Game Design Workshop puts you to work prototyping, playtesting, and revising your own games with time-tested methods and tools. These skills will provide the foundation for your career in any facet of the game industry including design, producing, programming, and visual design.

Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgments. Image Credits and Copyright Notices. Introduction. Part 1 Game Design Basics. Chapter 1 The Role of the Game Designer. Chapter 2 The Structure of Games. Chapter 3 Working with Formal Elements. Chapter 4 Working with Dramatic Elements. Chapter 5 Working with System Dynamics. Part 2 Designing a Game. Chapter 6 Ideation. Chapter 7 Prototyping. Chapter 8 Digital Prototyping. Chapter 9 Playtesting. Chapter 10 Functionality, Completeness, and Balance. Chapter 11 Fun and Accessibility. Part 3 Working as a Game Designer. Chapter 12 Team Structures. Chapter 13 Stages and Methods of Development. Chapter 14 Communicating Your Designs. Chapter 15 Understanding the New Game Industry. Chapter 16 Selling Yourself and Your Ideas to the Game Industry. Conclusion. Index.

Tracy Fullerton is an award-winning game designer and educator with over 30 years of professional experience, including winning the Games for Change Game of the Year Award for her independent game Walden, a game. She has also been awarded the 2016 GDC Ambassador Award, the 2015 Games for Change Game Changer Award, and the IndieCade 2013 Trailblazer award for her pioneering work in the independent games community. Tracy is a Professor of Interactive Media & Games at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the founding Director (emeritus) of the USC Games Program, which has regularly been ranked the #1 game design program in North America by the Princeton Review.