Paul Schuytema (Monmouth, IL) has been a professional game developer for over ten years and in that time spoke at the previous ten GDC conferences. He has produced and designed over twenty games. Schuytema wrote more than 200 professional articles and authored or co-authored over a dozen books. He teaches college-level creative writing and journalism, and he received the Governor?s 2002 Entrepreneurial Success Award in Illinois. He is the primary scriptor for Magic Lantern.

Game Design: A Practical Approach is written for new game designers, practicing designers, and serious gamers wanting to create their own designs. Throughout the pages of this book, you?ll find a complete and practical introduction to the craft of game design, starting at square one with an exploration of just what a game and game design are. From there you?ll explore the skills you need to have as a game designer and learn when and how to use them. Then you?ll dive into the very practical nuts and bolts of a number of vital game design topics, including how to balance gamplay? what is risk-reward? how do you scale challenge? And along the way, you?ll learn the scripting language, Lua, and work with a sample game as you test and explore the game design concepts being discussed. The book is packed with the invaluable insights and tips you need to master the art of game design, including a variety of ?from the trenches? sidebars by some of the industry?s top game designers. So whether you?re a new designer, experienced professional, or serious gamer, you?ll find the tools and wisdom you need to succeed as a game designer.

Game Design: A Practical Approach teaches new game designers, students, and hobbyists the fundamentals of game design through the design and creation of a simple game. Written by a veteran game designer, this book is packed with invaluable insights and tips. It also includes a variety of ?from the trenches? sidebars by some of the industry?s top game designers. The book introduces core game design concepts, from the most basic (what is a game? what are victory conditions?) to the more advanced (how do you balance play? what is risk-reward? how do you scale challenge?). Using the example game, the book covers the entire game design process from concept to delivery. The techniques covered are applicable across the PC and game console platforms. All of the game examples are delivered via a simplified Lua script and a robust DX9 game shell, allowing non-programmers /designers to implement each phase of the design process. After working through this book, new designers and non-programmer will be able to modify the example game and work to create their own game designs.

Very good..and complete

Gave me a head start on game design...I make cell phone games..Also goes into detail in concol and mmorpgs

Designers will find everything needed at all levels of the process, under one cover.

Paul Schuytema’s GAME DESIGN: A PRACTICAL APPROACH is for new game designers as well as serious gamers who want to create their own. From beginning concepts that build a foundation of routines and knowledge to more advanced documentation on delivery systems, application, and using enhanced shareware (included), designers will find everything needed at all levels of the process, under one cover.

Moving a Game from Your Head to a Computer Screen

Computer games have changed dramatically over the past few years. Long gone are simple Pac-Man type games. Today’s computer are vastly more powerful than the early PC’s and competition has forced the gaming industry into every more sophisticated games. In addition to the powerful computers, extremely sophisticated software has come about to assist game development.

As Mr, Schuytema says, however, the most powerful, the most important piece of software is your mind. The most powerful computers, the most sophisticated software don’t have the crativity you have.

All of the rest of this book then is on simply using the tools that are available to take your creativity and make it dance on the screen. It begins with the development of a plan. What is it that the game is supposed to do, what’s the setting, the characters, what objects do these characters use: gun, bomb, chocolate bar?

Then it goes into the tools that he recommends the starting designer to use, specifically the scripting language Lua. This is a simple to use, easy way to get started. You can certainly use it through the prototyping stage, at which time you may or may not need to go to something lower level like C++ or C.

He develops a simple game through the book so that he can use Lua to illustrate what he is doing. A CD is included with the book that includes the game and a bunch of Lua software.