As games grow more complex and gamers' expectations soar, the discipline
of game systems design becomes ever more important. Game systems
designers plan a game's rules and balance, its characters' attributes,
most of its data, and how its AI, weapons, and objects work and
interact. Introduction to Game Systems Design is the first
complete beginner's guide to this crucial discipline. Writing for all
aspiring game professionals, even those with absolutely no experience,
leading game designer and instructor Dax Gazaway presents a
step-by-step, hands-on approach to designing game systems with
industry-standard tools. Drawing on his experience building AAA-level
game systems (including games in the Star Wars and Marvel franchises),
Gazaway covers all this, and more:
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Exploring the essentials of game design and its emerging
subdisciplines
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Asking the essential questions at the heart of all design
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Getting started with modern game system design tools, including the
spreadsheets most professionals now use
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Creating systems and data from a blank page
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Populating and quantifying a world of data into a game
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Tuning and balancing game systems
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Testing game systems and data
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Leveraging communication, psychology, and rewards within your games
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Balancing game probability within systems
Whether you're a college freshman entering a game design program, an
indie developer using Unreal or Unity, a Dungeon Master, or anyone who
wants to really understand modern games, this guide will help you get
where you want to go.
