Microsoft Silverlight Books

Interessante

Entra in profondità nei meccanismi tecnico-psicologici della programmazione di videogames.
Scritto con molta professionalità

Pitagoras
08 June, 2010

Excellent Book

The book is an excellent introduction to the subject of video game writing. And with there being no intermediate or advanced book on the topic, this book is the best on this topic. As some other reviewers pointed out, there is not much about game design in here. So don't be misled by the title.

John Morales
12 May, 2010

The Best Book Out There on the Subject!

I'm not on Skip's payroll, but I can verify this book is the best I've ever read on Game Writing and Design (and I've read a lot, and taught Game Writing and Design a lot, and written a million-seller game)

If anyone here is keen to take a crack at either adapting your film project to a game, or writing an original IP game, I would seriously read this book first.

Also, examples are so important, and The Game Concept at the back of the book struck me as the greatest Survival Horror game concept I've ever seen, too. Scared the be-whillikers outta me just reading it, and as a horror writer, I don't scare easy...

I was also fortunate in working with John and Flint on the "Space Chimps" game, when I was the Senior Game Designer at RedTribe, when we did that... (and I'm not even on THEIR payroll, either, but John and Flint have been doing what they do for so long, they're experts)

I worked with Ernest W Adams too, ([...]) and he was sensational too, (so are his books on Games) but, whenever I give talks on Game Writing, Skip's (and John and Flint's) book is the one I hold up first.

For sheer coolism, it can't be beat.

When a book is this good you can't help gushing about it. And it's that good.



Joe Velikovsky (no relation)

Game Designer & Writer

[...]


Joseph Velikovsky
09 May, 2010

Very basic

I don't know why they decided to go with "The Ultimate Guide..." rather than "A Basic Introduction to..."

There are really no advanced ideas in this book. Descriptions of the creative process are presented in an imprecise, unhelpful way. The following is an exaggeration and not a direct quote, but this is how the book felt to me:

"First, think about what type of game you want to make. Next, make something that resembles what you were thinking. Finally, change it until it is more like what you want. Take into consideration that your game will change as you make it."

Maybe there is some use here for other people, but I found absolutely no practical advice anywhere in the book. I do not recommend this.

M. McGee
08 February, 2010

The title is misleading.

The title of this book is misleading. Its true this book dose gives you a lot of insight on how to write a game, in fact it gives you everything you need to know on how wright a great game. But as far as design goes.... well... it really doesn't help much. I bought this book under false pretense, I thought this book will help you how to program and create games. In fact at the being of the first few pages of the introduction it clearly says;

"This book is not a comtemplative work that is meticulously structured and certain of its conclusions. There is to much flux in the video games industry for that."

This book is mostly based on for people that already work in a gaming industry, and that you're leading a team to make games.

Flint Dille and John Zuur made a real great book, its well laid out and a breeze to read and understand. And I think that game developers like Ed Boon should buy this book. I just think they should have been more specific on the title. This book just wasn't what I was looking for.

V. Abernathy
07 February, 2010

Interesting

Normally you just think, all I need is an idea, a story, and a will to program. Not quite so. This book is very informative, and the example of a common 'idea' document at the back definitely shows that it's more work that I initially thought. A good read.

J. Lewis
05 February, 2010

From an aspiring game writer.

Here are my reasons for the stars and why this book is important for anyone looking to try game writing.

1-This book is easy to read and the concepts easy to understand and get you quickly writng or writing again.
2-It also helps you with whatever problems that you have with your writing or improve upon it.
3-Gives you some insight (though from a personal and professional standpoint) as to what is expected from you as a writer.
4-Gives you excercises to help get you in the frame of mind that gets you writing.
5-Gives you a layout format to help you when you are writing.

Notice that I said write alot. These guys wrote this book for the people looking to write and help design games. If you are a designer and then read this book may feel a little cheated cause they really didn't go in too much detail in what or how that process is done. Yes writing does play a big part just as the programmers and coding that goes into a game. When you have to re-write something that could mean meeting your goals or just putting something out that totally misses the mark completely or even your job. They do go into how the design and writing the game go hand and hand but once again that process or how a designer gets it done is not there. IT is to give the aspiring writers something tangible to read and gives you more then what you thought that went into game writing. Once again I'm writing my own game and this book helped in so many different ways that I'm in the process of revising my game and how it is written and how it will look and feel and play. The thing that I found that this book really drove home the point is that if you are writing a game or any media medium that everything will fall in your lap and if you don't know how to weather the storm you can and almost will be lost. I mentioned in one of the reasons is that they drew on their personal and professional trips through the gaming business and gives you some tips on how to conduct business as a writer in the business. This book is for anyone looking to get into game writng or any writing medium today.

Charles Holman II
15 October, 2009

Introduction to writing for video games

Overall, the book is a well written introduction to writing for video games. Calling this book an "ultimate guide" is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's a good jumping-off point for an aspiring game writer.

Unfortunately, the book is lacking in content on design. I can't really fault the authors on this one... their experience is primarily in writing, not game design.

The final part of the book contains realistic advice on breaking in to the industry and surviving once you get in.

The book also contains several creative exercises (called "Action Items") peppered throughout. Although they weren't the focus of the book, the action items were (in my opinion) one of the best parts of this book. If I buy this book, it will be because of the exercises.

I recommend picking up this book at your local public library if you're looking to break into the game industry and work as a script writer for games. If you're already writing for games, then chances are that you already know most of what this book has to teach.

Adam Moore
08 October, 2009

READ this book if you're going to be a video game designer!!!

This is my teen daughter's review:

I've read most of this book, but even without finishing it, I've liked it a lot. The action items are really valuable to extending your creativity and skill for video game writing and design. So far, this book isn't about the artwork so much as it is about the character, game, and story structure. At first I picked up, thinking it would be boring and/or way over my head, but this book really shows you the ins and outs of video game writing/design, in a way that is both realistic and quite interesting. If you do the action items throughout the book, like I'm doing, you'll find your video game thoughts will become ideas, and your ideas will grow more substantial as you find inspiration. Also, the authors give you some scenarios and examples about working in a video gaming job, what problems may arise and how to overcome and work around them, how to cooperate with your team members, etc. This book is really enjoyable to read too, and is even humorous. These guys really know what they're talking about, and they're wonderful authors now too! This book is important to read, practically a MUST if you are interested in becoming a video game designer/writer. Thank you to the authors for writing this helpful and amazing book!

awog
11 June, 2009

GREAT INTRODUCTION

The book is an excellent introduction for those looking to start working in the game development field; it's also a valuable resource for those who already are. Although it is not a programming book that teaches how to write code to build a game it gives you the foundations about what to take into account to develop this kind of applications and be successful.

Jorge A. Maldonado Barrera
04 June, 2009

Not too fair but these are my thoughts

First thing I want to say about this book is that it is indeed well written, easy to understand and gives some good hints and practices for the design of a video game. The last section also is very insightful as to how a game scenario idea should be presented ( this last part is at least worth a star out of five ). These were the pros.
About the cons. I think a book like that should give some more information about the differences between the stages of production and some more information on the stages themselves. Anyone interested in gaming programming will feel a bit disappointed as there is barely a mention in this book regarding it (except the occasional remark that we should consider the programming limitations when thinking of a scenario...). The hints though clever, are nothing that an able storyteller won't be able to find for himself after a good night's sleep and some creative thinking and if you don't have the latter you should not consider making video games either way. All in all maybe a four would also be appropriate but considering I couldn't manage to read it all ( some sections I found too boring to read ) I think for me a three would suffice.

Thanos
07 May, 2009

For the aspiring game designer this is gold!

I'm taking a course for writing in multimedia in college, and my project I'm working on is designing a video game. While the required reading was very helpful, I got this book to supplement the material. I am very satisfied with my choice. The book is chalk full of information, easy to follow, tons of useful projects for you to work through to make your game the best it can be. The only things I wish this book had that could have been more complete, were actual examples of flow charts, and more in depth examples of the different types of story branching such as a parallel path. Also there are some typos in the text in several places, which normally would not bother me, but the actual book is pretty short, and you would expect them to have caught them. Overall, this book gets 5 stars from me because the authors have given you some amazing tips, and the book is fun to read!

M. Burkhead
22 March, 2009

Super impressive

I have no plans to become a game designer but found this book to be an amazing work. It gives the "big picture" - from concept to completion - of what it takes to tell and involve players in an engaging story in a video game world. Really interesting!

I. Stern
14 January, 2009

Not only for writing games, also stories

This is a very good book about the art of writing and designing videogames. It has opened my eyes to many important factors of the process of creating a story (characters, plot, "the hook",...) and it included interesting exercises to assure you are following the pages and exercising your creativity. I think is not only useful for the digital world but also to writing stories in other medias.

Giuseppe Albatrino
18 November, 2008

Great for both veterans and beginners

I have seen reviews written by seasoned game designers praising the quality of this book. However, this book also helps experience writers get in grips with designing and writing games. The book may seem a bit thin (physically) considering its massive title, but it is really a fast paced, well-balanced and informative guide to the world of game design and writing. I would call this book a 0-fat book in that it contains nothing that is not truly important.

H. Yamasaki
14 November, 2008

Dog-Eared and Book-marked

I haven't even finished this book yet and already it's in rough shape! It's highlighted, dog-eared, bookmarked, etc. This is a fantastic book to use alongside your first project. It's not just a book, it's a work-study course on the subject. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in game writing.

M. A. Warmuth
19 October, 2008

The guide to giving your game a real story

I'm a would-be game developer and this book really gets you into how to add story elements to your game. It tells you what make good story elements and how to balance them against the needs of the game.

The book is filled with practical tips and exercises. Definitely the best book I've read on the topic.

Brian T. Yamabe
24 September, 2008

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design balances the artistic and the technical sides of writing smoothly. The incorporation of writing exercises throughout coupled with examples in the back allows the fledgling writer to evaluate their own writing compared to the author's. The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design starts with basics for an beginning writer, continues with the nitty gritty of game specific writing, and finishes with a valuable look into the business aspects of writing for video games. Over all The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design is a comprehensive, easy-to-use tool for the first time writer and a great resource for the veteran as well.

Michael Mc Cone
22 September, 2008

Worth The Price

From what I've read, this book does a good job of covering many aspects of general game creation and can be used as a starter for ideas, especially for its price tag.

Robert J. Kreps
13 September, 2008

For anyone looking to write/design for video games

As a screenwriter, I wanted to dive into the challenges of writing for video games as I believe that it is the future medium of choice for storytelling and entertainment. Taking the advice of the many other consumer reviewers before me on Amazon, I bought this book and I haven't looked back since. It is very complete and helpful covering almost every aspect of game design and writing, but more importantly, how writing for games is a totally different craft than writing for film or literature, and how to tackle the many different challenges involved. The book takes you into the psyche of an average gamer and deconstructs what they're expectations are, and should be.

I believe it helps greatly to have some storytelling experience, preferably screenwriting, to make the most use of this book and to understand it better. Otherwise, you might feel a bit confused and left out if you have never written narrative storytelling before.

A great book for noobs and pros alike!

Nicholas DiMucci
20 August, 2008

A book that really explores game writing/design and what the entails

Though I've been mostly interested in writing for animation and comics, while playing video games I questioned who came up with it's stories. Many games have little to no stories and focus mostly on mindless entertainment...which isn't always a bad thing. But some video game stories really touch the viewer (Half Life 2, Final Fantasy, Bioshock, etc. come to mind.)

On a whim I bought this book and have enjoyed it immensely. Both the authors provided much more than I was hoping for. Both are seasoned game writers/designers who have worked on many games you know, and are still working on games. Stuff like UNCHARTED - DRAKE'S FORTUNE, CRIMSON SKIES, PROJECT ORIGIN, and FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY - THE GAME. These guys know what they are doing.

The book breaks down not only how to write for games, but what that entails, hardships you will find along the way (both with writing and people), they provide sheets you can fill out to create your own game bible to pitch. And as an added bonus they occasionally have writing exercises to help you hone your craft or understnad a point better.

Leave no stone unturned and that's what these two have done. It has my highest regards! Buy it and truly educate yourself.

S. C. Spelman
04 June, 2008

Great help

As a member of the student team who needed to produce video game in rather short amount of time, I have found this book extremely helpful. I did like one-sheet summary that allowed us to summarize everything. The content was very helpful. Thank you.

Sam
13 April, 2008

Essential for any future game developer!

I am a Multimedia student in Community College.

This book has given me a ton of good ideas on how to create a top-notch game!

I reccomend it to anybody (Like Me.) who wants to design a hit videogame!

Ryan H. Soliwoda
05 April, 2008

Awesomeness

This book, is a no nonsense guide to the video game industry and more specifically to game design. It gives relevant realistic experience written in an upbeat humorous and succinct style.

There aren't any cons to it that I can think of.

D. Raymond Harlan
15 March, 2008

great book for both beginners and pros

this book is chock-full of incredibly useful information about writing and game design. many of the classic traps in this area of game development can be avoided by following flint and john's advice here. everything is outlined in a very clean and (not surprisingly) fun and witty read.

as a game developer for 10 years now, i found information in this book that i'll be using in the future and i can't recommend this book enough. these guys get it, and so should you.

Adam Orth
10 March, 2008

A Real "How To" Direct From the Front Lines

When I read The Ultimate Guide to Videogame Writing and Design I was expecting quite a lot from a title like that. As a well read veteran game designer with over 34 million units sold to date, as well as game design professor at USC, I thought I had seen every element and angle in game development. Not only that, at USC we have developed a pretty robust curriculum on how to build great narrative into a solid game. To my amazement, my high expectations were not only met, but exceeded by a wide margin with this book! Ultimate Guide is extremely well thought out and presented in a no nonsense manner, with many excellent examples, points, and tips on not only writing, but also how to survive and prosper in the game industry. I guess it comes as no surprise since this book is practically a FedEx straight from the front lines, as these authors are still writing top games, and have written a number of "Story of the Year" games over the last five years. These guys have written for both film and interactive, and they know how to bring solid storytelling craft into the game space. I recommend this book to all my students as well as colleagues as a must read. You will not find a more straight forward and to the point book packed with real world examples anywhere. This is more than a "how to" book, but also a "how come" as it focuses down precisely on the challenges and pitfalls of game design and writing today from a variety of angles. I guarantee it will provide insights and value to both new and veteran game writers, as well as designers who are looking to bridge the gap between solid storytelling and great gameplay. I wish I'd had this book when I was starting out! But I'm sure glad I have it now!

Everett D. Arey
03 March, 2008

EXCELLENT!

Dille and Platten present a very cogent overview of videogame narrative. A must have for any aspiring designers of games.

New Girls and Sports Fan
13 January, 2008

I edited this book and it's great

When I was asked by publisher Jeff Black of Lone Eagle Publishing about doing a book with him, I thought of John Platten and Flint Dille, who are two of the top video game writers alive. Hollywood's Variety magazine selected them in the "Twelve Most Influential" in the video game business in an issue about that business. I got together with John & Flint, went over what should be in the book, we made the deal, and they wrote it, with my editing and commenting on the first draft. Lone Eagle then sold to the current publisher, and the transition of the buyout delayed the publication of the book. The cover you'll see has "edited by Skip Press" on it (that's the one I have) and even though I was involved, I can say objectively it's excellent. You can find John & Flint's website at www.filmandgames.com and my own site at www.skippress.com . Hope you like the book.

Skip Press
03 January, 2008