Anatomy of Game Design

Tom Smith

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Paperback

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QTY:

English

CRC Press
31 October 2024

Digital animation; Games development & programming

People have played games forever, but it’s only in the past few decades that people really started thinking about what games are, how they work, and how to make them better.

Anatomy of Game Design takes some of the most popular and beloved games of all time and dissects them to see what makes them tick. By breaking down the systems and content of each game, the underlying systems of game design are laid bare.

Eight games are analyzed – including Settlers of Catan; Centipede; Candy Crush Saga; Papers, Please; Magic: The Gathering; and more – each representing a different genre or era of game design. Each game is discussed in detail, using the same methods for each game. What are the verbs of the game that give the player agency? How do those verbs fit together to form a core loop that makes the game engaging? What are the systems that power the gameplay? What is the larger flow that makes the game interesting over and over again?

Each game is then used as an example to tie back to one or more larger topics in game design, such as systems design, randomness, monetization, game theory, and iterative approaches to game development.

Key Features:

Uses well-known games to provide specific, discrete examples of broader game design theory

Discusses eight popular games using the same methodology to allow comparison of different types of games Includes both high-level theory and academic perspective and practical, real-world guidance from a working game designer who has created these games for commercial release Provides clear direction for deeper inquiry into game design or related fields such as psychology, anthropology, game development, or systems thinking

By: Tom Smith
Imprint: CRC Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 385g
ISBN: 9781032387383
ISBN 10: 1032387386
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 31 October 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Tom Smith has been a professional game designer since 1995. In that time, Tom has worked on games of all types – board games, console games, educational games, mobile games, advertising games, PC games, big companies like Disney, small startups that got bought by big companies like Roblox, and many more. Tom also teaches game design at Moorpark College. Tom lives near Los Angeles with his wife, children, and cats.