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yates9's review against another edition
4.0
A naive book, simple quick read, that follows Koster's personal experience with gaming, and understanding his profession.
Even if simple this book is valuable: the main point that games have a specific game shelf life is an important one that is often missed by game designers.
Even if simple this book is valuable: the main point that games have a specific game shelf life is an important one that is often missed by game designers.
zaphod46's review
5.0
great book, but it really is about theory. there are no tips or tricks and very few answers. mostly questions, but good questions
ksoltys's review against another edition
3.0
Disagreed strongly with some points and agreed with some others. Maybe will write a proper review someday.
thecesspit's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting thesis on what makes games fun, and why games are important - as art and as learning tools. Also discusses some of their limitations as both art and learning tools.
garzonr's review against another edition
5.0
I've been an avid gamer my whole life. I've always wondered if there was a general set of principles behind why I got bored of some games and not others. This book provided just such a set of principles.
The gist of the book is that the brain likes to find patterns in the world. Therefore, good game design necessarily involves providing just the right level of difficulty in finding patterns that lead to success conditions. After reading, I realized something like this explains why I've enjoyed some games and completely bounced off of others. I even realized I may have bounced off some games because I expected a specific pattern, didn't adjust when i couldn't find it, and gave up. Sometimes it seems, unwillingness to adapt can be misinterpreted as "bad design." This book gave me a better way to evaluate games as well as a better way to evaluate my own reactions to certain designs.
All in all, very insightful, clearly written, and well cited.
The gist of the book is that the brain likes to find patterns in the world. Therefore, good game design necessarily involves providing just the right level of difficulty in finding patterns that lead to success conditions. After reading, I realized something like this explains why I've enjoyed some games and completely bounced off of others. I even realized I may have bounced off some games because I expected a specific pattern, didn't adjust when i couldn't find it, and gave up. Sometimes it seems, unwillingness to adapt can be misinterpreted as "bad design." This book gave me a better way to evaluate games as well as a better way to evaluate my own reactions to certain designs.
All in all, very insightful, clearly written, and well cited.
eldioslumin's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Good for its intended purpose.
bogbitch's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
It’s an interesting book that presents some good concepts relating to games, enjoyment, and game design however I did find it a bit lacking. Parts of it were contradictory or outdated and while the author acknowledged it (to some extent) in the afterword, I believe the book could have amended these parts and explored new information more in depth.