Cover for Game Feel

Game Feel

A Game Designer's Guide to Virtual Sensation

Book2008

Authors:

Steve Swink

Game Feel

A Game Designer's Guide to Virtual Sensation

Book2008

 

Cover for Game Feel

Authors:

Steve Swink

Browse this book

Book description

"Game Feel" exposes "feel" as a hidden language in game design that no one has fully articulated yet. The language could be compared to the building blocks of music (time signatur ... read full description

Browse content

Table of contents

Actions for selected chapters

Select all / Deselect all

  1. Full text access
  2. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 1 - Defining Game Feel

    Pages 1-33

  3. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 2 - Game Feel and Human Perception

    Pages 35-60

  4. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 3 - The Game Feel Model of Interactivity

    Pages 61-68

  5. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 4 - Mechanics of Game Feel

    Pages 69-80

  6. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 5 - Beyond Intuition: Metrics for Game Feel

    Pages 81-100

  7. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 6 - Input Metrics

    Pages 101-118

  8. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 7 - Response Metrics

    Pages 119-138

  9. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 8 - Context Metrics

    Pages 139-149

  10. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 9 - Polish Metrics

    Pages 151-170

  11. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 10 - Metaphor Metrics

    Pages 171-178

  12. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 11 - Rules Metrics

    Pages 179-186

  13. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 12 - Asteroids

    Pages 187-199

  14. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 13 - Super Mario Brothers

    Pages 201-228

  15. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 14 - Bionic Commando

    Pages 229-245

  16. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 15 - Super Mario 64

    Pages 247-275

  17. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 16 - Raptor Safari

    Pages 277-296

  18. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 17 - Principles of Game Feel

    Pages 297-309

  19. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 18 - Games I Want to Make

    Pages 311-320

  20. Book chapterNo access

    Chapter 19 - The Future of Game Feel

    Pages 321-344

  21. Book chapterNo access

    Index

    Pages 345-358

About the book

Publisher's Note: Transferred to Taylor & Francis as of 2012

Description

"Game Feel" exposes "feel" as a hidden language in game design that no one has fully articulated yet. The language could be compared to the building blocks of music (time signatures, chord progressions, verse) - no matter the instruments, style or time period - these building blocks come into play. Feel and sensation are similar building blocks where game design is concerned. They create the meta-sensation of involvement with a game.

The understanding of how game designers create feel, and affect feel are only partially understood by most in the field and tends to be overlooked as a method or course of study, yet a game's feel is central to a game's success. This book brings the subject of feel to light by consolidating existing theories into a cohesive book.

The book covers topics like the role of sound, ancillary indicators, the importance of metaphor, how people perceive things, and a brief history of feel in games.

The associated web site contains a playset with ready-made tools to design feel in games, six key components to creating virtual sensation. There's a play palette too, so the desiger can first experience the importance of that component by altering variables and feeling the results. The playset allows the reader to experience each of the sensations described in the book, and then allows them to apply them to their own projects. Creating game feel without having to program, essentially. The final version of the playset will have enough flexibility that the reader will be able to use it as a companion to the exercises in the book, working through each one to create the feel described.


"Game Feel" exposes "feel" as a hidden language in game design that no one has fully articulated yet. The language could be compared to the building blocks of music (time signatures, chord progressions, verse) - no matter the instruments, style or time period - these building blocks come into play. Feel and sensation are similar building blocks where game design is concerned. They create the meta-sensation of involvement with a game.

The understanding of how game designers create feel, and affect feel are only partially understood by most in the field and tends to be overlooked as a method or course of study, yet a game's feel is central to a game's success. This book brings the subject of feel to light by consolidating existing theories into a cohesive book.

The book covers topics like the role of sound, ancillary indicators, the importance of metaphor, how people perceive things, and a brief history of feel in games.

The associated web site contains a playset with ready-made tools to design feel in games, six key components to creating virtual sensation. There's a play palette too, so the desiger can first experience the importance of that component by altering variables and feeling the results. The playset allows the reader to experience each of the sensations described in the book, and then allows them to apply them to their own projects. Creating game feel without having to program, essentially. The final version of the playset will have enough flexibility that the reader will be able to use it as a companion to the exercises in the book, working through each one to create the feel described.


Key Features

*Demystifies this crucial, fundamental, and unexplored aspect of game design with case studies and fully interactive examples
*Interviews with industry luminaries and in-depth examination of many classic games from a fresh angle
*Website includes a fully playable interactive playset with ready-made tools for game designers




*Demystifies this crucial, fundamental, and unexplored aspect of game design with case studies and fully interactive examples
*Interviews with industry luminaries and in-depth examination of many classic games from a fresh angle
*Website includes a fully playable interactive playset with ready-made tools for game designers




Details

ISBN

978-0-12-374328-2

Language

English

Published

2008

Copyright

Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Imprint

Morgan Kaufmann

Authors

Steve Swink