The Computer Game Design Course

Practical, complete coverage of game design basics from design process to production This full-color, structured coursebook offers complete coverage of game design basics, focusing on design rather than computer programming. Packed with exercises, assignments, and step-by-step instructions, it starts with an overview of design theory, then progresses to design processes, and concludes with coverage of design production. Jim Thompson, Barnaby Berbank-Green, and Nic Cusworth (London, UK) are computer game designers and lecturers in animation and computer game design.

This structured course book is the perfect introduction to the exhilarating world of game design. Richly illustrated with screengrabs and artwork, the book includes step-by-step tutorials that present all aspects of designing and developing dynamic computer games. Including practical exercises and assignments.

Discusses the elements of games, surveys the various types of computer games, and describes the steps in the process of computer game development

This updated bestseller provides an introduction to programming interactive computer graphics, with an emphasis on game development using DirectX 11. The book is divided into three main parts: basic mathematical tools, fundamental tasks in Direct3D, and techniques and special effects. It includes new Direct3D 11 features such as hardware tessellation, the compute shader, dynamic shader linkage and covers advanced rendering techniques such as screen-space ambient occlusion, level-of-detail handling, cascading shadow maps, volume rendering, and character animation. Includes a companion CD-ROM with code and figures. eBook Customers: Companion files are available for downloading with order number/proof of purchase by writing to the publisher at [email protected].

This hands-on guide covers both game development and design, and both Unity and C♯. This guide illuminates the basic tenets of game design and presents a detailed, project-based introduction to game prototyping and development, using both paper and the Unity game engine.

This "fun and easy text-software design guide combination that uses an activity-based integrated curriculum: game-theory reading with game-building application lessons. It supports cross-curriculum and STEM learning as students use math and science principles, in addition to language arts, social sciences, and applied technology knowledge, to develop their own games. No knowledge of programming or game design is needed" before beginning with this textbook. -- Publisher

"Video Game Design Foundations provides students with a complete understanding of all aspects of video game design. This "turnkey" curriculum guides students from beginning each game build project through completion, integration, and marketing. Simulated design teams learn all aspects of team building required to launch a new video game system"--

Chris Crawford on Game Design is all about the foundational skills behind the design and architecture of a game. Without these skills, designers and developers lack the understanding to work with the tools and techniques used in the industry today. Chris Crawford, the most highly sought after expert in this area, brings an intense opinion piece full of personality and flare like no other person in this industry can. He explains the foundational and fundamental concepts needed to get the most out of game development today. An exceptional precursor to the two books soon to be published by New Riders with author Andrew Rollings, this book teaches key lessons; including, what you can learn from the history of game play and historical games, necessity of challenge in game play, applying dimensions of conflict, understanding low and high interactivity designs, watching for the inclusion of creativity, and understanding the importance of storytelling. In addition, Chris brings you the wish list of games he'd like to build and tells you how to do it. Game developers and designers will kill for this information!

For each position, the authors include a brief overview and its history. Discussions of education, certifications, or licensing required; a detailed job description; salary; and the future outlook are also supplied.

Learn Game Design, Prototyping, and Programming with Today’s Leading Tools: Unity™ and C# Award-winning game designer and professor Jeremy Gibson has spent the last decade teaching game design and working as an independent game developer. Over the years, his most successful students have always been those who effectively combined game design theory, concrete rapid-prototyping practices, and programming skills. Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development is the first time that all three of these disciplines have been brought together into a single book. It is a distillation of everything that Gibson has learned teaching hundreds of game designers and developers in his years at the #1 university games program in North America. It fully integrates the disciplines of game design and computer programming and helps you master the crucial practice of iterative prototyping using Unity. As the top game engine for cross-platform game development, Unity allows you to write a game once and deliver it to everything from Windows, OS X, and Linux applications to webpages and all of the most popular mobile platforms. If you want to develop games, you need strong experience with modern best practices and professional tools. There’s no substitute. There’s no shortcut. But you can get what you need in this book. COVERAGE INCLUDES In-depth tutorials for eight different game prototypes Developing new game design concepts Moving quickly from design concepts to working digital prototypes Improving your designs through rapid iteration Playtesting your games and interpreting the feedback that you receive Tuning games to get the right “game balance” and “game feel” Developing with Unity, today’s best engine for independent game development Learning C# the right way Using Agile and Scrum to efficiently organize your game design and development process Debugging your game code Getting into the highly competitive, fast-changing game industry