Video game design : principles and practices from the ground up / Michael Salmond.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Part 1. Culture, play, and games : -- 1. So you want to be a video game designer? -- 2. World building -- 3. Video game analysis -- Part 2. Game design : -- 4. Understanding the motivations for play -- 5. Video games are event-driven experiences -- Part 3. Systems and designing worlds : -- 6. Planning, preparation, and play- testing -- 7. Character design -- 8. Bringing it all together -- 9. The engagement engine -- 10. Keeping them playing -- 11. Interface design and audio design -- 12. Monetization, copyright, and intellectual property.

"Video Game Design is a visual introduction to integrating core design essentials, such as critical analysis, mechanics and aesthetics, prototyping, level design, into game design. Using a raft of examples from a diverse range of leading international creatives and award-winning studios, this is a must-have guide for budding game designers. Industry perspectives from game industry professionals provide fascinating insights into this creative field, and each chapter concludes with a workshop project to help you put what you've learnt into practice to plan and develop your own games. With over 200 images from some of the best-selling, most creative games of the last 30 years, this is an essential introduction to industry practice, helping readers develop practical skills for video game creation."--Publisher's website.