Challenges for Game Designers [Paperback]

Finally! A book that talks about HOW to become a good game designer instead of merely addressing WHAT game design is. Most of the game design textbooks I've read taught me a bunch of academic buzz words (ludology, emergent game play, etc.), but they didn't leave much in the way of practical application. Brathwaite and Schreiber cap each chapter with a series of game design challenges that let the reader put their new knowledge to the test with good old pen and paper.

I found these challenges really helpful. In fact, they got me in the right mindset for taking design tests with game companies. After interviewing with one company, I was asked to take their design test. Thanks to Challenges, I was comfortable working under all sorts of real-world constraints, from genre-specific/technological limitations to IP restraints. The company liked my test and invited me to more interviews! So as an aspiring game designer, I extend my highest recommendation for this book to those looking to expand their design portfolio and prepare themselves for breaking into the game industry.

Brathwaite and Schreiber's "Challenges" is a great introductory work for those starting to learn about game design, a helpful training tool for the intermediate designer, and a good candidate for a textbook for educators teaching design.

For the beginner, the book is clearly laid and approaches design from the very basics, giving a reader who possesses a zero knowledge base a solid grasp of the core concepts and processes of game design. The first two parts of the book cover individual topics of design chapter by chapter, walking the new designer through different elements of design, from incorporating elements of chance to playtestesting for balance. Even more importantly, the book takes a hands-on approach to design and requests that the reader try out their new-found knowledge by completing "Challenges" - short exercises found at the end of each of these chapters which ask the reader to build a game using a specific core concept. Each of these challenges require that the reader build a non-digital game, so even readers with no programming ability can quickly jump in and try out their new skills. Overall the book is written in a friendly, informative and professional manner, and should be on any beginner designer's must read list.

For the intermediate designer, the book has even more to offer. The afore mentioned Challenges are great tests for thinking about design in new and different ways, with the "Iron Designer" challenges offering an even more complex task. The latter half of the book discusses design from a more theoretical and professional approach, with topics ranging from games as art to working with an IP. The beginner may also find many of these discussions useful and informative, but some of the topics are definitely aimed towards those already in the professional industry.

Finally, the book even manages to cater towards the education and serious market, with topics dedicated to games as a learning, training and socializing tool. Teachers may find the book useful as a textbook because of its concise writing yet exhaustive depth and breadth, and many of the Challenges are well-suited for student assignments exactly as they are written. There is easily enough material for at least a semester's worth of study, and the book's low cost for content makes it more affordable for students and institutions than other volumes on the market.

This is possibly the best intro/intermediate design book I've read to date and can't recommend it highly enough to anyone interested at all in game design.

I really thought I knew something about designing games. Then I read Challenges for Game Designers.
Boy, did it open my eyes! First, Challenges for Game Designers cover the foundations by giving a useful definition of game design and explaining terms like "core dynamic", "prototype", "balance" and "playtesting".

Next, Challenges for Game Designers takes you through the game design process, first by examining what it refers to as Game Design Atoms, then dissecting elements of chance and skill. Finally, the book allows you to branch off into areas that interest you, whether it be marketing your game, creating games on social networks or creating games that tell a story.

At the end of each chapter, Challenges for Game Designers has five design challenges of increasing complexity and a section called Non-Digital Shorts, which are topics that foster brainstorming non-digital games.

Here is the best part. The authors created a fantastic course online (it was free during Summer 2009). The book was a requirement, so if you buy this book, you can get the most from it by reading it along with the course [...].