's definition, but you get a lot of backlash from the general public for such a strict definition, as if forms of interactive entertainment are somehow inferior if they are not "games."
  
  I'm just sort of rambling and vomiting thoughts here, but to summarize some topics I would want to go over:
  
  
• History of games
  
• Definition of a game
  
• What is fun and play and how are those used to make good or bad games
  
• Genres of games and how that affects design choices.
  
• Pick a different game to teach and play each day/week? Perhaps at the beginning tell your students why a specific game is thought to be fun, and by the end ask them if they can recognize the major mechanics. You could start off a lesson this way and then revisit it at the end.
  
  Artificial intelligence could be an interesting side topic. Looking at search algorithms and how they are used to solve tic-tac-toe and how you use the EXACT same method to solve checkers or play chess and go (currently unsolved).
  
  If you do decide to talk about a variety of games, here are some I would suggest you look at:
  
  
• Go, for its simplicity in rules and depth of strategy. I would consider it one of the most pure games.
  
• Settlers of Catan for introducing euro-style boardgames to the USA and popularizing board games. Also involves heavy player to player trading.
  
• The Resistance as a short-form hidden treachery and secret agenda social game.
  
• Dominion as a game that introduced an entirely new genre that is now super successful. Also a good example of a multiplayer solitaire game.
  
• Tic-tac-toe as a game whose depth ceiling is too low and complexity space is too small for humans.
  
• Pandemic as a completely cooperative game (there might be a simpler game for this, not sure)
  
• Can't Stop - a look at chance and how it can be used as an interesting core mechanic and not just a way to make things random
  
  
  As you can tell, I love stuff like this. Let me know what you think about my ideas, or if you want to talk more or throw ideas back and forth, feel free.
  
  Other sources:
  
  
• http://boardgamegeek.com

> I have no doubt that all of the other ones are amazing games.

Actually a lot of the games I mentioned are terrible or niche. I mentioned them because you need to play bad games to learn why they don't work. Basically, you need to have a vocabulary and literacy in games before you start designing.

Also, the "I'm only designing for my friends" canard (in addition to being the #1 backpedal the instant an amateur is challenged), is a bullshit defense because if you're designing for your friends and don't intend to publish then you don't need advice from us, just do your thing.

E: A few good books that you should read before designing anything: Robin's Laws by Robin Laws, and Rules of Play

My recommendation for this would be twofold: Grab an Unreal 4 subscription and burrow through the ever-increasing collection of tutorials there. You'll learn the nuts and bolts of level development using the same tool the professionals use. To develop your design skills, there are three books I'd recommend you read, in this order: Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun, Jesse Schell's The Art of Game Design, and Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman's Rules of Play.

Following these two tracks of learning the practical elements of game development along with the theory of why game design works the way it does will get you started on a good footing.

Need more information. Is this a hobby? Are you trying to program a game or are you trying to design a game? And just FYI, programming is hard... programming a game is the hardest. There are many movie parts to game programming. Just be aware of that.

If you're a hobbyist and you want to learn how to make digital games, start with an easy to learn programming language like Processing. http://processing.org/

If you want to design games then pick up this book http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Play-Game-Design-Fundamentals/dp/0262240459

If you want to jump into 3d, try out http://unity3d.com/. I recommend programming in C#.

If you're a hobbyist, you don't need to delve in super deep and use complicated tools. Processing is very friendly and was designed for graphic oriented designers to learn how to program. Unity3d makes it very easy to make 3d games with specialized IDE and interface.

A good starting point is to identify what you want to do exactly. Find your focus on what you plan on attempting, then think smaller. Most first projects are very ambitious (while good) can lead to you making something not worth your time, headaches and just frustration.

However with that being said, here’s a few ideas to help get you started. If you want to just jump in and get your hands dirty and start working on a visual level you can try these programs:

• Game Maker / Studio GameMaker
  
• RPG Maker RPG Maker
  
  More Advanced:
  
  
• Flash Adobe
  
• Unity Unity
  
  ---
  Alternatively in conjunction of playing more games in your lifestyle, I would highly recommend you start to read blog posts, writings and articles on game design, theories and practices as well what industry leaders are talking about. While most people who love and have a passion for games watch game reviews, you’re going to want to focus onto sites like:
  
  
• GameDev.net Gamedev
  
• Gamasutra Gamasutra
  
  ---
  A book you may want to consider picking up:
  
  
• Rules of play Amazon link
  ---
  Back to your original topic about programming. While doing all of these so you understand what it takes to make a game, how a game shapes or how a game can be fun its time to start learning the important type. Which is the programming side. Now before you continue, programming isn’t always for everyone, but don’t let that discourage you. You may find while programming you love it, you may find you don’t like it. Programming is a tool which you can add to your arsenal of design and implementation and its smart to grasp the basics if you plan to get into game development even if you find yourself not savvy in it.
  The game makers I listed above each have a language that works with them. For example Game Maker has GML which is its primary language. RPG Maker has RUBY as a base and they use RGGS3 (I think that’s the current revision). Flash uses a scripting/programming language known as ActionScript 2 or 3 depending on what your accomplishing. Unity 3d uses C# and Mono, Javascript and I think another language but don’t quote me on that.
  Since you want to start from scratch the only advice I can give you is this. Don’t give up. Keep persistant. I would recommend that you start at an entry language that helps break down a lot of the tedious tasks and makes it more adaptable towards learning such as Python.
  Some resources:
  
  
• CodecademyCodeCademy
  
• Learn Python the Hard Way Learn Python the Hard Way
  
• Invent with Python Invent with Python
  
  I hope to see questions popping up as your understanding the basics of Game Design and game creation. It is always good to see people entering the field and tragic when people give up. Remember, start small. Do not expect to make a Minecraft clone within the first few days of learning a programming language, you need to practice and start small. Chances are your first few games are going to be clones of Snake / Pong / Tic Tac Toe etc. These are learning tools to help you understand how its created, the logic behind it and building/stepping blocks into a solid foundation.
  Don’t give up and start learning everything you can. Apply yourself and keep moving forward and you will do just fine. Welcome to the club!
  

Rules of Play and The Game Design Reader by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman are great reads about the craft and art of play. Here they are attempting to establish a critical vocabulary to handle games as pop culture. If you're serious about taking games as an art, they're very interesting reads. The Game Design Reader is my favorite.

Also, heard some great things about Janet Murray
s Hamlet on the Holodeck. This was written around the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as a time when Adventure Games were king. It's interesting to me essentially because this futurist look at video games as entertainment actually doesn't follow the progression in the last 20 years. That is, until recently with Quantic Dream and Telltale games. That said, I've become even more interested in looking at Mechanics as vocabulary (see the other front page thread about Mechanics that tell a story).

Hope these help.

Game design hobbyist here, I think some perspective is needed. If you want to start designing games I suggest you begin with something smaller. Table top RPGs are a complex interconnected web of rules and stats and one of the hardest types of games to design well. The only other type of physical game that is equal in difficulty is a deck building card game (which is what I assume you meant as 'card game'). If this is a hobby you wish to pursue I suggest reading a few books on game theory, flow, and statistics. This textbook can serve as a good introduction to all of these: Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. After that, write a master design document that explains everything you want to accomplish with the game. Next, get some index cards and start play-testing ideas. . . .

Take a look at this book: https://www.amazon.com/Rules-Play-Design-Fundamentals-Press/dp/0262240459

It will provide some pretty good insight, I think.

Not entirely sure if this is what you're after, but this is something that my games art tutors recommend.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rules-Play-Game-Design-Fundamentals/dp/0262240459

For an examination of game design at its core, I'd recommend The Rules of Play

http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Play-Game-Design-Fundamentals/dp/0262240459/

I would offer caution about going "too big" on your first outing. Pick your tool to build your first game (or even just mod an existing game) and try to create something small.

And if you just want to prototype rapidly, I was using Scratch for a while before I got up to speed on Unity (http://scratch.mit.edu/) even though I hate visual scripting languages...

Okay, here are 4 suggestions about theory. There are plenty more, but these are a few of my favourites.

Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

• Chunky theory book and one of my favourites. Also has a companion book of essays
  
  Characteristics of Games
  
  
• Really nice combination of chapters from various designers (including Richard Garfield of MtG) looking into different aspects of design.
  
  Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design
  
  
• All about systems and how resources move through them in games and the affect that has.
  
  Theory of Fun for Game Design
  
  
• Easy to read, nicely illustrated and conveys a powerful fundamental idea for game design.
  
  Good luck and happy reading.