A hands-on book that explains concepts "by doing," Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development, Third Edition, takes readers through the process of making both paper and digital game prototypes. Rather than focusing on a single tutorial, as most Unity books have done, this book explores several small prototypes, reinforcing critical concepts through repetition from project to project. Author Jeremy Gibson Bond's approach creates a stable of "base projects" that serve as starters for readers looking to create their own games), while skipping the aspects of project creation (e.g. modeling, animation, etc.) that are less central to this book. Intermediate readers may browse this book for a tutorial that clarifies the specific prototyping or programming concept that they wish to learn.
This book begins with an introduction to general game design concepts and basic programing concepts. C# is the chosen language used in this book, and it is easy to learn and enforces good coding practices. Game prototyping and programming tutorials use Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), the standard for coding over the past 30+ years, in addition to the new Data-Oriented Technology Stack (DOTS) and Entity Component System (ECS), providing a well-rounded approach. Game development concepts covered help readers find further resources to expand their game design knowledge.
Jeremy Gibson Bond is an award-winning professor and game designer who has spent nearly two decades teaching game design and working as an independent game developer. He regularly speaks at industry festivals and conferences like IndieCade and Meaningful Play. He has also spoken recently at Penguicon and has been invited to speak at top game development universities like the University of Utah Entertainment Arts and Engineering program.
P1 Game Design and Paper Prototyping
0 Introduction
1 Thinking Like a Designer
2 Game Analysis Lexicons
3 The Layered Tetrad
4 Acting Like a Designer
5 Design Goals
6 The Inscribed Layer
7 The Dynamic Layer
8 The Cultural Layer
9 Paper Prototyping and Iteration
10 Playtesting and Usability Testing
11 Math & Game Balance
12 Puzzle Design
13 Guiding the Player
14 The Digital Game Industry
15 The Agile Development Prototyping Mentality
P2 Digital Prototyping
16 Thinking in Digital Systems
17 Introducing our Development Environment: Unity
18 Introducing our Language: C#
19 Your First Program: Hello World
20 Debugging
21 Variables and Components
22 Boolean Operations and Conditionals
23 Loops
24 Lists and Arrays
25 Functions and Parameters
26 Classes
27 Object-Oriented Thinking
28 Data-Oriented Technology Stack
P3 Object-Oriented Game Prototype Examples and Tutorials
29 Prototype 1: Apple Picker
Prototype 2: Mission Demolition
30 Prototype 3: Space SHMUP
Prototype 3.5: Space SHMUP
Prototype 4: Prospector Solitaire
Prototype 5: Bartok
31 Prototype 6: Word Game
32 Prototype 7: Dungeon Delver
P4 Data-Oriented Tech Stack (DOTS) Prototype Examples and Tutorials
33 DOTS Prototype 1: Adding DOTS to Space SHMUP
34 DOTS Prototype 2: Pong 10k
35 DOTS Tutorial 3
36 DOTS Tutorial 4
P4 Appendices
A Standard Project Setup Procedure
B Useful Concepts Reference
C Online References
Index
Other versions by this Author
