Game Design: Book Of Lenses

I might have already written about this book, but maybe not yet… Why am I even reading this? I still cherish the dream of someday making a good game and periodically approaching this sports equipment. At the moment, I’m banging away on Unreal Engine 5, making a simple top-down shooter. Maybe, if I don’t abandon it, I’ll show something.

So, there’s this absolutely fantastic book about game design that’s just a pleasure to read. It’s called, ahem, Game Design. I even bought it and am reading the paperback version, which is about halfway through. (https://www.ozon.ru/product/geymdizayn-kak-sozdat-igru-v-kotoruyu-budut-igrat-vse-shell-dzhessi-231025935/) (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Game-Design-Book-Lenses/dp/0123694965). Each chapter describes a “lens” through which the game designer looks at the game when designing it. There are a lot of cool exciting quotes for a cocktail party (to come off as intelligent, as I usually do), the book is written in a lively language (and well translated into Russian), it’s not dull, but instead even funny, you can smile in a bunch of places.

I think it might be interesting to anyone who just wants to learn how games are designed, the inner workings of their creation, so to speak. But, understanding that this is probably not that interesting (the field is specific), I’ll note that the methods of game design are, in general, isomorphic (similar) to any conscious creative act involving planning. So the book can be interesting to anyone in principle, even if not involved in any game design. It’s not just about games, it’s about understanding your audience, finding what they want, how they want it. It’s a treasure trove of practical insights that can inspire and guide product managers, at least for the first 10 chapters or so.