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The Art of Game Design

Author: Jesse Schell
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2008

EN: This title probably seems like an odd choice, given that most of my reading list is more mundane by comparison, but it is not frivolous: the principles of game design translate well to experience design. Even the "important" tasks are characterized by an individual (player) who wishes to satisfy certain wants or needs (goals), and must undertake a specific sequence of action (play) governed buy conditions (rules). Game theory has much to do with any situation that involves stimulating motivation to influence behavior.

  1. In the Beginning, There is the Designer
  2. The Designer Creates an Experience
  3. The Experience Rises Out of a Game
  4. The Game Consists of Elements
  5. The Elements Support a Theme
  6. The Game Begins with an Idea
  7. The Game Improves Through Iteration
  8. The Game is Made for a Player
  9. The Experience is in the Player's Mind
  10. Some Elements are Game Mechanics
  11. Game Mechanics Must Be in Balance
  12. Game Mechanics Support Puzzles
  13. Players Play Games Through an Interface
  14. Experiences Can Be Judged by Their Interest Curves
  15. One Kind of Experience is the Story
  16. Story and Game Structures can be Artfully Merged with Indirect Control
  17. Stories and Games Take Place in Worlds
  18. Worlds Contain Characters
  19. Worlds Contain Spaces
  20. The Look and Feel of a World is Defined by its Aesthetics
  21. Some Games are Played with Other Players
  22. Other Players Sometimes Form Communities
  23. The Designer Usually Works with a Team
  24. The Team Sometimes Communicates Through Documents
  25. Good Games are Created through Play Testing
  26. The Team Builds a Game with Technology
  27. Your Game Will Probably Have a Client
  28. The Designer Gives the Client a Pitch
  29. The Designer and Client Want the Game to Make a Profit
  30. Games Transform Their Players
  31. Designers Have Certain Responsibilities
  32. Each Designer has a Motivation