Game Design Workshop

Author: Tracy Fullerton, Christopher Swain, and others / Chen Jianchun, and others
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Designed many games for companies such as Microsoft, Sega, Disney, Activision, Acclaim, Spectrum, and Holobyte. Tracy Fullerton and Christopher Swain teach game design at the School of Cinematic Arts-Television at USC. Steven Hoffman founded Lavamind, a game developer, where he successfully created simulation games like Gazillionaire and Zapitalism. Additionally, he served as an executive at Japanese Sega and as CEO of a developer. Overall, their work has been honored with numerous awards, including the AIAS Best Family/Board Game, the IBC's Nombre d'Or, and the annual PC Computer Strategy Game. The gaming industry has gradually matured over the past 30 years and has become an important form of entertainment. Game design is a creative, professional, and artistic endeavor. This book distills the essence of game design based on the authors' practical experience designing games for Sony, Sega, and Microsoft, as well as their experience teaching, prototyping, and testing game concepts with students from diverse backgrounds and experience levels. The book first introduces the tasks of a game designer, game structure, design details, dramatic elements, and game dynamics. It then covers conceptualization, prototyping, testing, usability and balance, fun, control and interface when designing a game. It also discusses team structure, development stages, and design documentation during game design. Finally, it explores the current state and overview of the gaming industry, as well as methods for finding jobs in the industry and promoting creative ideas.