Gameplay and Design

"A must-have for almost all games software development companies and also for the literally hundreds of freelancers working in the industry" Julian G Hicks, Managing Director, Gameworld Seven Ltd "Takes you step-by-fascinating-step through all the ins-and-outs of life as a game designer" Kevin Buckner, Game Design Consultant, Design Games Ltd What is the elusive ingredient that makes a game worth playing? It can be the scream of Daytona, the kill thrill of Quake or Doom or maybe the sense of achievement from finally completing Dungeon Siege. There is no instruction manual for making great games and it's certainly not easy to create a masterpiece. What it takes is passion, imagination, talent, a good understanding of gameplay and game design principles, experience, a dedicated team, efficient project management and good old-fashioned hard work. Every game is individual, but there are techniques and fundamentals that can be learnt to understand the creative process of game design. These fundamentals are discussed throughout the book, enabling you to: ? learn the art of creating fun and absorbing gameplay ? recognise and create components of a game ? create coherent game design documents The book is in two parts. The first discusses the components that make up gameplay using case studies and examples. The second goes through the stages of creating and formatting design documents, showing how to approach the industry to start or further your career. Whether you are a student studying game design, a practitioner working in the industry or simply someone wanting to take your first steps in this area, this book will give you new insights on many aspects of game design that will prove invaluable for your ongoing or future career in game development. Kevin Oxland has worked in the games industry for more than twenty years, holding positions such as Creative Director at Virgin Interactive in London. He has worked at Westwood Studios in Las Vegas on Disney's The Lion King and Pinocchio, and has also been involved in setting up two successful development studios and creating numerous games for many top publishers around the world.Oxland, Kevin is the author of 'Gameplay and Design', published 2004 under ISBN 9780321204677 and ISBN 0321204670.