Zack Hiwiller's Books

Players Making Decisions

Game Design Essentials and the Art of Understanding Your Players

By: Zack Hiwiller

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Players Making Decisions

Game Design Essentials and the Art of Understanding Your Players

By: Zack Hiwiller

Game designers today are expected to have an arsenal of multi-disciplinary skills at their disposal in the fields of art and design, computer programming, psychology, economics, composition, education, mythology—and the list goes on. How do you distill a vast universe down to a few salient points? Players Making Decisions brings together the wide range of topics that are most often taught in modern game design courses and focuses on the core concepts that will be useful for students for years to come. A common theme to many of these concepts is the art and craft of creating games in which players are engaged by making meaningful decisions. It is the decision to move right or left, to pass versus shoot, or to develop one’s own strategy that makes the game enjoyable to the player. As a game designer, you are never entirely certain of who your audience will be, but you can enter their world and offer a state of focus and concentration on a task that is intrinsically rewarding. This detailed and easy-to-follow guide to game design is for both digital and analog game designers alike and some of its features include: A clear introduction to the discipline of game design, how game development teams work, and the game development process Full details on prototyping and playtesting, from paper prototypes to intellectual property protection issues A detailed discussion of cognitive biases and human decision making as it pertains to games Thorough coverage of key game elements, with practical discussions of game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics Practical coverage of using simulation tools to decode the magic of game balance A full section on the game design business, and how to create a sustainable lifestyle within it

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Page Count

646

Publisher

New Riders

Published Date

ISBN 10

013439464X

ISBN 13

9780134394640

The Game Designer's Playlist

Innovative Games Every Game Designer Needs to Play

By: Zach Hiwiller

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The Game Designer's Playlist

Innovative Games Every Game Designer Needs to Play

By: Zach Hiwiller

Game Designers: Learn from the Masters! In The Game Designers Playlist, top game design instructor Zack Hiwiller introduces more than 70 remarkable games, revealing how they work, why they're great, and how to apply their breakthrough techniques in your own games. Ranging from Go to Texas Hold'em and Magic: The Gathering to Dishonored 2, Hiwiller teaches indispensable lessons about game decision-making, playability, narrative, mechanics, chance, winning, originality, cheats, and a whole lot more. He gleans powerful insights from virtually every type of game: console, mobile, PC, board, card, and beyond. Every game is presented in full color, with a single purpose: to show you what makes it exceptional, so you can create legendary games of your own. Discover how game designers use randomness and luck Make the most of narrative and the narrator's role Place the game challenge front and center Optimize game mechanics, and place mechanics in a broader context Uncover deep dynamic play in games with the simplest rules Find better ways to teach players how to play See what games can teach about the process of game design Build games with unusual input/output modalities Explore winning, losing, and game dynamics beyond "one-vs.-all" Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.

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Age

Page Count

240

Published Date

ISBN 10

0134873289

ISBN 13

9780134873282

Players Making Decisions

Game Design Essentials and the Art of Understanding Your Players

By: Zack Hiwiller

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Players Making Decisions

Game Design Essentials and the Art of Understanding Your Players

By: Zack Hiwiller

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

646

Publisher

New Riders

Published Date

ISBN 10

013439464X

ISBN 13

9780134394640

The Game Designer's Playlist

Innovative Games Every Game Designer Needs to Play

By: Zack Hiwiller

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Game Designer's Playlist

Innovative Games Every Game Designer Needs to Play

By: Zack Hiwiller

Game Designers: Learn from the Masters! In The Game Designers Playlist, top game design instructor Zack Hiwiller introduces more than 70 remarkable games, revealing how they work, why they’re great, and how to apply their breakthrough techniques in your own games. Ranging from Go to Texas Hold’em and Magic: The Gathering to Dishonored 2, Hiwiller teaches indispensable lessons about game decision-making, playability, narrative, mechanics, chance, winning, originality, cheats, and a whole lot more. He gleans powerful insights from virtually every type of game: console, mobile, PC, board, card, and beyond. Every game is presented in full color, with a single purpose: to show you what makes it exceptional, so you can create legendary games of your own. Discover how game designers use randomness and luck Make the most of narrative and the narrator’s role Place the game challenge front and center Optimize game mechanics, and place mechanics in a broader context Uncover deep dynamic play in games with the simplest rules Find better ways to teach players how to play See what games can teach about the process of game design Build games with unusual input/output modalities Explore winning, losing, and game dynamics beyond “one-vs.-all” Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.

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Age

Page Count

456

Publisher

Addison-Wesley Professional

Published Date

ISBN 10

0134873297

ISBN 13

9780134873299

Book's by Zack Hiwiller

Players Making Decisions

Players Making Decisions

The Game Designer's Playlist

The Game Designer's Playlist

Players Making Decisions

Players Making Decisions

The Game Designer's Playlist

The Game Designer's Playlist

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