Game Design Workshop ― A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games

Game Design Workshop is a truly great book, and has become, in my opinion, the de facto standard text for beginner- to intermediate-level game design education. This updated new edition is extremely relevant, useful and inspiring to all kinds of game designers.
— Richard Lemarchand, Interactive Media & Games Division, School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California
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This is the perfect time for a new edition. The updates refresh elements of the book that are important as examples, but don't radically alter the thing about the book that is great: a playcentric approach to game design.
— Colleen Macklin, Associate Professor, Parsons The New School for Design
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Tracy Fullerton’s Game Design Workshop covers pretty much everything a working or wannabe game designer needs to know. She covers game theory, concepting, prototyping, testing and tuning, with stops along the way to discuss what it means to a professional game designer and how to land a job. When I started thinking about my game studies course at the University of Texas at Austin, this was one book I knew I had to use.
— Warren Spector, Studio Director, OtherSide Entertainment
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"Create the digital games you love to play."

Discover an exercise-driven, non-technical approach to game design, without the need for programming or artistic expertise with Game Design Workshop, Fourth Edition.

Tracy Fullerton demystifies the creative process with clear and accessible analysis of the formal and dramatic systems of game design. Using examples of popular games, illustrations of design techniques, and refined exercises to strengthen your understanding of how game systems function and give you the skills and tools necessary to create a compelling and engaging game.

Game Design Workshop puts you to work prototyping, playtesting, and revising your own games with time-tested methods and tools. These skills will provide the foundation for your career in any facet of the game industry including design, producing, programming, and visual design.

Tracy Fullerton is an award-winning game designer and educator with over 20 years of professional experience, most recently winning the Games for Change Game of the Year Award for her independent game Walden, a game. She has also been awarded the 2016 GDC Ambassador Award, the 2015 Games for Change Game Changer Award, and the IndieCade 2013 Trailblazer award for her pioneering work in the independent games community. Tracy is a Professor of Interactive Media & Games at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Director of the USC Games Program, the #1 game design program in North America as ranked by the Princeton Review.