Book about game design for amateur project
by theraptorlightly · in General Discussion · 12/30/2003 (7:07 am) · 5 replies
I wonder if there is any book available that especially deals with game design for the ambitious semi-amateur. I'm not refering to books that tell you how to use a certain software but rather hope to give you an idea what is needed to create the framework for your personal project of any size.
Since a few years of doing exactly this left me with some good pieces of advice I was thinking about starting on such a book- provided there is demand for it.
Do you already know any such books and if not would you want to read about such a theme?
Since a few years of doing exactly this left me with some good pieces of advice I was thinking about starting on such a book- provided there is demand for it.
Do you already know any such books and if not would you want to read about such a theme?
#2
This is a pretty sparse area, but I know of at least 1 more book turning up in the new year. For the moment there is definitly space in the area for another one, get David's book and try and cover the area's he doesn't, and you should be good.
12/30/2003 (9:14 am)
Specifically covering the indie development type project, I can only think of David Micheals' book "The Indie Game Development Survival Guide" (Sorry I couldn't find the GG link).This is a pretty sparse area, but I know of at least 1 more book turning up in the new year. For the moment there is definitly space in the area for another one, get David's book and try and cover the area's he doesn't, and you should be good.
#3
Personally, I know there are probably great books on the subject out there, but they never seem to quite deliver what I'm looking for, and since I live down in the bowels of the world (South Africa), the cost is frankly hardly ever worth the content.
12/30/2003 (9:46 am)
You can try the various online sites like gamasutra.com. You need to register (free), but they have a wide range of articles covering most aspects of game development, from basic to the more advanced. Or just launch your favourite search engine and type 'game development'.Personally, I know there are probably great books on the subject out there, but they never seem to quite deliver what I'm looking for, and since I live down in the bowels of the world (South Africa), the cost is frankly hardly ever worth the content.
#4
Matthew, I think the usefulness of a book always depends on its reader and his or her knowledge and ability to put it to use. Books that aren't based on scientific research cannot re-invent the wheel. Rather they try to show up easier ways of doing complicated tasks and are based upon a person's personal experience. However it just might be that these solutions are not superior to what you have come up yourself anyway. More often though you will come to realise that there are aspects in your routine that could be improved. Especially in the case of young people who want to start working on a project very quickly such a book might help to forcus on the more important stuff right away.
What is it that you would like to learn by reading such a book?
12/30/2003 (10:28 am)
Thanks for the info so farMatthew, I think the usefulness of a book always depends on its reader and his or her knowledge and ability to put it to use. Books that aren't based on scientific research cannot re-invent the wheel. Rather they try to show up easier ways of doing complicated tasks and are based upon a person's personal experience. However it just might be that these solutions are not superior to what you have come up yourself anyway. More often though you will come to realise that there are aspects in your routine that could be improved. Especially in the case of young people who want to start working on a project very quickly such a book might help to forcus on the more important stuff right away.
What is it that you would like to learn by reading such a book?
#5
BTW, I love books and have bookcases creaking under the weight of good reference books as well as some, frankly, unjustly felled trees. It's just that some books promise to be the definitive work on something and then turn out to be nothing more than a money spinner.
Rereading your original post, Thor, I see your thinking of writing something for the amateur developer. Somehow I missed that on first read, so please don't see my posts as an attempt to discourage that. Being an indie developer is a difficult and lonely journey, so a book offering advise and guidance around the common pitfalls would probably be quite well received.
To answer your specific question: What would I want to learn from such a book?, is difficult to do without creating some kind of table of contents.
Basically, I'd like to see guidance on the following:
Skills base... what, realistically, do you need to do an indie project. A to z.
Scoping... what is doable with limited resources (skills, people, money, time), with case studies - successes and failures.
Legalities... contracts, marketing, licencing, IP and copyright, with templates.
Marketing... determining the market and who your competitors are. Where is your niche?
Team management and selection... getting distributed resources to work together towards the same end. What can realistically be expected of a person with a day job?
Financing... when and how to go about getting a sponsor and/or publisher. What do publishers look for before they will commit money?
Project management stuff... been done, usefully, but holds specific challenges for the indie.
and more... but not sure if this is the kind of answer you are looking for?
EDIT: spelling
01/01/2004 (10:17 am)
Fair enough, Thor. BTW, I love books and have bookcases creaking under the weight of good reference books as well as some, frankly, unjustly felled trees. It's just that some books promise to be the definitive work on something and then turn out to be nothing more than a money spinner.
Rereading your original post, Thor, I see your thinking of writing something for the amateur developer. Somehow I missed that on first read, so please don't see my posts as an attempt to discourage that. Being an indie developer is a difficult and lonely journey, so a book offering advise and guidance around the common pitfalls would probably be quite well received.
To answer your specific question: What would I want to learn from such a book?, is difficult to do without creating some kind of table of contents.
Basically, I'd like to see guidance on the following:
Skills base... what, realistically, do you need to do an indie project. A to z.
Scoping... what is doable with limited resources (skills, people, money, time), with case studies - successes and failures.
Legalities... contracts, marketing, licencing, IP and copyright, with templates.
Marketing... determining the market and who your competitors are. Where is your niche?
Team management and selection... getting distributed resources to work together towards the same end. What can realistically be expected of a person with a day job?
Financing... when and how to go about getting a sponsor and/or publisher. What do publishers look for before they will commit money?
Project management stuff... been done, usefully, but holds specific challenges for the indie.
and more... but not sure if this is the kind of answer you are looking for?
EDIT: spelling
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