Advanced Game Design

What Hacker News says

1. JareOct 2021
   For game design, any or all of these will easily be in most top lists:

   - Tracy Fullerton's Game Design Workshop

   - Jesse Schell's Art of Game Design A Book of Lenses

   - Steve Swink's Game Feel

   - Scott Rogers' Level Up

   - Skaff & others' Characteristics of Games

   - Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun

   - Joris Dormans & Ernest Adams' Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design

   This one was just published but I'll happily bet on it:

   - Richard LeMarchand's A Playful Production Process

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2. learc83Aug 2021
   The best one I’ve read is Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach by Michael Sellers. It’s a good bit more rigorous than other books on game design.
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3. 60654Sep 2018
   For anyone interested in game systems, Mike Sellers' book is the best recent introduction:

   https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Game-Design-Systems-Approach...

   This blog post didn't really do much for me. The blog author's definition of system is not how contemporary game development community uses the word. We wouldn't call decks of cards "systems", they're just game pieces. Systems are things more like "economy" or "crafting" - networks of mechanics working together.

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4. dkerstenMay 2022
   There are many good books on game design. Here are a few that I own:

   The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, by Jesse Schell

   Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design, by Scott Rogers

   A Theory of Fun for Game Design, by Raph Koster

   Designing Games: A Guide to Engineering Experiences, by Tynan Sylvester

   Game Feel: A Game Designers Guide yo Virtual Sensation, by Steve Swink

   Designing Virtual Worlds, by Richard Bartle

   Here are a few more that I haven’t read and don’t own, so don’t know anything about them:

   Elements of Game Design, by Robert Zubek

   Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach, by Michael Sellers

   Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design, by Ernest Adams & Joris Dormans

   The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design, by Flint Dille & John Zuur Platten

   I’m sure there are more. You have quite a few to choose from! If you plan on reading just one, I recommend the first one on my list.

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5. NekorosuSep 2013
   My fault. I skipped the "Maybe we could rely on tools..."

   Now I can see your real point.

   I tried to read a book on game design which abstracted out the game mechanics into formalized simulation but it was too technical that was taking out the fun from the process so I stopped reading it. The name of the book is Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design.

   But yes, maybe there'll be tools advanced enough to help not taking the fun out.

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