Rating: 
Summary: Good
Review: I would actually rate this book with 4.8 star (sorry, nothing is perfect)Besides the slightly disorganized style, This is a very good book on design and architecture. Don't expect to read it once and leave the book. I might be worthwhile to read the book again to allow the new "concept" to sink in. Besides talking about game design and architecture, this book also contain a health portion on software management. And that part alone is already worth reading about. Part I: Rarely can you find any comprehensive information on design. And part I provide many answers/suggestions to the common (but often ignored) concerns regarding game design. What does a good design consist of? what kind of things should a design look out for? How does different kind of design aspect come together to create a good game? Part II If you work as a software engineer, whether you are a game developer or not, you would find this section about software management both entertaining and enlighteneing. I have read a few books on software management, and this section re-enforced those concepts nicely with emphasis on game development. Part III Game architecture. Simply put, revealing. And a definite eye-opener (at least for a wish-to-be game developer) CONCLUSION A must buy.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good stuff.
Review: I have one complaint, though... the author really underestimates a linear game driven by plot. If you look at Final Fantasy, there's one of the most linear types of games around, yet it's probably one of, if not the most popular.
Rating: 
Summary: Best one out there
Review: Anyone interested in any part of game creation should read this book. This is by far the most comprehensive text out there to date that I've read. Don't expect 'tricks and tips of programming' here. This covers the *rest* of game creation: Design and Architecture. Aptly named, generous advice, wonderful case studies throughout. This book runs the gamut from creating your team to turning your idea into a plan of action. Don't be fooled, it's an excellent text for developer too! Rich and meaty, this is not a quick read. Expect to read a section, and then digest it for a while. Excellent work!
Rating:
Summary: If there's a Game Design 'Bible', this would be it
Review: Every developer(be it a veteran or beginner) should grab hold of a copy and read it. It covers the entire game development process, from idea to conceptualization, to team formation and game development. Forgot all other game development books, and get this one! This is the one that truely teach you how to make your own game, not a walkthrough of how to make a game the author chose. What's more, it has a complete design document at the end of the book. We know documentation is important, but we have never seen a professional's design documents before. Here's the chance to see how a sample game is being documented, detailedly. This book is definately sitting beside the other classics(Design Patterns, Code Complete) I have.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Easy Reading and Excellent Advices
Review: This book is great! Once you start you won't put it down. Lots of great ideas and advices. Not to mention all the case studies. This book helped me get my ideas organized and focus on desing and gameplay balance. Invaluable help!
Rating:
Summary: Great book - hard advice to follow, but worth it.
Review: This book is for the whole game development team. A team that wants to work together and actually ship a game. The message is a simple one: If you want to ship your game, you must have a plan and you must work together. It goes into great detail how to accomplish this simple truth. Pay no attention to the disgruntled '1 star' programmer reviewer below (this type is actually warned about in the book) - it is important to have a professional attitude or you will never ship your game. I have worked on and off in the games industry (as a programmer & designer) for the last 10 years. I wish that I had had this book when I started - so much would have gone smoother and better.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for the whole development team
Review: This book is an excellent work. I commend the authors for writing it.
It covers the whole spectrum of the game development process, from initial ideas to gold master, highlighting the differences and similarities between conventional development and game development.
The first section is a detailed treatise on game design. This covers game theory in detail and is a truly original and informative approach.
It opened my eyes to a lot of design details (both good and bad) in games that I own, that I hadn't seen before.
The second section is all about teams and management, both from the viewpoint of the team and from the management.
This section is incredible. Having worked in the games field for some time, I can see how accurate some of the information in here is - by using these team-building techniques, even the most disfunctional team stands a chance of success.
The chapters on the Software Factory Methodology and the treatment of milestones are worth the cover price alone.
The third section covers game architecture - this is based around an object oriented soft/hard architecture - i.e. you hard code only what you need to (reusable stuff and speed critical stuff), and the rest sits on top of that. This is the way all games should be written.
The authors clearly know what they are talking about.
In short, BUY THIS BOOK.
As a final note, I noticed a review where someone had awarded it only one star because they didn't like the "dilbertesque" management techniques.
In fact, the part of the book they are complaining about (where they state that the authors have said that ALL game programmers are one of a number of stereotypes) is not at all what they have said it is.
The authors clearly state that it is a description of *problem* developer types, and it only makes up a minority of developers.
The section for which the guy marked the book as one star is only FOUR PAGES out of about seven hundred, one page of which is cartoons. I suspect that he recognized himself as one of the problem types and feared for his job if his manager read the book!
I hope that that one inaccurate review doesn't influence people against buying this excellent book!
If it does then they are missing out on a game development classic.
(The three chapters on the future of the industry have proved to be uncannily accurate so far.)
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding and Appalling
Review: This book consists of 3 sections: gameplay, team management, and software design (to over-simplify all 3 sections). Section 1 is brilliant! It should be a bible to all game developers. Section 3 is out of my area. Section 2's management proposals are terrible. The writers don't understand the differences between managing and motivating "artists" (including programmers) and standard cubicle fodder. They actually promote 'uncreative' programmers and suggest a dress code to improve morale. Section 1 is worth the price alone, but do yourself a favor and pick up a good book on talent/artist management as well.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: The review that complains about the management section of the book is biased. It claims that developer types are categorized as a number of negative types.
That is just not true!
The book says that only a small percentage of developers are the negative types and not all of them.
Even if you don't like the management section of the book (maybe he recognized himself as one of the problem developer types) - this book is an absolute classic
Rating: 
Summary: Game Programmers are Subversive. Keep them in line.
Review: As is mentioned in previous reviews, this book is really not about coding a game. It is designed for managers who are afraid of their reports and need help managing a large scale software project. There are already numerous better books on this topic that apply to general software development. Why do the authors of this book think that games are special? The people-managing advice is what finally made me close the book in disgust. Progammers are categorized by personality type such as "Jack of all Trades," "Know it all" and the insidious "Sleeper." Advice is then given on how to deal with each type. Sample dialogs are provided so that the Manager/Reader will know how to communicate with the nutty engineers that report to them. This book may be packed full of useful game design tips, but I couldn't get past Dilbert'esque management advice.
| 
