Greg Costikyan's Books

Uncertainty in Games

By: Greg Costikyan

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How uncertainty in games—from Super Mario Bros. to Rock/Paper/Scissors—engages players and shapes play experiences. In life, uncertainty surrounds us. Things that we thought were good for us turn out to be bad for us (and vice versa); people we thought we knew well behave in mysterious ways; the stock market takes a nosedive. Thanks to an inexplicable optimism, most of the time we are fairly cheerful about it all. But we do devote much effort to managing and ameliorating uncertainty. Is it any wonder, then, asks Greg Costikyan, that we have taken this aspect of our lives and transformed it culturally, making a series of elaborate constructs that subject us to uncertainty but in a fictive and nonthreatening way? That is: we create games. In this concise and entertaining book, Costikyan, an award-winning game designer, argues that games require uncertainty to hold our interest, and that the struggle to master uncertainty is central to their appeal. Game designers, he suggests, can harness the idea of uncertainty to guide their work. Costikyan explores the many sources of uncertainty in many sorts of games—from Super Mario Bros. and Dungeons & Dragons to Rock/Paper/Scissors, from Monopoly to CityVille, from FPS Deathmatch play to Chess. He describes types of uncertainty, including performative uncertainty, analytic complexity, and narrative anticipation. And he suggests ways that game designers who want to craft novel game experiences can use an understanding of game uncertainty in its many forms to improve their designs.

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Page Count

150

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262527537

ISBN 13

9780262527538

First Contract

By: Greg Costikyan

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First Contract

By: Greg Costikyan

The market is up. The product is selling. The company (and the CEO) are about to make even more money. Unttil the aliens land.

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Page Count

288

Publisher

Tor Science Fiction

Published Date

ISBN 10

0812545494

ISBN 13

9780812545494

Tabletop

Analog Game Design

By: Drew Davidson,Greg Costikyan

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Tabletop

Analog Game Design

By: Drew Davidson,Greg Costikyan

In this volume, people of diverse backgrounds talk about tabletop games, game culture, and the intersection of games with learning, theater, and other forms. Some have chosen to write about their design process, others about games they admire, others about the culture of tabletop games and their fans. The results are various and individual, but all cast some light on what is a multivarious and fascinating set of game styles.

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Page Count

207

Publisher

Lulu.com

Published Date

ISBN 10

1257870602

ISBN 13

9781257870608

Sources of Uncertainty, digital original edition

A BIT of Uncertainty in Games

By: Greg Costikyan

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Sources of Uncertainty, digital original edition

A BIT of Uncertainty in Games

By: Greg Costikyan

Uncertainty in games—from Super Mario Bros. to Rock/Paper/Scissors—engages players and shapes play experiences. This BIT examines the sources of that uncertainty, from doubts about performance to a game's elements of randomness.

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MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262316420

ISBN 13

9780262316422

Uncertainty in Games

By: Greg Costikyan

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Uncertainty in Games

By: Greg Costikyan

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Page Count

150

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262527537

ISBN 13

9780262527538

Side Stories

Short Fiction by Game Developers

By: Greg Costikyan,Chris Dahlen,Rees Savidis,David Dubord,Pedro Walsh,Christopher Mitchell,Jason Dozois,Andrew Laing

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Side Stories

Short Fiction by Game Developers

By: Greg Costikyan,Chris Dahlen,Rees Savidis,David Dubord,Pedro Walsh,Christopher Mitchell,Jason Dozois,Andrew Laing

Side Stories" is an anthology of short stories by game developers. Authors come from both digital and analog game development, computer games to paper games. Contributors include Greg Costikyan (veteran game designer of "Paranoia" and "Star Wars: The Role-Playing Game"), Christopher Mitchell (WGA award nominee for game writing, "Deathspank", "Simpsons Hit and Run"), and Rees Savidis (writer and award winning filmmaker, "SSX", "Driver: San Francisco"), and others. A share of proceeds will be donated to the Child’s Play charity. Included stories: “Sheepdog” by Bren Lynne An armed student defends his classroom from a shooter. “Spaceship and Bicycle” by Greg Costikyan Asteroid prospectors undertake innovative repairs after their spaceship is crippled. “Fizzy Piss Grape Shit” by Rees Savidis The end of the world, from the other perspective. “And The Heart Goes Tick Tick Tick” by Chris Dahlen A matchmaker finds adventure and romance when and where she least expects it. “Buried Legends” by David Dubord Unearthing buried treasure releases unexpected riches. “Paper Cuts” by Peter Walsh A software developer has problems after he reveals the weaknesses in government surveillance systems. “Cultists” by Christopher Mitchell Members of an apocalypse cult, frustrated with the lack of results, take matters into their own hands. “Lucky Malloy and the Cuban Zombie Crisis” by Jason Dozois A washed-up football player turned zombie hunter faces trouble when his cat becomes a zombie boss monster. “The Christmas Trolls” by Andrew Laing A game developer stands trial for creating a game that turns users into Trolls.

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Page Count

114

Publisher

Bren Lynne

Published Date

ISBN 10

1311904581

ISBN 13

9781311904584

Developing Creative Content for Games

By: Greg Johnson

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Developing Creative Content for Games

By: Greg Johnson

This book provides readers with a solid understanding of game development, design, narrative, charaterization, plot, back story and world creation elements that are crucial for game writers and designers as they create a detailed world setting, adventure, characters, narrative and plot suitable for possible publication. Game design and development issues such as writing for games, emergent complexity, risk reward systems, competitive and cooperative game play will be investigated, analyzed and critiqued. Examples will be used to highlight and explain the various concepts involved and how the game development process works. Key Features Provides the critical skills any good game designer should have, such as narrative, characterization, progression, challenges, world building, plot, and rewards Using a hands-on, learn-by-doing approach, this book teaches prospective game designers how to excel in creating their own worlds and adventures without having to learn any programming or technical computer skills Includes clear and concise chapter objectives, chapter overviews, examples, case studies, key terms and multiple in-depth analyses Multiple case studies are provided and thoroughly analyzed so that readers will be familiar with the concepts and methodologies involved in each task Over the course of the book, readers will develop a professional level asset for inclusion in a portfolio of work suitable for submitting to job applications

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Page Count

315

Publisher

CRC Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1498777678

ISBN 13

9781498777674

Side Stories

Short Fiction by Game Developers

By: Greg Costikyan,Chris Dahlen,Rees Savidis,David Dubord,Pedro Walsh,Christopher Mitchell,Jason Dozois,Andrew Laing

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Side Stories

Short Fiction by Game Developers

By: Greg Costikyan,Chris Dahlen,Rees Savidis,David Dubord,Pedro Walsh,Christopher Mitchell,Jason Dozois,Andrew Laing

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

114

Publisher

Bren Lynne

Published Date

ISBN 10

1311904581

ISBN 13

9781311904584

One Quest, Hold the Dragons

By: Greg Costikyan

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One Quest, Hold the Dragons

By: Greg Costikyan

On the road with the statue of King Stantius in tow, the motley adventurers of Another Day, Another Dungeon--including Timaeus the wizard, pickpocket Nick, and Kraki the barbarian--confront the thieving Broderick of Biddleburg. Original.

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Page Count

384

Published Date

ISBN 10

0812522699

ISBN 13

9780812522693

Book's by Greg Costikyan

Uncertainty in Games

Uncertainty in Games

First Contract

First Contract

Tabletop

Tabletop

Sources of Uncertainty, digital original edition

Sources of Uncertainty, digital original edition

Uncertainty in Games

Uncertainty in Games

Side Stories

Side Stories

Developing Creative Content for Games

Developing Creative Content for Games

Side Stories

Side Stories

One Quest, Hold the Dragons

One Quest, Hold the Dragons

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