Since the volume of information, personnel and material is quite daunting when diving in to any new subject field, I thought that it would be useful to summarize the content that I have read on a month-by-month basis as a blog post. This will act as a refresher and quick reference to the content that I have consumed in support of my ambition to become a Games Designer. I will look to include books, magazines, articles and documentaries that have expanded my knowledge or sparked my interest in some manner.
So at the start of November I made a few purchases on Amazon.co.uk to start my reading on the topic of game design. I also decided that I would start to read Edge magazine every month again. And then I'm constantly cycling through various games magazines to stay on top of the latest games news, with Eurogamer.net tending to be my mainstay.
A Theory of Fun for Game Design - Raph Koster
Of the three Amazon purchases I bought, I have read two so far; A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster was the first. First of all, I'll admit that I was somewhat deterred by the presentation of the book; every right hand page was taken up by crudely pencil-drawn cartoons to illustrate points presented in the text. Also, the early introduction and persistent use of comic sans was concerning...
But over-coming my personal tastes (though surely no one can appreciate and justify the use of comic sans, right?) and getting in to the text, I quickly overcame my initial impressions. The content is wonderful and provides an insightful glimpse into the concept of fun, and how it applies to game design. I can understand that the cartoons are probably intended to illustrate/amplify particular points to a younger audience, but for me, they only served to initially devalue the actually written content. The content is pitched at an introductory level, but I feel that there is plenty to take away for anyone concerned with game design. I felt that the book was also well paced, never labouring a point for longer than necessary, maintaining a solid rhythm of points, concepts and examples throughout.
I guess this goes to show to never judge a book by its cover. Or illustrations. Or choice of fonts. I'm going to use a separate blog post to digest and revise some of the most pertinent content from the book. I'd recommend this book as an early introduction into the fundamentals of fun, game theory, game design and player psychology.
The Art of the Video Game - Josh Jenisch
The second of my Amazon purchases is "the first book to celebrate an exciting new visual medium." Published in 2008, Josh takes a look at a diverse range of twenty-six console and PC titles; presenting screen grabs, concept art/renders and interviews with the artists featured. Starting with a concise synopsis of the history of the videogame medium, we're then presented with a look at each of the titles, including some of the biggest games at the time; Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Half-Life 2, and Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
As a fan of videogames in general, and also as someone seeking industry employment, I found much of the work very inspirational and insightful. The lengths at which some of the artists go to in order to create their work was eye-opening. In particular, Valve artist Ted Backman's design of the Hunter enemy amazed me. How the spectrum of attributes that require consideration of technical requirements, form factor, and artistic direction are eventually crafted into such an iconic and downright provocative creature is awe-inspiring and entirely worthy of Jenisch's plaudits.
Although I'm not entirely sure FIFA 08's graphics could be considered art so early into the new engine (the players still had that zombified glaze finally rectified in FIFA 09) this is sure to be a book that I will revisit time and again; to act as inspiration for my own output, to consider artist design principles, or simply to admire the work of some of the industry's best.
