Adam Kramarzewski - Practical Game Design

Practical Game Design

Learn the art of game design through applicable skills and cutting-edge insights

Adam Kramarzewski

Ennio De Nucci

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI

Practical Game Design

Copyright 2018 Packt Publishing

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Commissioning Editor: Amarabha Banerjee
Acquisition Editor: Larissa Pinto
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First published: April 2018

Production reference: 1130418

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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ISBN 978-1-78712-179-9

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Contributors

About the authors

Adam Kramarzewski is a game designer who, at the age of 19, dived straight into the pre-smartphone mobile games industry of 2007. He has gathered over a decade of experience with the likes of Gameloft, Square Enix, and Space Ape Games, and has worked on over 30 game projects and many world-class IPs, including Lara Croft, Deus Ex, and Transformers. Adam is an avid gamer, and a fan of cinematography, psychology, and all things science. He also sat on the jury for game design at the 2017 BAFTA Video Game Awards.

I'd like to extend my gratitude to my loving girlfriend, Shan, for putting up with me throughout this project, and to my brother Chris, my parents, and everyone at Space Ape Games who helped me out with feedback, fresh ideas, and words of encouragement. Special thanks to Andrew Munden and Bill Robinson, for great suggestions that helped improve this book.

Ennio De Nucci is a game designer and developer. He works as a game designer since 2011 and designed both digital video games and physical board games. He worked for a variety of video game developers, such as the Italian PM Studios Srl, Supermassive Games, and the multinational IGT. Since November 2014, he has been a part of the BAFTA Crew Games. Currently, he works at Another Place Productions in London, where he designs mobile RPGs.

My first thanks to Barbara, who supported me in the long hours of writing and studying for this book. Thanks to my parents, my friends, and all my colleagues at Another Place Productions, who welcomed me into the most amazing dev team. Finally, my gratitude to Fabio Belsanti and Fabio Abbattista, who believed in me and sparked my passion for game design.

About the reviewers

Zo O'Shea is a PhD candidate studying at Goldsmiths University, London, and is part of the Intelligent Games/Games Intelligence Center for Doctoral Training (IGGI). Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Zo has previously studied 3D modeling, game design, and games theory. Her current research is centered around player psychology and behavior. When not working on her thesis, Zo undertakes a wide selection of freelance work and enjoys playing Final Fantasy XIV Online.

Bill Robinson has been developing games for almost 30 years, and has been doing so professionally for over 10 years. He currently works at Space Ape Games in London and worked for Jagex in Cambridge earlier.

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Chapter 3: Scoping a Game Project

Chapter 4: Design Documentation