Rating: 
Summary: High-quality game design book
Review: This is a very good book on game design, covering topics from concept to execution. You may hate Mr. Rollings at first for his often-contraversial opinions. For example, he doesn't approve of RPGs because they're all about the story, with no gameplay (he also calls them remakes of Dungeons & Dragons).This seems positively shocking at first; I've been playing RPGs for years and have always enjoyed them. But then I got to thinking: what would games like Chrono Trigger be without the story and RPG-style stats and level-building? Think about it: the slow battles would be unbearable; there would be no purpose to them. You'll realize he's right eventually. There are some things I still don't agree with. For example, he doesn't like games that allow you to save. He seems to dismiss them because of the possible idiotic approaches developers could take. Also, he makes so many references to Grim Fandango that he may drive you nuts. But these are small problems. Overall, this is a very good book and I would recommend it to everyone who wants to get into the games biz.
Rating: 
Summary: Should Take Architecture and Design out of the title.
Review: This really is an odd book. I would have given it 3 1/2 stars if possible, but decided it was above average so stuck with 4. This book serves a niche apart from the pure programming books that cover graphics or game design. Specifically, it covers three areas: 1) Game design 2) Game Company Environment and Procedures 3) Game development To me, the first and third elements were the most interesting. They described ways to inject originality and stability both into a game. The discussion on Stone-Paper-Scissors interactions was very worthwhile though the explanations of the mathematical equations is somewhat rushed. The application of design patterns to gaming was quite welcome. Part two simply didn't interest me, but then again, I don't plan to be part of a gaming company. A description of working procedures, environment and personalities seems mostly of interest to large projects. It was interesting reading, but not useful personally to me. This part also didn't seem to fit well with the rest of the book.
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