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The Art Of Computer Ga... by
Chris Crawford

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Feb 29, 2012 Stephen rated it really liked it

READ MAR 2012

Nice overview of game design and development. Originally written in the early '80s, this edition has reflections from the author in 2011.

READ MAR 2012

Nice overview of game design and development. Originally written in the early '80s, this edition has reflections from the author in 2011.

Best quotes: "What is important about the modes of interaction is not their mechanical quality but their emotional significance" (Kindle location: 277); "Without active response, there can be no interaction" (Kindle location: 286); "Unfortunately, history bears out the fears of cynics more often than the hopes of dreamers" (Kindle location: 1673); and how many technologies go through a common developmental process of "pioneer, conquest, transformation of society by the technology, and transformation of the technology by society" (Kindle location: 1758).

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Un texto escrito hace 35 años, y es infinitamente superior a la gran mayoría de textos, estudios y ensayos sobre teoría y diseño de video juegos.

Escrito por Christopher Crawford, pionero en el diseño de videojuegos en los años 1970s y 1980s. Crawford nos expone claramente las posibilidades artísticas de los video juegos; plantea la importancia de los temas y los tópicos en las narraciones y su relación con las mecánicas, y es brutalmente crítico frente a las inferencias del mercado, las limitaciones del medio, y el estancamiento de las ideas de los desarrolladores. Bien dicen que los artistas son los que indican la hora del arte, y es refrescante poder leer a alguien tan consciente de las posibilidades, debilidades y facultades de su medio.

Muchos apartados, especialmente los centrados en la tecnología, podrían sentirse añejos e incluso tediosos, pero la edición digital del 2011 cuenta con comentarios actualizados por parte de Christopher Crawford, en los cuales evalúa, reafirma, crítica y desmiente sus postulados, tanto técnicos y artísticos, de los años 1980s.

Considero que es una lectura indispensable para los desarrolladores, aspirantes a serlo, y todos aquellos que se interesan a nivel teórico por los video juegos.

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The very art of computer game design is a book on how a programmer can create a relatable games. Good games always offer a way to share their individual through the play. Mastering the motivation of gamers and garner their attention goes long way to attend to the player base.

This was a formative book for me, and for an industry before that. A long time after reading it, I had the honor of interviewing the author, attending a lecture he gave, and participating in a conference he hosted at his ranch. He shared with me that he wrote much of this while developing "Excalibur"—almost as a diary of designing and building that ambitious game for the research branch of Atari. He was working closely with Alan Kay at the time, one of the key innovators at Xerox PARC who helped This was a formative book for me, and for an industry before that. A long time after reading it, I had the honor of interviewing the author, attending a lecture he gave, and participating in a conference he hosted at his ranch. He shared with me that he wrote much of this while developing "Excalibur"—almost as a diary of designing and building that ambitious game for the research branch of Atari. He was working closely with Alan Kay at the time, one of the key innovators at Xerox PARC who helped invent GUIs and object-oriented programming in the 1970s. Kay's insights on usability influenced this book. It can only be considered a landmark as, without any exaggeration, the first book on digital game design. (If there is any earlier book about game design of any kind, I can't find it now, though I do recall making a mental note about possibly a 19th century book on board game design.)

The landmark is no fluke. This is the same Crawford who founded the first academic journal of digital game design (The Journal of Computer Game Design). He started the now rather humongous and international GDC in his old living room in San Jose. As a designer, he created the very first ecological games and also the first with artificial societies. His approach to this art form is most neatly conveyed in the legendary "Dragon Speech" from the 1992 GDC. Take a look.

The one thing I remember better than anything else is a comment he makes about fairness. If you believe you have lost a game that is fair, you may well want to try again. You feel that you have something to learn. You take on the challenge. But if you feel that you lost the game through a fault of the game, you aren't likely to continue. A game above all needs to invoke a feeling of fairness, otherwise players won't stick with it. That's an aspect central to a game's "readability," if you will. This one idea is so big, actually, that it can't be confined to games at all. Yet games are a terrific place to look at it and experiment with it, if not perhaps the best place.

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The Art of Computer Game Design shouldn't be approached as a technical how-to of game design. The videogame industry and theory has advanced well beyond the speculations of Chris Crawford in 1982. However his words still hold great value when approached with a historical eye. What was the state of game design in its infancy? What values were important and how have they evolved? How can it be applied to budding entertainment technologies? The answers to these questions have been further made clea The Art of Computer Game Design shouldn't be approached as a technical how-to of game design. The videogame industry and theory has advanced well beyond the speculations of Chris Crawford in 1982. However his words still hold great value when approached with a historical eye. What was the state of game design in its infancy? What values were important and how have they evolved? How can it be applied to budding entertainment technologies? The answers to these questions have been further made clear by Chris Crawford's 2011 commentary on the book, adding a new level of depth that only makes this text richer in it's historical influence. ...more

The writing quality isn't great and the pacing and scope of the book is pretty illogical. He may be a great game designer and offer some insightful commentary, but he definitely isn't the best writer.

Also given the context it was originally written in it is pretty outdated regarding some of the design perspectives. This seems like it'd be better looked at for a historical perspective rather than game design ideas ( although there are a few key ideas in here that are nice, sifting through it just

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Jan 27, 2009 Jarrad rated it really liked it

A great, short book written with a lot of vision. Games still struggle with what the author brings up in this book written in 1982. It's easier to understand his disappointment with the current state of games after having read this, even if I'm still excited by the potential. A great, short book written with a lot of vision. Games still struggle with what the author brings up in this book written in 1982. It's easier to understand his disappointment with the current state of games after having read this, even if I'm still excited by the potential. ...more

Apr 14, 2012 Sheri rated it liked it

This book is as old as I am, so it's a bit dated. We're a bit past the point of needing to limit the number of colors used in a game to save RAM. I suspect a lot of the general advice for how to go about designing a game is still relevant. This book is as old as I am, so it's a bit dated. We're a bit past the point of needing to limit the number of colors used in a game to save RAM. I suspect a lot of the general advice for how to go about designing a game is still relevant. ...more

Jul 13, 2014 Miles rated it really liked it

I personally enjoyed this book, it gives outdated information but for general knowledge it's very interesting also he gives some tips that ,in my opinion , are valid even now . I personally enjoyed this book, it gives outdated information but for general knowledge it's very interesting also he gives some tips that ,in my opinion , are valid even now . ...more

Just a few sparks of good logical thoughts. Largely outdated today both industry- and technology-wise. A lot of egoistical rhetorics. Costed me some patience to carve through the chapters I needed

May 03, 2014 Nikola rated it it was ok

Interesting book, but only when you want to know how looked like research into games in 80s. Classification of the games is very interesting there - it shows the way how games were perceived then.