My Favorite Game Design Books
Published June 3, 2023
Game Design: Theory & Practice by Richard Rouse
https://www.amazon.com/Game-Design-Practice-Wordware-Developers-ebook/dp/B004EEOJWI/
Full disclosure: I work with Richard at FarBridge
Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell
https://www.amazon.com/Game-Design-Book-Lenses-Third-ebook/dp/B09X7G7F8T/
Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton
https://www.amazon.com/Game-Design-Workshop-Playcentric-Innovative-ebook/dp/B07H348FJD/
Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte
https://www.amazon.com/Envisioning-Information-Edward-R-Tufte/dp/0961392118/
Not about games, but most of his books about design + information are great
Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654
Not about games, but one of the best books on "design" in general
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-McCloud-ebook/dp/B09WM3VMVM/
Not about games, but an amazing deep dive on a visual medium, applicable to all design disciplines
Cross Media Communications by Drew Davidson
Another disclosure: I have an essay in this book. Also, the whole thing is available for free online!
https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/12212567
Making Games for Fun and Profit by me
https://patrickcurry.com/gamedesign
Sorry to be the professor who assigns his own writing to the class. Here’s a short essay I wrote about game design.
About this Document
Compiled by Patrick Curry: https://patrickcurry.com/
Link to share this document: https://patrickcurry.com/gamedesignbooks/