1st Edition

Game Design Tools Cognitive, Psychological, and Practical Approaches

By Diego Ricchiuti Copyright 2023
    268 Pages 40 Color & 8 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    268 Pages 40 Color & 8 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    268 Pages 40 Color & 8 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    This book provides a series of transdisciplinary tools to help game designers improve their design pipeline and design output. Using approaches from psychology, anthropology, and sociology, it offers practical tools for all the main aspects of game design from conception through to testing.

    Drawing on game design theory, the book looks at the relationship between game design and other disciplines to create a toolbox of modern tools for game designers. It covers archetypes, praxeology, behavioural game design, and emotional game design. Covering a wide breadth of content, the book includes chapters on:

    • Documentation
    • Production
    • Evaluation
    • Analysis and Marketing tools

    This book will be of great interest to students on game design courses, as well as early-career game designers and those looking to break into the industry. It will also be of interest to more experienced game designers looking for new game design tools.

    Section One - Introduction

    Chapter 1 - How to Use This Book

    Chapter 2 - Book Introduction

    Section Two - Analysis Tools

    Chapter 3 - Design and Analysis

    Chapter 4 - Target Audience Tools

    Chapter 5 - Data Tools

    Section Three - Game Design Tools

    Chapter 6 - Introduction to Game Design Tools

    Chapter 7 - Brainstorming Techniques

    Chapter 8 - Praxeology

    Chapter 9 - Self-Determination Theory

    Chapter 10 - Habit Loop and Operant Conditioning

    Chapter 11 - Game Design Patterns

    Chapter 12 - MDA Framework

    Chapter 13 - Nudges

    Chapter 14 - Behavioural Game Design

    Chapter 15 - Emotional Game Design

    Chapter 16 - Emotional Theories

    Section Four - Documentation

    Chapter 17 - Introduction to Documentation

    Chapter 18 - Golden Rules

    Chapter 19 - Pivotal Documents

    Section Five - Conclusion

    Chapter 20 - Games, Cakes, and Love

    Chapter 21 - The Cake Is Real

    Biography

    Diego Ricchiuti is currently the lead designer at Caracal Games and the course leader of the Game Design Degree at AIV in Rome and Milan.

    "If you are just curious about game design and want to learn about it without any prior knowledge, then enjoy, you are in for a treat. If you are already deep in the weeds, I found this book to be what the namesake suggests, a reference that the reader will come back to many times."

    Fawzi Mesmar, Game designer, Author, and Tutor.

    "Diego has outlined a learning approach through iteration and experimentation that addresses the need for clarity and excellence in design. The result is a strong foundation for both newcomers and experienced developers."

    Dominic Butler, Studio Design Director, Splash Damage.