So, I finally took the brave leap to start reading for university. My first choice? Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design by Scott Rogers - the designer of Pac Man World and the Maximo series who, as a privilege, I'll get to question when he's a guest lecturer at my University Futureworks. So I finished the book today. My opinion? It's brilliant for an amateur designer like myself. It covers all the areas of game design and asks you to consider every aspect of a game and its implications. Scott Rogers answers for you the whens, the whys and the hows when it comes to anything from game mechanics to sound and even to game character metrics.
It's not the most intricate book of all time. Don't expect to turn the last page and know how to make the next Halo sequel on your own. It just puts things in perspective that every design choice has its reasons and consequences. Those questions that you thought had obvious answers? Well they do, but those answers are to 1 percent of all the questions you need to ask yourself when designing and developing a game.
However, the real star of this book is the final chapters. Well, when I say chapters, I mean levels. Rogers calls his chapters levels (as in leveling up. Get it!). Once you reach the last level, he gives you access to the "Bonus Levels". Why are these so great? Each bonus level is an example of important documentation required in a Video Game development process. Considering each example is developed by him, you can guarantee the document are great examples of what we should strive for.
My hopes are to read a more academic book, that really gives you the ins and outs of video game development. This book can act as a reference whenever I need it to be. Even Scott Rogers himself says so.
So, if you're an aspiring designer like me, that thinks he knows everything but actually knows nothing, then definitely pick this up. I got it for £15.99 on amazon. A respectable price considering I'm living on student loans at the moment. The good few hundred pages take you through every aspect of a game (even the sound), whilst Rogers shares with us his tips and tricks in the industry. Go on, give it a read! You won't regret it. The link is below.
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It's not the most intricate book of all time. Don't expect to turn the last page and know how to make the next Halo sequel on your own. It just puts things in perspective that every design choice has its reasons and consequences. Those questions that you thought had obvious answers? Well they do, but those answers are to 1 percent of all the questions you need to ask yourself when designing and developing a game.
However, the real star of this book is the final chapters. Well, when I say chapters, I mean levels. Rogers calls his chapters levels (as in leveling up. Get it!). Once you reach the last level, he gives you access to the "Bonus Levels". Why are these so great? Each bonus level is an example of important documentation required in a Video Game development process. Considering each example is developed by him, you can guarantee the document are great examples of what we should strive for.
My hopes are to read a more academic book, that really gives you the ins and outs of video game development. This book can act as a reference whenever I need it to be. Even Scott Rogers himself says so.
So, if you're an aspiring designer like me, that thinks he knows everything but actually knows nothing, then definitely pick this up. I got it for £15.99 on amazon. A respectable price considering I'm living on student loans at the moment. The good few hundred pages take you through every aspect of a game (even the sound), whilst Rogers shares with us his tips and tricks in the industry. Go on, give it a read! You won't regret it. The link is below.
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LEVEL UP! THE GUIDE TO GREAT VIDEO GAME DESIGN by Scott Rogers £15.99
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