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Designing Games: A Guide to Engineering Experiences
Ready to give your design skills a real boost? This eye-opening book helps you explore the design structure behind most of today's hit video games. You'll learn principles and practices for crafting games that generate emotionally charged experiences — a combination of elegant game mechanics, compelling fiction, and pace that fully immerses players. In clear and approachable prose, design pro Tynan Sylvester also looks at the day-to-day process necessary to keep your project on track, including how to work with a team, and how to avoid creative dead ends. Packed with examples, this book will change your perception of game design.
413 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
261 people are currently reading
1531 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 15, 2022
Amazing book, an excellent read! Let me preface this by saying that I'm not in the gaming industry, but I'm a teacher (and a hobbyist gamer). There was a lot to gain for me from reading this book, as it contains many elements of psychology and general user experience, communication and generally how to design challenging, fun, engaging, rewarding, emotional experiences. Furthermore, as the book is full of examples from very popular games (starting with poker and chess, but including pages full of analyses based on Counter Strike, Call of Duty, BioShock, Dwarf Fortress, Civilization, Starcraft and more), it does an excellent job to illustrate its points.
The book may seem too theoretical for some readers and it even includes a chapter on mathematical game theory and Nash equilibrium. But it's so well written and the ideas are seamlessly woven together that I'm sure many even non-technically minded people will enjoy it.
For me, it's definitely a book I'll be coming back for reference and further study, as there's really a lot go gain from it. Maybe it's not a coincidence that the author is the designer of RimWorld, a highly chaotic, diverse to the point of randomness game, but which still "clicks" in so many ways with so many players (including myself).
The book may seem too theoretical for some readers and it even includes a chapter on mathematical game theory and Nash equilibrium. But it's so well written and the ideas are seamlessly woven together that I'm sure many even non-technically minded people will enjoy it.
For me, it's definitely a book I'll be coming back for reference and further study, as there's really a lot go gain from it. Maybe it's not a coincidence that the author is the designer of RimWorld, a highly chaotic, diverse to the point of randomness game, but which still "clicks" in so many ways with so many players (including myself).
February 23, 2015
If you want to be a game designer, this is a book you should read. It is not targeted specifically on a certain type of games and most of the advice can be generalized to any genre. That said, it is clearly visible that the author has most experience with computer games and most of all narrative-driven 3D FPS games.
The book discusses both the toolbox of a game designer (narrative tools, balance tools, ...) and the usual processes used by the development teams (iteration, playtesting, communication with other departments, and slightly negotiation between parts of the team).
If you are an experienced designer, you probably know most of this. Actually, I'm not a game designer and I did know a lot of it, because game development is not *that* different from research and work on other projects, but it was still an interesting read and insight into the mind of the author.
The book discusses both the toolbox of a game designer (narrative tools, balance tools, ...) and the usual processes used by the development teams (iteration, playtesting, communication with other departments, and slightly negotiation between parts of the team).
If you are an experienced designer, you probably know most of this. Actually, I'm not a game designer and I did know a lot of it, because game development is not *that* different from research and work on other projects, but it was still an interesting read and insight into the mind of the author.
April 17, 2023
Исчерпывающая и детальная книга о геймдизайне. Кажется, что больше читать по этой теме ничего и не надо, надо делать. Высокоуровневые размышления, примеры, конкретные практики, здесь есть все. Понравилось, хотя и пришлось продираться.
January 16, 2019
I have a feeling this book is going to be my game design bible. It puts into words and solidifies a lot of concepts I’ve been thinking about but couldn’t quite put my finger on.
For example, the fact that people play games not only because they’re “fun,” but because they trigger all sorts of emotions. I wouldn’t describe the creepily realistic fear of sharks and drowning that Subnautica gives me as fun, yet I keep wanting to play it.
There’s also a great discussion about elegance of design, which makes me feel like the oft-repeated phrase in game reviews, “easy to learn, hard to master,” is the best praise a game can get!
Finally, the discussions of flow, skill floors/ceilings, and philosophy of balance are the epitome of things I’ve felt with my intuition but haven’t understood really cerebrally. I’m glad I own this book rather than getting it from the library so that I can refer back to it some years down the road.
For example, the fact that people play games not only because they’re “fun,” but because they trigger all sorts of emotions. I wouldn’t describe the creepily realistic fear of sharks and drowning that Subnautica gives me as fun, yet I keep wanting to play it.
There’s also a great discussion about elegance of design, which makes me feel like the oft-repeated phrase in game reviews, “easy to learn, hard to master,” is the best praise a game can get!
Finally, the discussions of flow, skill floors/ceilings, and philosophy of balance are the epitome of things I’ve felt with my intuition but haven’t understood really cerebrally. I’m glad I own this book rather than getting it from the library so that I can refer back to it some years down the road.
March 18, 2023
A very interesting book. First part covers what makes a game good, second part outlines how to coordinate a large complicated project such as have design.
October 8, 2023
zaujimate sa o hry alebo chcete byt game designer tak tato knizka je pre Vas. velmi pekne insighty ako rozmyslat ako designer + velmi pekne napisana produkcna stranka hier a na co sa sustredit
December 23, 2022
The book shows quite comprehensibly how difficult the development of a game is. It is probably too specific for people not working in the industry, but for anyone trying to be a game developer – I would highly recommend reading it.
Some key learnings for me, a game designer having worked in the industry for 20+ years (and that shows that you never run out of crucial learnings about this craft):
We’re designing for emotions, all of them, not only the feeling of overcoming challenges. This always felt like a gap in my understanding that now has been closed.
To put creating flow as a pacing of decisions was a very nice way of formulating my intuitive understanding of this fact. Often, when you read a book, it can confirm what you, in the back of your mind, already know. But it helps you put a name on things. And that was very much the case in that regard
Using the technique of crating a dependency stack is very helpful in order to decide on what to work next. Because that is the one thing so many teams get wrong. They are solving the wrong problems and are spending their attention and manpower on things that don’t bring real progress. And this, in turn, can create a lot of frustration in the team if you don’t get it right.
These key learnings alone would already make reading the whole book a win, but there’s even more.
The book explains how games function in a very comprehensible manner – showing the key differences between movies and other forms of entertainment. It touches on the reason why the games industry is using techniques from other industries and how that can cause problems.
Explaining intentions to designers is very hard, because you never quite hit the right level of granularity. Often you explain stuff too vague, too high level. Or you are too low level, being too specific – almost doing the design work *for* your designers. This book provides an excellent example of getting the granularity of explaining intent on the right level, neither too high nor too low.
It also dives a bit into how you should structure & run your teams. Explains the history a bit of where the current mindset is coming from and how that impacts the development process today – and what we should do instead.
All in all, a big volume packed with numerous insights, experiences and key learnings that I all can confirm. There’s not a single thing in that book that I would say is outright wrong. And I wished that we would use books like this to, finally, establish some sort of standardized vocabulary and methodology of making games. From all the book I’ve read about that topic, this one is the one closest to reality I would say.
Some key learnings for me, a game designer having worked in the industry for 20+ years (and that shows that you never run out of crucial learnings about this craft):
We’re designing for emotions, all of them, not only the feeling of overcoming challenges. This always felt like a gap in my understanding that now has been closed.
To put creating flow as a pacing of decisions was a very nice way of formulating my intuitive understanding of this fact. Often, when you read a book, it can confirm what you, in the back of your mind, already know. But it helps you put a name on things. And that was very much the case in that regard
Using the technique of crating a dependency stack is very helpful in order to decide on what to work next. Because that is the one thing so many teams get wrong. They are solving the wrong problems and are spending their attention and manpower on things that don’t bring real progress. And this, in turn, can create a lot of frustration in the team if you don’t get it right.
These key learnings alone would already make reading the whole book a win, but there’s even more.
The book explains how games function in a very comprehensible manner – showing the key differences between movies and other forms of entertainment. It touches on the reason why the games industry is using techniques from other industries and how that can cause problems.
Explaining intentions to designers is very hard, because you never quite hit the right level of granularity. Often you explain stuff too vague, too high level. Or you are too low level, being too specific – almost doing the design work *for* your designers. This book provides an excellent example of getting the granularity of explaining intent on the right level, neither too high nor too low.
It also dives a bit into how you should structure & run your teams. Explains the history a bit of where the current mindset is coming from and how that impacts the development process today – and what we should do instead.
All in all, a big volume packed with numerous insights, experiences and key learnings that I all can confirm. There’s not a single thing in that book that I would say is outright wrong. And I wished that we would use books like this to, finally, establish some sort of standardized vocabulary and methodology of making games. From all the book I’ve read about that topic, this one is the one closest to reality I would say.
May 23, 2025
Loved this book! The author writes clearly and is erudite. Fun to read too. It's what the title says. Will read again
December 2, 2020
I'm speechless. What an excellent book. Every page is filled with invaluable wisdom. While the books title might indicate that this is a primer to game design, I would say this is actually a quite advanced game design book. And that's good, since there is a lack of literature which covers design related topics in more detail, giving generally applicable device.
There is one caveat to this however: I find one of the last chapters, the one about Authority, to be a bit disrespectful. The author speaks of subordinates, at some point even referring to their literal idiocy, uses military structures as metaphors for authority and deems Taylorism as ineffective due to the complexity of the task at hand (but doesn't address its ethical implications which also reflect itself in the quality of work). The chapter comes off very cold, and while all of the things written are definitely true, one doesn't get the otherwise warm impression of the author. It was quite jarring, throwing me off, anticipating a "but" in any of the upcoming sentences which would put everything back into a moderate light.
Also, the author seems to have disrespect for the stereotype of the lazy peasant, a factory worker who doesn't want to make more out of his live other than what’s demanded from him/her. At least to me the last chapters convey this impression. I would argue such a cliche rarely exist in reality, people have very different reasons for wherever they are stuck in their career (family, obligations, politics, lack of education...). Such stereotypes don't serve good design thinking well. We're supposed to be careful listeners after all.
That being said, the content of this book is just excellent. Don't let yourself mislead by the limited amount of praise compared to my primary point of critique, it's just that I can't put my enthusiasm about this book into proper words. I'd give it 6 stars if I could. So let's pretend I've deduced 1 star for that one questionable chapter. Also, give yourself time to digest the pages, the information is very dense, and a lot of the content needs to be empathised with, rather than just being read.
There is one caveat to this however: I find one of the last chapters, the one about Authority, to be a bit disrespectful. The author speaks of subordinates, at some point even referring to their literal idiocy, uses military structures as metaphors for authority and deems Taylorism as ineffective due to the complexity of the task at hand (but doesn't address its ethical implications which also reflect itself in the quality of work). The chapter comes off very cold, and while all of the things written are definitely true, one doesn't get the otherwise warm impression of the author. It was quite jarring, throwing me off, anticipating a "but" in any of the upcoming sentences which would put everything back into a moderate light.
Also, the author seems to have disrespect for the stereotype of the lazy peasant, a factory worker who doesn't want to make more out of his live other than what’s demanded from him/her. At least to me the last chapters convey this impression. I would argue such a cliche rarely exist in reality, people have very different reasons for wherever they are stuck in their career (family, obligations, politics, lack of education...). Such stereotypes don't serve good design thinking well. We're supposed to be careful listeners after all.
That being said, the content of this book is just excellent. Don't let yourself mislead by the limited amount of praise compared to my primary point of critique, it's just that I can't put my enthusiasm about this book into proper words. I'd give it 6 stars if I could. So let's pretend I've deduced 1 star for that one questionable chapter. Also, give yourself time to digest the pages, the information is very dense, and a lot of the content needs to be empathised with, rather than just being read.
February 25, 2015
I found this book extremely disappointing. Not only does the author seem to suggest that he has more experience than he has, but he speaks with an authority on subjects that he really has no idea about. There were several passages that I found patronizing, but the one in particular that really spoke to me was the final sentence in his chapter 'Dependencies': "But in the end, it's the only way to do a task as hard as game design with small human minds."
Considering that he spent the entire chapter pitching different methods of designing around Dependencies, it was completely useless hyperbole - and is indicative of a great deal of what you find in the book.
Nothing is every footnoted, or end-noted, and sources are only ever vague and summarized. He doesn't seem to have had any other game designer offer an opinion on anything he wrote, and it's hard to trust his certainty on subjects when he so obviously has no knowledge on the subject (see: anything before 1900).
This book is less a guide to "Designing Games" as it is "One Man's Rambling Thoughts on How His Bosses Did Everything Wrong" and I don't recommend it to anyone.
Considering that he spent the entire chapter pitching different methods of designing around Dependencies, it was completely useless hyperbole - and is indicative of a great deal of what you find in the book.
Nothing is every footnoted, or end-noted, and sources are only ever vague and summarized. He doesn't seem to have had any other game designer offer an opinion on anything he wrote, and it's hard to trust his certainty on subjects when he so obviously has no knowledge on the subject (see: anything before 1900).
This book is less a guide to "Designing Games" as it is "One Man's Rambling Thoughts on How His Bosses Did Everything Wrong" and I don't recommend it to anyone.
January 21, 2019
It is okay-ish. There are some extraordinary chapters but then there are some that I gladly skipped. There are also topics I expected to get some info about that were missing
January 27, 2023
#4 of 2023
Game design (precisely, game system design) is a subject that since long had my curiosity - and now it also has my attention. As a child, I used to design my own card games and makeshift RPGs. As an adult, some of my most creative flow states arose from experiences like designing escape rooms for a children's camp or making a board game for a community event. I came to the understanding that I want to get a closer look on this field - and thats when I found this book.
I got to say that this book is probably the BEST place to start a systematic deep dive into the basics of game design - also, it's probably the best introduction to any field I've ever seen. Very approachable writing style, excellent and concise explanations of key concepts, logical structure, cool examples, and a slightly critical tone describes this book, and I'd recommend it to any fellow beginners in this field.
Here are some of my favorite insight-nuggets:
- "The unique value of chess is in how it generates a perfect rhythm of puzzle and solution, tension and release. That value isn’t in the pieces or the board. It’s in the game design—the system of rules that drives the game’s behavior. A game designer’s job is to craft systems of rules that create these kinds of results."
- "The pinnacle of game design craft is combining perfect mechanics and compelling fiction into one seamless system of meaning. Fiction and mechanics need not fight (though they easily can), and neither one need be given primacy (though one often is). Used together, they can enhance and extend each other in ways that each cannot do alone. Consummately great game design cannot be done by dropping a great fiction on top of excellent mechanics. It is done by threading them together into a single system of emotion. That’s why so much of game design isn’t just about crafting a well-balanced challenge or a beautiful world. It’s about doing each in such a way that it integrates seamlessly with the other."
- "More than in any other field, in game design decisions must be emergent to work well. So instead of writing them one by one, we have to create systems that generate them on the fly. Decision design is game design at its purest. While games can be enhanced by narrative, fiction, image, and sound, none of these is essential to the form. The heart of games is in interactivity, and the heart of interactivity is the moment of decision."
- "Good game decisions, including good puzzles, are always based around nonobvious uses of mechanics that work in obvious ways."
- "Players are always trying to find degenerate strategies. They endlessly hunt for chinks in the armor of the game design, looking for an imbalance they can abuse for easy wins. The irony is that if they ever find one, they’ll hate the designer for allowing them to destroy the game. They want to hunt for degenerate strategies, and they want to not find them."
- "My favorite post-test question is, “Tell me the story of what just happened in the game.” This question is a memory probe. It discovers what aspects of the game were perceived, retained, and considered important enough to mention. Things that aren’t mentioned in the story may be dead weight in the design. Often, I’ve found that the story that players remember is very different from the story I intended or the story that occurred."
.
Game design (precisely, game system design) is a subject that since long had my curiosity - and now it also has my attention. As a child, I used to design my own card games and makeshift RPGs. As an adult, some of my most creative flow states arose from experiences like designing escape rooms for a children's camp or making a board game for a community event. I came to the understanding that I want to get a closer look on this field - and thats when I found this book.
I got to say that this book is probably the BEST place to start a systematic deep dive into the basics of game design - also, it's probably the best introduction to any field I've ever seen. Very approachable writing style, excellent and concise explanations of key concepts, logical structure, cool examples, and a slightly critical tone describes this book, and I'd recommend it to any fellow beginners in this field.
Here are some of my favorite insight-nuggets:
- "The unique value of chess is in how it generates a perfect rhythm of puzzle and solution, tension and release. That value isn’t in the pieces or the board. It’s in the game design—the system of rules that drives the game’s behavior. A game designer’s job is to craft systems of rules that create these kinds of results."
- "The pinnacle of game design craft is combining perfect mechanics and compelling fiction into one seamless system of meaning. Fiction and mechanics need not fight (though they easily can), and neither one need be given primacy (though one often is). Used together, they can enhance and extend each other in ways that each cannot do alone. Consummately great game design cannot be done by dropping a great fiction on top of excellent mechanics. It is done by threading them together into a single system of emotion. That’s why so much of game design isn’t just about crafting a well-balanced challenge or a beautiful world. It’s about doing each in such a way that it integrates seamlessly with the other."
- "More than in any other field, in game design decisions must be emergent to work well. So instead of writing them one by one, we have to create systems that generate them on the fly. Decision design is game design at its purest. While games can be enhanced by narrative, fiction, image, and sound, none of these is essential to the form. The heart of games is in interactivity, and the heart of interactivity is the moment of decision."
- "Good game decisions, including good puzzles, are always based around nonobvious uses of mechanics that work in obvious ways."
- "Players are always trying to find degenerate strategies. They endlessly hunt for chinks in the armor of the game design, looking for an imbalance they can abuse for easy wins. The irony is that if they ever find one, they’ll hate the designer for allowing them to destroy the game. They want to hunt for degenerate strategies, and they want to not find them."
- "My favorite post-test question is, “Tell me the story of what just happened in the game.” This question is a memory probe. It discovers what aspects of the game were perceived, retained, and considered important enough to mention. Things that aren’t mentioned in the story may be dead weight in the design. Often, I’ve found that the story that players remember is very different from the story I intended or the story that occurred."
.
Read
July 11, 2021My biggest takeaway from this book was in the first chapter. The discussion starts by describing emotions, and our experiences, as the main outcomes of a piece of interactive media. Then, it concludes with a definition that all forms of interactive media are “engines of experience”.
I would like to push that conclusion further. Rather than imagining interactive media (e.g. games) as engines, (i.e. machinations that take an input and produce an output) I have chosen a different description:
“systems of experience”
Systems derives from my earlier interests into systems theory and I think this description works well. The feedback of a user influencing a interactive media influences the user and so on.
I would like to push that conclusion further. Rather than imagining interactive media (e.g. games) as engines, (i.e. machinations that take an input and produce an output) I have chosen a different description:
“systems of experience”
Systems derives from my earlier interests into systems theory and I think this description works well. The feedback of a user influencing a interactive media influences the user and so on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2023
This book delivers so much about making games but it goes way beyond that.
Ethics of game making? ✅
Psychology tricks/tips ✅
Philosophy, game theory, statistics... It's got it all.
I wanted to learn about game design but I feel like I've learned that and much more. The book was longer than I expected but with this many topics and content that's a good thing. I'll definitely get back to this one!
Ethics of game making? ✅
Psychology tricks/tips ✅
Philosophy, game theory, statistics... It's got it all.
I wanted to learn about game design but I feel like I've learned that and much more. The book was longer than I expected but with this many topics and content that's a good thing. I'll definitely get back to this one!
May 17, 2024
4.0. Me ha gustado la revisión del autor de lo que supone crear un videojuego. Los retos a superar, con un buen planteamiento de esas dificultades y ejemplos que ayudan mucho a su comprensión. Da una buena visión general de todo el proceso y con un nivel de detalle suficiente. No es una guía aplicada para crear un videojuego. Pero si es un buen conjunto de experiencias que ayudan al que lo tiene que crear.
March 14, 2025
Книга даёт структурное представление о разработки игр.
Книга разделена на 3 части.
Первая кратко раскрывает что такое игры.
Вторая посвящена дизайну игры.
Третья процессу производства.
Для автора игры это прежде всего машины для создания опыта игрока. В машинах множество систем взаимодействуют с игроком, часто непредвиденным образом.
Методики и принципы из книги помогут сократить неопределённость и закончить игру.
Прежде всего автор напирает на итеративность в разработке.
Книга разделена на 3 части.
Первая кратко раскрывает что такое игры.
Вторая посвящена дизайну игры.
Третья процессу производства.
Для автора игры это прежде всего машины для создания опыта игрока. В машинах множество систем взаимодействуют с игроком, часто непредвиденным образом.
Методики и принципы из книги помогут сократить неопределённость и закончить игру.
Прежде всего автор напирает на итеративность в разработке.
January 11, 2025
One wishes Tynan was a more prolific author; even after twelve years of fast-paced development, Designing Games's principles are more relevant than ever, clearly expressed, logical, and lasting. Applications exist well beyond just game development, too; creatives, project managers, and game players are all as likely to benefit from giving it a read.
February 17, 2025
This nice book talks about many aspects of game design, from actual practical design, to communications between different departments of game development.
Tynan writes to the point without fillers and you can take many notes, like I did, that will help you through your game development journey.
A recommended read.
Tynan writes to the point without fillers and you can take many notes, like I did, that will help you through your game development journey.
A recommended read.
May 11, 2019
An excellent book, this takes you through not only the high level concepts, but the details that matter in creating a game. I think it's even worthwhile if you're not a game developer, but a developer in general.
September 15, 2019
If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. It is incredibly well thought-out and well written, illuminating incredibly complicated and nuanced subjects in a straightforward manner. The final two pages are a roaring crescendo of inspiration. They are a masterpiece even when viewed with no context.
April 2, 2020
Designing Games covers a lot of what goes into designing games, from the initial point of "Engineering Experiences" to how to Market and why we should even care about the craft.
Here are a few lessons I took from it: https://blog.punygames.com/designing-...
Here are a few lessons I took from it: https://blog.punygames.com/designing-...
November 23, 2020
It's brilliant!!
a great book for game design that cover many topics from the very basics to managing a team.
the only thing that can be better is the organization of the sections in each chapter. sometimes I don't know when the context changes.
a great book for game design that cover many topics from the very basics to managing a team.
the only thing that can be better is the organization of the sections in each chapter. sometimes I don't know when the context changes.
January 2, 2022
There are some wonderful insights and long stretches of obvious tips typical for gamedev books. Level design is used as the primary example in far too many places. Some parts were clearly contradicted by the author during RimWorld development, I'd love to see an updated edition
April 23, 2025
Excellent, well rounded
Excellent, well rounded, covering psychology, design, agile development, excellent author. Great for anyone interested in building better products, not necessarily games.
Excellent, well rounded, covering psychology, design, agile development, excellent author. Great for anyone interested in building better products, not necessarily games.
August 30, 2017
看完感觉自己懂了，其实还是没什么用。
November 15, 2017
It was a good read, but I keep not going back to this, so I'm giving up.
January 11, 2019
Excellent book, well worth the time invested.
December 20, 2019
I felt so upset when I reached the end pages, reading this book was a rich journey full of moments of fun, sadness and excitement.
Tynan has a lot to say in this book, from how emotions create experience to stack dependency (which was a quite helpful concept for me).
I highly recommend it to all game designers.
Tynan has a lot to say in this book, from how emotions create experience to stack dependency (which was a quite helpful concept for me).
I highly recommend it to all game designers.
September 21, 2020
I highly recommend reading this one, easily one of the best, it approaches complex topics in a simple way, so much material here.
August 25, 2022
I skimmed long portions that weren’t applicable to me but interesting concepts of how people think.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews