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Casual Game Design : Designing Play for the Gamer in ALL of Us /

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"From Windows Solitaire to Bejeweled to Wii Tennis, casual games have radically changed the landscape of games. By simplifying gameplay and providing quick but intense blasts of engaging play, casual games have drawn in huge new audiences of players. To entertain and engage the casual player, g...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Trefry, Gregory (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, 2010.
Edition:First edition.
Subjects:
Games.
Computer games.
Animation (Cinematography)
Animation (Cinéma)
animations (visual works)
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Table of Contents:
  • Front Cover
  • Casual Game Design: Designing Play for the Gamer in All of Us
  • Copyright Page
  • Table of Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
  • Mechanics
  • Know Your Audience
  • Piggyback on Neuroses
  • Delivery Is Everything
  • Conceiving and Iterating
  • The Promise of Casual Games
  • The Value of Thinking Casual
  • Chapter 1. What Is Casual Gaming?
  • It Started in Solitude
  • Bedazzled
  • The Next Swing in Casual Gaming
  • Casual Queens versus Genre Kings
  • Why Now?
  • Summary
  • Chapter 2. The Game Mechanic at Work
  • The Role of the Game Designer
  • Video Game Designers
  • Board Game Designers
  • The Responsibilities of the Game Designer
  • Work as Part of the Team
  • Generate the Concept
  • Craft the Rules
  • Be Concise and Exact
  • Be Firm
  • Can't vs. Must
  • Instructions Are Rules Too
  • Avoid Too Many Special Cases
  • State the Game's Goal Upfront
  • Tell the Rules Like a Story
  • Give Examples
  • Organize Play into Phases
  • Write Game and Software Specifications
  • General Summary
  • Table of Contents
  • Story/Theme Information
  • General Look and Feel
  • Summary of Gameplay
  • Information Architecture
  • Specifications for Specific Features
  • Guide the Implementation
  • Playtest the Game
  • Refine the Concept
  • Design the Levels
  • Be Empathetic
  • If You Can't Beat Your Level, then It's Waaaaaaaay too Hard
  • Design for the General Audience, not the Hardcore
  • Ease Players into the Game
  • Don't Forget to Challenge Players
  • Build Levels Around a Central Concept
  • Teach Players to Play the Level
  • Give Players Room to Explore
  • Occasionally Break Your Own Rules (With Care)
  • Create a Plan
  • Vary Your Levels
  • Refine, Play and Refine
  • Playtest
  • Becoming a Game Designer
  • Becoming a Professional Game Designer
  • Why Be a Casual Game Designer
  • Summary
  • Chapter 3. Play Is the Thing
  • The Liminal Moment.
  • The Rush to Complexity
  • The Push toward Simplicity
  • Patterns of Play
  • Tapping Play for Games
  • Physical Play
  • Playing with Others
  • Playing with Things
  • Playacting
  • Daredevilry/Push-Your-Luck
  • Defining Games
  • A Designers Definition
  • Intrinsic Qualities
  • Governed by Rules
  • Uncertain
  • Extrinsic Qualities
  • Voluntary
  • Boundaries
  • Summary
  • Chapter 4. Matching
  • Bejeweled: The Casual Ideal
  • LEGO Fever and Luxor: The Necessity of Constraints
  • Snood: Matching as Means to an End
  • Summary
  • Chapter 5. Sorting
  • Klondike Solitaire vs. Spider Solitaire: More Choices, More Complexity
  • Drop 7: Foiled by Randomness
  • Wurdle vs. Bookworm: The Replacements
  • Jojo's Fashion Show: Sorting the World Through Play
  • Summary
  • Chapter 6. Seeking
  • Mystery Case Files: Huntsville: Simple Seek-and-Find
  • Azada: Introducing Logic to Seeking
  • Summary
  • Chapter 7. Managing
  • Diner Dash: Spinning Plates
  • Cake Mania: Managing and Matching
  • Managing Attention
  • Insaniquarium: Overwhelming Yourself
  • Flight Control: Being Overwhelmed
  • Summary
  • Chapter 8. Hitting
  • Natural Feedback
  • Scaling with Skill
  • Whac-A-Mole: 30 Seconds of Primal Pleasure
  • Wii Tennis: The Swing Is the Thing
  • Summary
  • Chapter 9. Chaining
  • Diner Dash: Pushing Your Luck
  • Summary
  • Chapter 10. Constructing
  • Tetris and Crayon Physics: Two Approaches to Building
  • Creative Construction
  • Line Rider: A Toy for Self-Expression
  • Top Chef: A Game for Self-Expression
  • Summary
  • Chapter 11. Bouncing, Tossing, Rolling and Stacking
  • Bow Man 2: Experimentation and Repetition
  • Paper Toss: Simple Choices with Unclear Outcomes
  • Jenga: The Inherent Drama of Gravity
  • World of Goo: From Toy to Game
  • Peggle: Balancing Mystery and Legibility
  • Summary
  • Chapter 12. Socializing
  • Apples to Apples: Reading People, Not the Game.
  • Rock Band: Becoming a Band
  • What to Wear: Tapping the Wisdom of Crowds
  • Summary
  • Index
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • W
  • Z.