Patterns in Game Design

Patterns in Game Design provides professional and aspiring game designers with a collection of practical design choices that are possible in all types of games. These choices, called patterns, are used to illustrate the varying types of gameplay found in games. For the purposes of this book, gameplay is defined as the structures of player interaction with the game system and interaction with other players. This includes the possibilities, results, and reasons for players to play. By putting these elements of gameplay into practical patterns, designers have access to a common set of concepts that can be used by all developers, allowing game projects to be approached with more standard tools. These patterns help designers put their concepts and ideas into words, which makes communication between members much easier. The patterns also help with making design choices, understanding how other games work, and inspiring game ideas. The book itself is divided into two main parts. The first part covers the theoretical aspects of describing games and defining the template used to develop the game design patterns. The second part includes the actual patterns divided into chapters based on the aspect of gameplay they cover. The patterns can be used in any order and referenced as you would a dictionary. By studying these various game design patterns, designers learn about the choices they'll have to make when using a pattern in their own designs, and they'll gain an understanding of what gameplay is, so that they can design better games.

Staffan Bjork has a Ph.D. in Informatics from Goteborg University, Sweden. He was the studio manager of the PLAY studioo at the Interactive Institute in Sweden between 2001 and 2003 and currently works part time as a senior researcher. He teaches part time at Chalmers University of Technology, is the president of the Swedish human-computer interaction interest group, member of the executive board of the Digital Games Research Association, and is the author of many articles about game research. Jussi Holopanien is heading the Game Design Group at Nokia Research Center, Finland and is currently a member of the executive board of the Digital Games Research Association. He has also authored or co-authored several papers on game design.