12 votes

What are some good introductory books on video game theory and design?

I'm looking into making a 2D video game just for fun, and I'd like to know some books on the subject. Not necessarily technical, since I got that covered with Godot Engine materials, but brainstorming, planning, narrative, theory, etc... You know, some big-picture stuff!

For convenience and personal preference, I much prefer books instead of videos and articles.

14 comments

  1. [7]
    teaearlgraycold
    Link
    All I've read on the subject are: Game Engine Black Book: Wolfenstein 3D Game Engine Black Book: Doom They aren't about 2D games, but the books are fun to read and give you a lot of interesting...

    All I've read on the subject are:

    • Game Engine Black Book: Wolfenstein 3D
    • Game Engine Black Book: Doom

    They aren't about 2D games, but the books are fun to read and give you a lot of interesting information on optimization and old hardware. There's a lot of wisdom in there from John Carmack.

    4 votes
    1. [6]
      mrbig
      Link Parent
      Love Doom, love Wolf 3D. That's great! It doesn't matter that the games in question are not 2D. Like I said, it doesn't need to have a direct technical application for what I'm going to do. Thanks!

      Love Doom, love Wolf 3D. That's great! It doesn't matter that the games in question are not 2D. Like I said, it doesn't need to have a direct technical application for what I'm going to do. Thanks!

      3 votes
      1. [5]
        teaearlgraycold
        Link Parent
        You can have my copies if you pay for shipping.

        You can have my copies if you pay for shipping.

        2 votes
        1. [4]
          mrbig
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          Thanks! I appreciate the offer, but since I'm in South America and most Tilders are in Europe or in the US, the shipping will probably be prohibitive. But if you're in Brazil by any change, I'd...

          You can have my copies if you pay for shipping.

          Thanks! I appreciate the offer, but since I'm in South America and most Tilders are in Europe or in the US, the shipping will probably be prohibitive.

          But if you're in Brazil by any change, I'd love to have it ;)

          2 votes
          1. [3]
            teaearlgraycold
            Link Parent
            Oof, yeah I'm in California. USPS says it'd be $72.

            Oof, yeah I'm in California. USPS says it'd be $72.

            2 votes
            1. [2]
              mrbig
              Link Parent
              Yeah... for this kind of stuff, down here we have to find other means...

              Yeah... for this kind of stuff, down here we have to find other means...

              2 votes
              1. Grzmot
                Link Parent
                I can also recommend b-ok.cc, great site. Also offers greater access over the onion network if you catch me' drift.

                I can also recommend b-ok.cc, great site. Also offers greater access over the onion network if you catch me' drift.

                2 votes
  2. [2]
    Vadsamoht
    Link
    It's been ages since I've read up on game design, but I've heard a lot of good things about The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, and I know it's used as a textbook in a number of GD programs....

    It's been ages since I've read up on game design, but I've heard a lot of good things about The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, and I know it's used as a textbook in a number of GD programs.

    Also while searching for the correct title, I found that the first result on google is a complete PDF of the book (though I can't guarantee it's a legally-free copy). Alternatively, Amazon has it for ~50 USD.

    4 votes
    1. mrbig
      Link Parent
      As a founding member of my country's Pirate Party, I have no problem with that ;)

      I found that the first result on google is a complete PDF of the book (though I can't guarantee it's a legally-free copy)

      As a founding member of my country's Pirate Party, I have no problem with that ;)

      1 vote
  3. Adys
    Link
    I'd like to recommend those two: Characteristics of Games, by Richard Garfield. An excellent reference book. A Theory of Fun. A really easy read on what makes games fun and what fun even is. It's...

    I'd like to recommend those two:

    • Characteristics of Games, by Richard Garfield. An excellent reference book.
    • A Theory of Fun. A really easy read on what makes games fun and what fun even is. It's also appropriate for a younger audience if you want to get a young person into game design.
    3 votes
  4. [4]
    nothis
    Link
    Unfortunately, there isn't that much. I believe that a lot of iconic gamedesigners didn't really know what they were doing when building some absolute classics and it's more a question of...

    Unfortunately, there isn't that much. I believe that a lot of iconic gamedesigners didn't really know what they were doing when building some absolute classics and it's more a question of mastering the technical difficulties and then mustering the willpower to fo fail your way towards something good through polish and iteration.

    The only designer who I think has a clue about a greater "theory of gamedesign" is Jonathan Blow. There's a few dozen talks and interviews with him but they only exist as youtube videos, I wished he'd sat down and write a book already. Here's a huge list and honestly, any of those videos are a great start, but this one with Marc Ten Bosch is one of my favorites. I know this is exactly what you wanted to avoid (videos vs books) but I honestly think these talks are the best "big picture" material on game design out there!

    3 votes
    1. [3]
      mrbig
      Link Parent
      I love Braid and was playing Witness just last night. I'm never able to finish his games, though. Will watch the videos. Thanks!

      I love Braid and was playing Witness just last night. I'm never able to finish his games, though. Will watch the videos. Thanks!

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        nothis
        Link Parent
        He makes puzzle games (which are very hard because how "pure" he likes them) but I think his views on design are rather universal! For example, in this video he just plays games he likes and talks...

        He makes puzzle games (which are very hard because how "pure" he likes them) but I think his views on design are rather universal! For example, in this video he just plays games he likes and talks about why he likes them, including a very non-puzzle platformer called 1001 Spikes, which he claims has one of the best levels ever made. He's also really into PUBG, used to play CS competitively and on his old prototypes page you'll find a brilliant concept for a painting-game and a music/rhythm game.

        I always try and not come off as too pushy since I'm such a fanboy. I always fail.

        2 votes
        1. mrbig
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          NP, Jonathan Blow is okay! I'm just bad at puzzles. If he was a filmmaker he would be Bergman or Richard Linklater. But cerebral movies are not that hard to finish, you just gotta sit there :P...

          NP, Jonathan Blow is okay! I'm just bad at puzzles. If he was a filmmaker he would be Bergman or Richard Linklater. But cerebral movies are not that hard to finish, you just gotta sit there :P

          Portal 2 is the only puzzle game I ever finished and it's also my favorite game of all time because it's puzzles are extremely fair...

          I'm not a fan of puzzles that require too much memory or intuition, those are not my strong suit. And when you break them down, a lot of puzzles require these skills.

          2 votes