Theory of Fun for Game Design

What Hacker News says

1. pchristensenAug 2024
   I'll put in a plug for his book Theory of Fun for Game Design (https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Game-Design-Raph-Koster/dp/144...). It's a great read that's accessible but also deep and thorough.
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2. helloplanetsOct 2023
   One of the classic introductory game design books (Theory Of Fun For Game Design by Raph Koster [0]) attempts to tackle the question of what fun is, and what a game is. It's a breezy read, with every second page an illustration. (Especially the chapter Different Fun For Different Folks is really close to what the original post is about.) It's tricky to define when you get in the weeds.

   Here's a snippet from the book:

   > Many simple things can be made complex when you dig into them, but having fun is something so fundamental that surely we can find a more basic concept?

   > I found my answer in reading about how the brain works. Based on my reading, the human brain is mostly a voracious consumer of patterns, a soft pudgy gray Pac-Man of concepts. Games are just exceptionally tasty patterns to eat up.

   I do think that Uplink has some super tasty patterns in there, which is exactly what the author is talking about when he's talking about the feeling of noticing how much better you've gotten when you start the game over. Of course, fun isn't a binary classification, and there's definitely a bunch games that are very heavy on the 'juice-factor' and other such things in an attempt to bump up the fun.

   [0]: https://archive.org/details/theoryoffunforgamedesign2ndediti...

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3. pabloarteelJul 2023
   I quite enjoyed "Theory of Fun for Game Design" by Raph Koster.

   It has many great insights about what we'd call product or design decisions, but it feels like a philosophy book, and you'll also learn stuff that applies to daily life.

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4. mentosSep 2022
   Not a technical book but A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster had a few perspectives I’d never considered.
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5. 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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6. TerrettaFeb 2021
   Doesn’t hurt to jump start that loop iteration by taking in some principles and interrogations.

   Two little books that can help:

   1. From A Theory of Fun book blurb:

   “A Theory of Fun for Game Design is not your typical how-to book. It features a novel way of teaching interactive designers how to create and improve their designs to incorporate the highest degree of fun. As the book shows, designing for fun is all about making interactive products like games highly entertaining, engaging, and addictive.”

   https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1932111972/

   2. See also The Art of Game Design:

   ”Over 100 sets of questions, or different lenses, for viewing a game’s design. Written by one of the world's top game designers, this book describes the deepest and most fundamental principles of game design, demonstrating how tactics used in board, card, and athletic games also work in video games. It provides practical instruction on creating world-class games that will be played again and again.“

   https://smile.amazon.com/Art-Game-Design-Lenses-Third/dp/113...

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