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The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses

Author: Jesse Schell

Written by one of the world's top game designers, this book describes the deepest and most fundamental principles of game design, demonstrating how tactics used in board, card, and athletic games also work in video games. There is a third edition of this book, but this course will be written against the second edition since the additional content in the third edition is supplementary and thus this course could be used for both the second and third editions.

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Matthew Colon · September 21, 2020

This course explores the numerous game design “lenses” introduced in this book and aims to connect them to the projects you are working on. Each month will cover a variety of chapters and dig into their lenses. Groups are encouraged to vote on a few of the month’s lenses to go over during the meeting and share how the chosen lenses apply (or need to be applied) to their own projects as part of the discussion time.

Course Content

Hello / In the Beginning, There Is the Designer / The Designer Creates an Experience / The Experience Takes Place in a Venue / The Experience Rises Out of a Game

The Game Consists of Elements / The Elements Support a Theme / The Game Begins with an Idea / The Game Improves through Iteration

The Game is Made for a Player / The Experience is in the Player’s Mind / The Player’s Mind is Driven by the Player’s Motivation

Some Elements are Game Mechanics

Game Mechanics Must Be in Balance / Game Mechanics Support Puzzles

Players Play Games through an Interface / Experiences Can Be Judged by their Interest Curves / One Kind of Experience is the Story

Story and Game Structures Can Be Artfully Merged with Indirect Control / Stories and Games Take Place in Worlds / Worlds Contain Characters

Worlds Contain Spaces / The Look and Feel of a World is Defined by its Aesthetics / Some Games are Played with Other Players / Other Players Sometimes Form Communities

The Designer Usually Works with a Team / The Team Sometimes Communicates through Documents / Good Games are Created through Playtesting / The Team Builds a Game with Technology / Your Game Will Probably Have a Client

The Designer Gives the Client a Pitch / The Designer and Client Want the Game to Make a Profit / Games Transform their Players / Designers Have Certain Responsibilities / Each Designer Has a Purpose / Goodbye

About Instructor

Matthew Colon

7 Courses

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Course Includes

10 Lessons