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Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals
An impassioned look at games and game design that offers the most ambitious framework for understanding them to date. As pop culture, games are as important as film or television—but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games. Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like "play," "design," and "interactivity." They look at games through a series of eighteen "game design schemas," or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance. Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.
688 pages, Hardcover
First published September 25, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 16, 2020
When I was at NYU, I worked on a few different video game projects. We were both programming the game and acting as game designers. I read this book back then and just finished rereading it, now that I'm working on game design again. My favorite part of the book was about the categorization of fun. Here is a list:
Sensation: The fun of having your senses stimulated.
Fantasy: The fun of losing yourself in an imaginary world and being something you’re not.
Narrative: The fun of experiencing a well-told story.
Challenge: The fun of overcoming obstacles.
Fellowship: The fun of interacting with others and working together.
Discovery: The fun of exploring and uncovering things.
Expression: The fun of leaving your personal mark on the world.
Submission: The fun of of turning your brain off and doing effortless things.
I personally favor beautiful scenes, exploration, artistic expression, and story in my games. I like only a little bit of challenge (I play almost all games on the easiest mode available), am not particularly social, and actively dislike competition with other players. Other people, though, have very different priorities.
As a kid, I spent a lot of time trying to make up the perfect game. I thought maybe it was possible to create an infinitely fun game, one that never gets old. I now feel the only infinite game is real life, in a way I didn't see then. Discovery, beautiful places, expression, friendship-- the richness of the best of real life makes all games pale by comparison. I'm still fascinated, though, by trying to capture part of that potential and parcel it up to share with other people. Dissecting fun has a feeling of unweaving the rainbow, as Keats puts it. You have to take a thing apart, though, to really understand what makes it tick.
Sensation: The fun of having your senses stimulated.
Fantasy: The fun of losing yourself in an imaginary world and being something you’re not.
Narrative: The fun of experiencing a well-told story.
Challenge: The fun of overcoming obstacles.
Fellowship: The fun of interacting with others and working together.
Discovery: The fun of exploring and uncovering things.
Expression: The fun of leaving your personal mark on the world.
Submission: The fun of of turning your brain off and doing effortless things.
I personally favor beautiful scenes, exploration, artistic expression, and story in my games. I like only a little bit of challenge (I play almost all games on the easiest mode available), am not particularly social, and actively dislike competition with other players. Other people, though, have very different priorities.
As a kid, I spent a lot of time trying to make up the perfect game. I thought maybe it was possible to create an infinitely fun game, one that never gets old. I now feel the only infinite game is real life, in a way I didn't see then. Discovery, beautiful places, expression, friendship-- the richness of the best of real life makes all games pale by comparison. I'm still fascinated, though, by trying to capture part of that potential and parcel it up to share with other people. Dissecting fun has a feeling of unweaving the rainbow, as Keats puts it. You have to take a thing apart, though, to really understand what makes it tick.
February 17, 2014
This dry, yet thorough, book draws upon research and theory in sundry fields (such as cybernetics, probability, and systems theory) to develop a thorough theory of game design as a field of its own.
One thing this book does both repeatedly and well is to describe a fundamental game structure and then suggest a modification of this structure that inspires thoughts of entire games based upon that tweak. For example, after describing the formal properties of poker rules, they suggest that a new game could be made by using something other than cards while following the same rules (p. 121). In Reality is Broken , Jane McGonigal describes just such a game: she designed a version of poker that uses tombstones instead of cards.
Salen and Zimmerman consider designing for the interactivity of a game on three levels: rules (game pieces and their interactions), gameplay (players and their interactions), and culture (interactions between the outside world and the game). This structure moves them from considering the formal structure of games, through the experience they create, to how they interplay with their environment.
This book also contains commissioned writings from such big names as Richard Garfield and Reiner Knizia about their design processes.
Some things this book says are:
One thing this book does both repeatedly and well is to describe a fundamental game structure and then suggest a modification of this structure that inspires thoughts of entire games based upon that tweak. For example, after describing the formal properties of poker rules, they suggest that a new game could be made by using something other than cards while following the same rules (p. 121). In Reality is Broken , Jane McGonigal describes just such a game: she designed a version of poker that uses tombstones instead of cards.
Salen and Zimmerman consider designing for the interactivity of a game on three levels: rules (game pieces and their interactions), gameplay (players and their interactions), and culture (interactions between the outside world and the game). This structure moves them from considering the formal structure of games, through the experience they create, to how they interplay with their environment.
This book also contains commissioned writings from such big names as Richard Garfield and Reiner Knizia about their design processes.
Some things this book says are:
January 12, 2024
this... was quite unbearable. i found myself skimming through much of it because the topics seemed utterly meaningless, uninteresting and excessively theoretical. i mean, i never expected to read lengthy chapters devoted to the definition of *games*, nor did I anticipate finding a philosophy book attempting to link everything in life to the concept of *playing games*, like an academic exercise in verbosity and pretentiousness. it's as if the authors salen and zimmerman are more interested in showcasing their scholarly prowess than actually enlightening aspiring game designers. the book drowns in its own theoretical soup, meandering through esoteric discussions of systems and semiotics, while utterly failing to ground these concepts in the practical world of game creation.
now don't get me wrong, theory has its place, but this book takes it to an excruciating extreme. the so-called *meaningful play* they harp on about gets lost in a labyrinth of academic fluff. if you're an aspiring game developer like me and decide to read this book, then good luck trying to decipher the dense prose concepts without a dictionary, ritalin and a strong cup of coffee at hand.
(i tried and none of them worked, btw)
now don't get me wrong, theory has its place, but this book takes it to an excruciating extreme. the so-called *meaningful play* they harp on about gets lost in a labyrinth of academic fluff. if you're an aspiring game developer like me and decide to read this book, then good luck trying to decipher the dense prose concepts without a dictionary, ritalin and a strong cup of coffee at hand.
(i tried and none of them worked, btw)
May 21, 2015
I did a lot of skimming here. The authors don't begin to understand how video games differ from traditional games or how to talk about them as the remarkably novel creation that they are. As a result, they write almost entirely about traditional games and the video games that closely resemble them. Most of this book could have been written before video games were ever invented, which shows how little they focus on how they are actually unique. If you're interested in video games as sets of limiting rules that provoke competition, this could be the book for you, but I don't think that's a subject worth spending time on. Hopefully some of the references they provided will be more interesting.
November 16, 2020
Lots of people in the reviews complaining that this academic textbook isn’t for gamerz. If your goal in life is to make a Triple-A clone “with a twist” then I am sorry to say you are probably not the target audience :(
June 23, 2016
The pretentious forward was the opening number in a scattergun approach to the topic that just felt so shallow compared to discussions you might hear on The Forge or Extra Credits or EnWorld or really anywhere that gaming fanatics gather to discuss theory. A dreary dull text that will be of no interest to anyone that would be interested in reading it, written by dreary dull academics that haven't a clue really what they are talking about and know less about game design than the average experienced GM.
The only somewhat redeeming portion of the book were the four games the writer had asked prominent game designers to design for the book. But perhaps the book would have been a lot less dull and a lot more insightful if the designers had also been allowed to write the book. Those that can, should also be teaching.
The only somewhat redeeming portion of the book were the four games the writer had asked prominent game designers to design for the book. But perhaps the book would have been a lot less dull and a lot more insightful if the designers had also been allowed to write the book. Those that can, should also be teaching.
January 24, 2016
It's clear that the authors are extremely well read. The book is jam packed with different conceptual frames in which to place games. But it never really comes together into a coherent book. It feels more like a brain dump (albeit of two huge brains).
There were several really strong ideas that I thought could've been books, or units, to themselves. In particular, the idea of games as systems of metacommunication (how we signify what is play and what is not) strikes me as fascinating and rich. The chapter on narrative was also very good: the distinction between what games represent and how games themselves are represented is a powerful one.
The authors don't seem to understand information theory very well. I found it disappointing that such a germane topic received only one brief and confusing chapter.
Overall, I thought this book lacked focus. I have no doubt that the authors could write several excellent books on games between them if they stuck to more circumscribed areas of investigation.
There were several really strong ideas that I thought could've been books, or units, to themselves. In particular, the idea of games as systems of metacommunication (how we signify what is play and what is not) strikes me as fascinating and rich. The chapter on narrative was also very good: the distinction between what games represent and how games themselves are represented is a powerful one.
The authors don't seem to understand information theory very well. I found it disappointing that such a germane topic received only one brief and confusing chapter.
Overall, I thought this book lacked focus. I have no doubt that the authors could write several excellent books on games between them if they stuck to more circumscribed areas of investigation.
January 28, 2019
As was mentioned in earlier reviews, I, too, did a lot of skimming in this book. That's because the information was given in a very repetitive nature. There are a few good points, such as looking at games as a system and an emphasis on iterative design to know for sure that a game plays smoothly.
However, I did not really like the writing style that the authors chose. When advancing to a new topic, several different definitions would be introduced and explained, after which the authors would pick their favorite parts and conclude on a single definition that encompasses all of the other ones. In practice this is, of course, an effective route to take when trying to understand your own take on a subject, but normally I suppose the process is done more behind-the-scenes, with the authors skipping to the part where they share their concluding definition.
If you decide to pick this book up, I suggest skimming through to pick out the main ideas (there are even section summaries at the end of each section). Otherwise, the book may begin to drag on.
However, I did not really like the writing style that the authors chose. When advancing to a new topic, several different definitions would be introduced and explained, after which the authors would pick their favorite parts and conclude on a single definition that encompasses all of the other ones. In practice this is, of course, an effective route to take when trying to understand your own take on a subject, but normally I suppose the process is done more behind-the-scenes, with the authors skipping to the part where they share their concluding definition.
If you decide to pick this book up, I suggest skimming through to pick out the main ideas (there are even section summaries at the end of each section). Otherwise, the book may begin to drag on.
March 10, 2017
It basically just says that games are systems are and over. Flipping to a random page, here's an example: "It is clear that games are systems and that complexity and emergence affect meaningful play." Basically every sentence is like this, too abstract to mean anything. Absolutely horribly written and unpleasant to read. The authors are pretentious and have nothing actually to say. You WILL get a headache reading this; you WON'T ever be able to apply any of it.
It focuses a huge amount on giving "definitions" for things. In fact, it not only gives you the definition, but it gives you multiple definitions to allow you to follow the other's reasoning until he concludes, "yeah so if you just look at all these definitions that's the basic flavor of it." Oh yeah and usually the "definition" has the word "system" in it.
Don't buy this book.
It focuses a huge amount on giving "definitions" for things. In fact, it not only gives you the definition, but it gives you multiple definitions to allow you to follow the other's reasoning until he concludes, "yeah so if you just look at all these definitions that's the basic flavor of it." Oh yeah and usually the "definition" has the word "system" in it.
Don't buy this book.
June 19, 2015
An extensive and in-depth study on game design. The basic format is how games fit into different schema and how to design games by thinking about all the different possible ways to look at games. Katie Salen and Aaron Zimmerman use a plethora of games from classic card games to current (at the time this was written) games to illustrate their points. Their are also four games made specifically for this book that are included in the book. Many parts are very interesting, but it can get dry at points. The authors also tend to repeat themselves quite often. The points they repeat are quite important, but it can get a little redundant.
December 11, 2016
Reading this made me realize that I'm mostly interested in game design as a hobbyist. That being said, I think this is probably the most complete textbook available on the subject and is really ahead of its time with the range of topics it covers. My main complaint is that most of the case studies are on really boring games that I doubt most readers have played. It gets pedantic at times, but most writing in academia does.
November 16, 2008
Was a guinea pig for this book in several grad school classes. I turned out pretty OK!
Good intro to basic game design principles and thinkers. You can probably get away with reading chapter summaries, though, if you have any experience with game production, design, or critical thinking in general.
Good intro to basic game design principles and thinkers. You can probably get away with reading chapter summaries, though, if you have any experience with game production, design, or critical thinking in general.
December 21, 2017
Some chapters were not well structured; however, the book gave lots of insights about games. Magic circle and lusory attitude were new to me. For a game designer, considering different types of rules in games such as constitutive, operational, and implicit rules are critical in designing a meaningful game.
Last but not least, enjoy playing games :)
Last but not least, enjoy playing games :)
May 13, 2010
I read the first "unit" and skimmed through the rest of this book. The content is actually good, but the text being set in a small sans-serif typeface makes it hard to read.
June 18, 2023
This book is more like a reference book than a guide. While reading it I suffered the constant risk of falling asleep while also, at the same time, thinking it it would not be better to create games instead of reading about creating games.
I think, now, that there is a balance between both actions:
On one extreme, it's possible to create mindless, meaningless games very easily - just go to any game jam, open up unity, and make a walking simulator without anything for the player to do other than see and walk around.
On the other extreme, it's also possible to stay 2 years reading the same book, imagining games but without anything written on paper or not a single line of code.
Reading this book is not a requirement to create games. But it can be used, sporadically and carefully to help inject meaning on one, as long as it's not a source of analysis paralysis and/or a philosophical contemplation of gaming landscape.
Anyways. Now that I'm done with it and I still don't know how to use it properly, maybe I'll create some designs and try to use it adequately. It's going back to my bookshelf and, eventually, I'll take it out for a ride when I need a deeper question answered - like what happens every trimester or so.
I think, now, that there is a balance between both actions:
On one extreme, it's possible to create mindless, meaningless games very easily - just go to any game jam, open up unity, and make a walking simulator without anything for the player to do other than see and walk around.
On the other extreme, it's also possible to stay 2 years reading the same book, imagining games but without anything written on paper or not a single line of code.
Reading this book is not a requirement to create games. But it can be used, sporadically and carefully to help inject meaning on one, as long as it's not a source of analysis paralysis and/or a philosophical contemplation of gaming landscape.
Anyways. Now that I'm done with it and I still don't know how to use it properly, maybe I'll create some designs and try to use it adequately. It's going back to my bookshelf and, eventually, I'll take it out for a ride when I need a deeper question answered - like what happens every trimester or so.
April 13, 2023
I hated reading this book. There are 600 something pages and from that there are 80 something pages of insightful content, that have utility for an industry game designer and can simulate you intellectually. The rest are sentences that exist, yet say nothing and are only there for the sake of compelete formalization of whatever the book is talking about. For example, the book might spend 5 paragraphs building a case from ground up with minimum amount of assumptions that games are, as a matter of fact, systems. This page conveys no information. Because every one who has played anything for a second won't challenge you on the statement that games are systems. If stuff like these were rare, I wouldnt mind, but there are hundreds of these mind numbingly boring segments. If the book was only these, I would give it a 3 stars, after all, I would just put it down after 30 pages. Some academics that are doing classifications based on these definitions might find utility in them after all. But the fact that there are some actual quality content distributed between the pointless academic jerkings, means I HAD to read this!!!! What a torture. I hated it.
September 19, 2018
Hi guys.
I'm nob and I just read 4 chapters. still don't know I'm gonna continue it or not but to be honest is a little bit deep for someone who is new in this field. It's like you can not passing by a paragraph without stop and thinking about it that's why it takes too much time from me.
It's amazed me from providing different conceptual aspects .
I think, It helps me to get familiar with simple definitions which can mean more and precept them better.be honest I had feeling like I didn't know many simple definitions which is really important!
Plus sometimes I feel like this book is so old.
.
.
Apart from Book! Game designer is a person who would like to be GOD but behind certain in his/her next life :D Jooking ;)
I'm nob and I just read 4 chapters. still don't know I'm gonna continue it or not but to be honest is a little bit deep for someone who is new in this field. It's like you can not passing by a paragraph without stop and thinking about it that's why it takes too much time from me.
It's amazed me from providing different conceptual aspects .
I think, It helps me to get familiar with simple definitions which can mean more and precept them better.be honest I had feeling like I didn't know many simple definitions which is really important!
Plus sometimes I feel like this book is so old.
.
.
Apart from Book! Game designer is a person who would like to be GOD but behind certain in his/her next life :D Jooking ;)
January 9, 2023
Pelitutkimus on tieteenalana varsin tuore, eikä siitä ole kirjoitettu montakaan hyvää ja kattavaa perusteosta. Rules of Play onkin parasta tähän mennessä näkemääni. Kirja käsittelee pelaamista hyvin kattavasti ja perusteellisesti monesta eri näkökulmasta.
Kirja ei välttämättä anna paljoa lukijalle, joka on vain kiinnostunut pelien pelaamisesta, mutta jos peliharrastus ulottuu pelien suunnittelemiseen tai analysoimiseen (esimerkiksi peliarvostelujen kirjoittamiseen), on Rules of Play suositeltavaa luettavaa. Varoituksen sanana sanottakoon, että kirja on selkeästi akateeminen teos. Se ei kuitenkaan ole akateemisen kuivakka, vaan luettavasti kirjoitettu.
Lautapeliharrastajia kiinnostanee erityisesti Reiner Knizian essee Taru Sormusten Herrasta -lautapelin synnystä. (27.2.2004)
Kirja ei välttämättä anna paljoa lukijalle, joka on vain kiinnostunut pelien pelaamisesta, mutta jos peliharrastus ulottuu pelien suunnittelemiseen tai analysoimiseen (esimerkiksi peliarvostelujen kirjoittamiseen), on Rules of Play suositeltavaa luettavaa. Varoituksen sanana sanottakoon, että kirja on selkeästi akateeminen teos. Se ei kuitenkaan ole akateemisen kuivakka, vaan luettavasti kirjoitettu.
Lautapeliharrastajia kiinnostanee erityisesti Reiner Knizian essee Taru Sormusten Herrasta -lautapelin synnystä. (27.2.2004)
February 18, 2021
Didn't like it. Way to dense and theory filled. It basically analyses the why and how on everything game related, so it gives you a veeery deep and through break down of the theories and concepts behind games, but it doesn't add much to it. It's a bit like looking for traveling guide in Spain, and reading a book about it's history. Yes you'll understand how and why Spain is the way it is, but it doesn't tell you where to go or to stay, or were you should eat. If you want more 'hands in' design learning, I think The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses it's a much better book.
June 23, 2023
This textbook is mostly about game design philosophy, which is useful for myself as an intro to the game studies and the philosophy of design in general, but probably not as useful for general readers or as a practical design guide. Despite the abstract content and repetitiveness, the prose is very accessible.
Probably a good baseline for further academic reading, but there are probably quicker and more practical introductions elsewhere.
Probably a good baseline for further academic reading, but there are probably quicker and more practical introductions elsewhere.
August 23, 2021
Easily the most informative book on game design I have ever read. It is useful even for non-game designers. Salen and Zimmerman break down games on multiple levels, analyzing them as more than just things to have fun with. That deep analysis shows how games and game-like situations show up more often than you might think in everyday life. Just a fantastic book. I recommend it to everyone.
May 9, 2024
Apesar de que poderia ter umas partes cortadas, esse livro é bastante denso nas implicações do game design tanto para o jogo como para a interpretação de escopos antropológicos. É admirável o comprometimento dos autores em querer relacionar cada conceito que torna a jogatina possível. Os caminhos parecem abertos para tantos criadores.
January 6, 2020
A must read for any aspiring game designer.
I found this book invaluable to learning the concepts of game design. The teaching of design of games via the use of schemas made for a very thorough look of games.
I found this book invaluable to learning the concepts of game design. The teaching of design of games via the use of schemas made for a very thorough look of games.
April 26, 2020
Extremely academic.... You're better off using your intuition to design games then reading something like this. We've been surrounded by great games for decades - Learn from them, not academic writing.
May 14, 2020
This book deviates from most other have design books. It looks at games for a bigger picture by including the contexts games are played in such as culture. It avoids the usual classification of game mechanics and any other approaches that aim to classify types of games. This one really stands out.
January 13, 2018
Good book on theory of game design
May 14, 2018
mixed feelings pero no os voy a dar la turra por aquí
July 19, 2019
Amazing.
December 14, 2019
In my opinion, this is the most important book for a game designer to have. It has plenty of unique approaches to understanding rules that are not present in any other book.
Read
February 1, 2021Useful but a bit dry. Definitely had useful concepts but the lack of differentiation between video games and traditional games made it less useful. Would have enjoyed more of the technical aspects.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews