Ready to give your design skills a real boost? This eye-opening book helps you explore the design structure behind most of today's hit video games. You'll learn principles and practices for crafting games that generate emotionally charged experiences—a combination of elegant game mechanics, compelling fiction, and pace that fully immerses players.

In clear and approachable prose, design pro Tynan Sylvester also looks at the day-to-day process necessary to keep your project on track, including how to work with a team, and how to avoid creative dead ends. Packed with examples, this book will change your perception of game design.

• Create game mechanics to trigger a range of emotions and provide a variety of play
• Explore several options for combining narrative with interactivity
• Build interactions that let multiplayer gamers get into each other's heads
• Motivate players through rewards that align with the rest of the game
• Establish a metaphor vocabulary to help players learn which design aspects are game mechanics
• Plan, test, and analyze your design through iteration rather than deciding everything up front
• Learn how your game's market positioning will affect your design