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by Zach Hiwiller
Players Making Decisions, 2nd Edition
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents at a Glance
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Preface
Who Is This Book For?
How Is This Book Organized?
Part 1: Getting Started
1. What Is a Game Designer?
Responsibilities of a Game Designer
Attributes of a Game Designer
Make Things
Cultivate Your Gardens
On Ontology and Dogma
Formalism
Summary
2. Problem Statements
Defining the Problem
Low-Hanging Fruit
Functional Fixedness
Brainstorming
Summary
3. Development Structures
Production Methodologies
Scope
Summary
4. Starting Practices
Analog Games
Theme and Mechanics
Next Steps
Designing for Others
Opening Questions
Summary
Part 2: Prototypes and Playtesting
5. Paper Prototyping Development Techniques
Software and Materials
Art
Cards
InDesign Data Merge
Summary
6. Playtesting
Playtesting Goals
Playtesting Benefits
Listening to Feedback
Finding Playtesters
Iterating
Summary
7. Scientific Playtesting
Designers Making Decisions
Sampling
The Testing Environment
Keep Playtesters Talking
Scientific Testing
Self-Playtesting
Summary
8. Prototypes and Intellectual Property
Do I Need an NDA?
Ideas and Value
Summary
Part 3: Meaningful Decisions
9. Flow and the Fundamental Game Design Directive
Game Flow
Interest Curves
Learning Curves
Individual Differences
Summary
10. Decision-Making
Player Agency
Anatomy of a Choice
Less-Interesting Decision-Making
More-Interesting Decision-Making
Summary
11. Randomness
Completely Random Games
Completely Skill-Based Games
Fairness and Mitigating Randomness
Summary
12. Goals
How Players Determine Game Goals
Criteria for Goals
Solving Goal Problems
Summary
Part 4: Describing Game Elements
13. Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA)
What Are Games About?
MDA
More Dynamics
Summary
14. Milieu
What Is Milieu?
Polish
Player Types
Motivation
Milieu as Design Focus
Summary
15. Rules and Verbs
Rules
Qualities of Rules
Types of Rules
Verbs
Summary
16. Balance
Symmetry
Self-Balancing Mechanisms
Progression and Numeric Relationships
Balance Heuristics
Summary
17. Feedback Loops
Positive Feedback Loops
Negative Feedback Loops
Feedback Loops in Action
Fixing Problems
Summary
18. Puzzle Design
What Is a Puzzle?
Possibility Space
Breadcrumbs
Features of Ineffective Puzzles
Types of Puzzles
Other Puzzle Types
Summary
Part 5: Game Theory and Rational Decision-Making
19. Equilibria in Normal-Form Games
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Solving Games Using Strict Dominance
Using (and Abusing) Dominance
Zero-Sum Games
Stag Hunt and Coordination
Determining Nash Equilibria in a Larger Matrix
Mixed Strategies
Stag Hunt Redux
Summary
20. Sequential and Iterated Games
Game Trees
Promises and Commitment Problems
Iterated Games
Experimenting with Strategies
Successful Strategies
Summary
21. Problems with Game Theory
Rational Actors
The Dollar Auction
The “Guess Two-Thirds” Game
Second-Price Auctions
Summary
22. Marginal Decision Analysis
Marginal Nuggets
Balance on Margins
Summary
Part 6: Human Behavior in Games
23. Behaviorism and Schedules of Reinforcement
Operant Conditioning
Schedules of Reinforcement
Anticipation and Uncertainty
Ethical and Practical Concerns
Summary
24. Learning and Constructivism
Historic Approaches
Novices and Experts
Cognitive Load
Expertise Reversal Effect
Split-Attention Effect
Tutorials and Learning Design
Summary
25. Motivation
Two Types of Motivation
What’s the Problem with Rewards?
Self-Determination Theory and Challenges
Competition and Motivation
Personality
Other Motivation Effects
Summary
26. Human Decision-Making
Mental Shortcuts
Attribution Errors
Misunderstanding Randomness
Anchoring and Priming
Understanding Value
Loss
Availability and Estimation
Overconfidence
Summary
27. Attention and Memory
Attention
Memory
Helping with Memory Limitations
Perception
Summary
Part 7: Game Design Tools
28. Documentation and Written Communication
The Game Design Document
The GDD Creation Process
References
Documentation for Tabletop Games
States and Flowcharts
Summary
29. Probability
Probability Is Counting
Adding Die Rolls
Example: The H/T Game
Being Careful
Summary
30. Spreadsheets for Simulation
Why Use Spreadsheets?
Basics
Formulas
Goal Seek and Solver in Excel
One-Way Data Tables
Summary
31. Monte Carlo Simulation
Answering Design Questions
Hot Hand
Monty Hall
Once Around the Board
Martingale Betting
Summary
32. Presenting Ideas
The Thesis
Text on Slides
Data-Ink
Do Not Waste Time
Documentation
Acquiring Images
Example: State of Mobile Games 2014
Risk
Risk Analysis
Pitch Questions
Summary
Part 8: The Game Design Business
33. Metrics
Profit and Loss
Metrics
Cash Flow
Summary
34. Personal Care and Development
Life in AAA
Independence
Tabletop
Personal Care
Market Luck
Summary
Conclusion
Appendix A. Ludography
Digital Games
Board, Card, Tabletop, and Physical Games
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