Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design

Level Up was a great read. It flows well, hits all the important stuff, and it's fun to read explanations from games I've played growing up.I went to school for Game Art, and Level Up covers everything they taught minus the hands-on experience that the classroom has. Cover to cover of great information.

Great new version of the book. Worth upgrading.

This is the friendliest way to learn real practical game design you’ll ever find.Scott is an expert at this. He knows his stuff. And he’s happy to share. Joyous, even. This book is full of tips and stories and good ways to think about things. There are occasional academic frameworks, but most of those are side notes. Think of this more like you’re starting a job at the game studio of your dreams and the guy sitting next to you knows everything and wants to share.And he can draw! The sketches are cute and really help get the ideas across. I would read this without the images, but the images make it more fun and easier to absorb.I’ve read previous editions and this is the best version by far. The section on prototyping is especially nice. Prototyping is a key concept to learn, and breaking it down with some systems thinking is smart. The updated sketches and references throughout the book are also great - it feels current.About me: I’ve been a professional game designer for over 30 years. I’ve taught this material at colleges for almost ten years. I know game design. This is game design, but even more fun than it already is.

If you’re serious about making fun and successful videogames, you will buy, read and learn from Level Up! 3rd Edition. I was the first person to pre order the 1st edition, and as someone who worked alongside Scott Rogers at videogame publisher THQ, I can tell you this newly expanded volume is the most complete, accessible guide to video game design yet.Scott Rogers remains the “heavy hitter” I described in my original review—equal parts lifelong gamer, pen and paper enthusiast, and seasoned industry pro. He’s witnessed games evolve from the ground up, studied every mechanic, and distilled decades of professional game design wisdom into lessons both beginners and veterans can apply immediately.Building on the solid foundation of the 1st edition—history, team roles, idea to concept mapping, the Triangle of Weirdness, and the Beat Chart—the 3rd Edition has been expanded to cover today’s challenges. You’ll see how to develop ideas with real world appeal and weave monetization strategies into your game designs from day one.A new chapter on playtesting walks you through structuring tests, gathering actionable feedback, and iterating mechanics, saving you weeks of blind alleys.There’s an in depth exploration of pre production through post mortem so you can avoid feature creep, scope collapse, and production bottlenecks.You’ll also find dedicated guidance for console, mobile, VR/AR/MR, and live service games—including detailed control schemes, UI/UX patterns, and economy rules tailored to each platform. And consistent with the first two editions, Scott includes new exercises and analogies—even an original chili recipe that illustrates balancing risk versus reward in game economies (and because Scott loves chili).You’ll still find the clear “Universal Truths” synopses at each chapter’s end, an updated table of contents and index for quick reference, and the cartoons and Rogers isms that make complex concepts easier to understand. If you want to level up your game design knowledge, grab this 3rd Edition of Level Up! For a deep dive on the original material, see my full review of the 1st edition on Amazon.Laddie ErvinScott’s former boss and video game industry professional.

If you want a book about making games that's as fun as the games you like to play, Level Up is the book you're looking for. Scott Rogers doodles and jokes as he guides you through not just the basics of game design but through level after level of the challenges that come up in game design and production, sharing tools and wisdom that will put you far ahead of anyone just trying to simply copy their favorite game. Games and the industry that makes them are always changing, so it's exciting to see Scott update Level Up to its third edition with his latest takes and tricks (and even maybe a new joke or two.) Scott doesn't just make games, he truly loves games--and if you love games, he wants to help you make games too. Grab a copy, and get ready to have some fun!(Disclosure: The publisher was nice enough to send me a copy for review, but they were too late--I had already bought a copy. The additional book has been passed on to a local school game design club.)

Number of typos in the first chapter alone makes the info contained within questionable to me. P. 11 Indie games are “mostly releases through streaming services like Twitch and Switch”. Twitch is a streaming video site and Switch is Nintendo’s hybrid handheld/console.P.13: SHMUP is misspelled as SHUMPSurvival Horror is listed as “players are generally helpless against a supernatural threat” which is not accurate for the genre’s most popular game, Resident Evil, where you’re well-armed against a non-supernatural threat.Vehicles simulation is listed as a genre but racing is not…even though they are not necessarily the same genre.P.14 Shigeru Miyamoto’s name is spelled as “Shiguru” I’m sure the following chapters will cover Ye Suzaku and Jean Romato.

This book is the revised version of the friendliest, easiest to read, video game design book you will find. I’ve looked at others. I come back to this one filled with talking to you prose that explains the basics of design without talking down to you. So many fun drawings and cartoons that draw you into the prose. It’s full of explanations and know how to teach you how to make a video game. Interested in the industry? This will help you map out your career. Great for teens, adults, appeals to kids too with those fun cartoons. Makes a great gift for anyone interested in video games!