Game Design: Theory and Practice (With CD-ROM)

Rating:
Summary: Must-have for game designers
Review: There are not many books on game design, as opposed to the relatively huge number of game programming and art books available out there. But game design is the most important discipline in terms of theory. Richard Rouse does a great job of putting together different design elements into this book. I was lucky enough to get the 2nd edition, which is more up-to-date and includes an analysis of games such as The Sims and Grand Theft Auto 3, along with classics such as Karateka and Centipede. It also includes great interviews with some of the most progressive designers in the industry's history.

If you're a game designer, and wish to learn more about your craft, there's no question about it - you must buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: The fundamentals, in a clean read.
Review: This book brings the very fundamentals of game design. I dont think its dated, because those are the things that every game will always have, period.

A very good read, with very good examples and interviews. Rouse talks a lot about his own games, specially Centipede 3D, but I think it's natural. To make everything complete, Rouse could get deeper about the commercial side of game industry, with things like schedule pressure, getting fund and etc. The main objective is to teach how to design games, but this kind of information adds great value.

Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Effort
Review: This book is a pleasant surprise. The author modestly sets out to simply tell us what he knows of game design, and that, apparently, is a great deal.

Solid throughout and occasionally inspired, the book touches on a very wide array of subjects, and does so thoroughly and intelligently, offering many and useful practical suggestions.

The book's theory, as far as it exists, is coherent, though nothing revolutionary. This, however is its shortfall - a coherent and comprehensive theory of computer games has yet to be founded, and that is what the field is missing most and no book, including this one, has provided it this far.

Though concise and narrow, the book's six game analyses are excellent and illuminating. Would that computer game critical analysis of this quality were more common. If Mr. Rouse is reading this, I am willing to pay full price for a collection of your game analyses!

Avoiding the mistake that Adams and Rollings have made by erroneously proclaiming that all computer games are not art, the author goes to the other extreme with the too liberal statement that all computer games are art, falling short of the truth that SOME computer games CAN be art. At least he's in the right direction.

The author expresses an understandable yearning for a successful merging of a game and a story in a way that creates a truly interactive story - though in different words. Unfortunately, he does not provide a practical suggestion as to how to strive towards that goal.

That, perhaps, would have been the greatest contribution any book on the subject could make.


Rating:
Summary: Lasting Importance for Designers
Review: What I like most about this book is how it completely avoids technical implementation issues to focus on something altogether more intangible: making fun interactive experiences for players. I've bought many books wanting to learn more about computer game design, but almost always got bogged down in programming information that would be dated within two years. Sure programming's important to game development, but it's not the hardest part of the process: coming up with a game that's fun is. These days projects have large teams and game designers almost always don't do any programming on the games they design. This is exactly the book that a game designer working in the industry today (or who wants to enter the industry) needs to read and study.

Following in the footsteps of Chris Crawford's great but out of print The Art of Computer Game Design (another book that hasn't dated with the passing of the years), Richard Rouse's book cuts away the technical side to explore the artistic side of game development. When so many of today's games are just glorified technology demos, the writing of this design book was a commendable undertaking, and, as it turns out, is a terrifically good read. The author's passion for the subject is obvious on every page, and though his pronouncements of the best way to design a game may seem preachy, when I thought about each topic he covered, I found little to disagree with. Furthermore, the long interviews provide more useful game design lessons than I've found in all the game programming books I've ever read. And the rules I learned in this book I will still be using in ten years, after all my old programming books are collecting dust. If you're looking to learn to code, you should definitely stay away from this book, but if you're looking for something that will stick with you, you need look no farther.

Rating:
Summary: Lasting Importance for Designers
Review: What I like most about this book is how it completely avoids technical implementation issues to focus on something altogether more intangible: making fun interactive experiences for players. I've bought many books wanting to learn more about computer game design, but almost always got bogged down in programming information that would be dated within two years. Sure programming's important to game development, but it's not the hardest part of the process: coming up with a game that's fun is. These days projects have large teams and game designers almost always don't do any programming on the games they design. This is exactly the book that a game designer working in the industry today (or who wants to enter the industry) needs to read and study.

Following in the footsteps of Chris Crawford's great but out of print The Art of Computer Game Design (another book that hasn't dated with the passing of the years), Richard Rouse's book cuts away the technical side to explore the artistic side of game development. When so many of today's games are just glorified technology demos, the writing of this design book was a commendable undertaking, and, as it turns out, is a terrifically good read. The author's passion for the subject is obvious on every page, and though his pronouncements of the best way to design a game may seem preachy, when I thought about each topic he covered, I found little to disagree with. Furthermore, the long interviews provide more useful game design lessons than I've found in all the game programming books I've ever read. And the rules I learned in this book I will still be using in ten years, after all my old programming books are collecting dust. If you're looking to learn to code, you should definitely stay away from this book, but if you're looking for something that will stick with you, you need look no farther.