Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development

Jeremy Gibson Bond is a Professor of Practice teaching game design and development at Michigan State University, which in 2022 was ranked the #1 public university for undergraduate game development by Princeton Review three of the last four years. Since 2013, he has served the IndieCade independent game festival and conference as the Chair of Education and Advancement, where he co-chairs the IndieXchange summit each year and has also chaired the GameU summit. In 2013, Jeremy founded the company ExNinja Interactive, through which he develops his independent game projects. Jeremy has spoken several times at the Game Developers Conference. He also created the official Unity Certified Programmer Exam Review specialization on Coursera, which thousands of developers (including several Unity employees) used to prepare for the UCP exam from 2018-2022.Prior to joining the Games faculty at Michigan State, Jeremy taught for three years as a lecturer in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor where he taught game design and software development. From 2009-2013, Jeremy was an assistant professor teaching game design for the Games and Interactive Media Division of the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, which was named the #1 game design school in North America throughout his tenure there.Jeremy earned a Master of Entertainment Technology degree from Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center in 2007 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. Jeremy has worked as a programmer and prototyper for companies such as Human Code and frog design; has taught classes for Great Northern Way Campus (in Vancouver, BC), Texas State University, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Austin Community College, and the University of Texas at Austin; and has worked for Walt Disney Imagineering, Maxis, and Electronic Arts/Pogo.com, among others. While in graduate school, his team created the game Skyrates, which won the Silver Gleemax Award at the 2008 Independent Games Festival. Jeremy also apparently has the distinction of being the first person to ever teach game design in Costa Rica.

• Foreword Preface PART I Game Design and Paper Prototyping Chapter 1 Thinking Like a Designer You Are a Game Designer Bartok: A Game Design Exercise The Definition of GameSummary Chapter 2 Game Analysis Frameworks Common Frameworks for Ludology MDA: Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics Formal, Dramatic, and Dynamic ElementsThe Elemental Tetrad Summary Chapter 3 The Layered Tetrad The Inscribed Layer The Dynamic LayerThe Cultural LayerThe Responsibility of the Designer SummaryChapter 4 The Inscribed Layer Inscribed Mechanics Inscribed AestheticsInscribed NarrativeInscribed TechnologySummary Chapter 5 The Dynamic LayerThe Role of the PlayerEmergenceDynamic Mechanics Dynamic AestheticsDynamic NarrativeDynamic Technology Summary Chapter 6 The Cultural Layer Beyond Play Cultural Mechanics Cultural AestheticsCultural NarrativeCultural Technology Authorized Transmedia Are Not Part of the Cultural Layer The Cultural Impact of a Game Summary Chapter 7 Acting Like a Designer Iterative Design Innovation Brainstorming and Ideation Changing Your MindScoping!Summary Chapter 8 Design Goals Design Goals: An Incomplete List Designer-Centric Goals Player-Centric GoalsSummaryChapter 9 Paper Prototyping The Benefits of Paper Prototyping Paper Prototyping Tools Paper Prototyping for Interfaces A Paper Prototype Example Best Uses for Paper Prototyping Poor Uses for Paper PrototypingSummary Chapter 10 Game Testing Why Playtest?Being a Great Playtester Yourself The Circles of Playtesters Methods of Playtesting Other Important Types of Testing Summary Chapter 11 Math and Game Balance The Meaning of Game Balance The Importance of SpreadsheetsExamining Dice Probability with Sheets The Math of Probability Randomizer Technologies in Paper Games Weighted Distributions Weighted Probability in Google Sheets Permutations Using Sheets to Balance Weapons Positive and Negative FeedbackSummary Chapter 12 Guiding the Player Direct Guidance Indirect GuidanceTeaching New Skills and Concepts Summary Chapter 13 Puzzle Design Scott Kim on Puzzle Design The Steps of Solving a PuzzlePuzzle Examples in Action GamesDesigning and Developing Puzzle GamesSummary Chapter 14 The Agile Mentality The Manifesto for Agile Software Development Scrum Methodology Burndown Chart Example Creating Your Own Burndown Charts Summary Chapter 15 The Digital Game Industry About the Game Industry Game EducationGetting Into the Industry Don't Wait to Start Making Games!Summary PART II Programming C# in Unity Chapter 16 Thinking in Digital Systems Systems Thinking in Board Games An Exercise in Simple InstructionsGame Analysis: Apple PickerSummary Chapter 17 Introducing Unity Hub and the Unity Editor Downloading Unity Introducing Our Development Environment Creating a Unity Account Checking Out a Sample Project Creating Your First Unity ProjectLearning Your Way Around Unity Setting Up the Unity Window Layout Summary Chapter 18 Introducing Our Language: C#Understanding the Features of C#Reading and Understanding C# Syntax Summary Chapter 19 Hello World: Your First Program Creating a New Project Making a New C# ScriptMaking Things More Interesting Summary Chapter 20 Variables and Components Introducing Variables Statically Typed Variables in C#Important C# Variable Types The Scope of Variables Naming Conventions Important Unity Variable Types Unity GameObjects and Components Summary Chapter 21 Boolean Operations and Conditionals Booleans Comparison Operators Conditional StatementsSummary Chapter 22 Loops Types of Loops Set Up a Projectwhile Loops do...while Loops for Loops foreach Loops Jump Statements within Loops Summary Chapter 23 Collections in C#C# Collections Using Generic Collections ListDictionaryArray Multidimensional Arrays Jagged Arrays Jagged ListsChoosing Whether to Use an Array or List Summary Chapter 24 Functions and Parameters Setting Up the Function Examples Project Definition of a Function What Happens When You Call a Function?Function Parameters and Arguments Returning Values Returning void Function Naming Conventions Why Use Functions?Function Overloading Optional ParametersThe params Keyword Recursive Functions Summary Chapter 25 Debugging Getting Started with Debugging Stepping Through Code with the Debugger Summary Chapter 26 Classes Understanding Classes Class Inheritance Summary Chapter 27 Object-Oriented Thinking The Object-Oriented Metaphor An Object-Oriented Boids Implementation Summary Chapter 28 Data-Oriented Design The Theory of Data-Oriented Design DOTS Tutorial and Example The Future of Unity DOTS Summary PART III Game Prototype Tutorials Chapter 29 Apple PickerWhat You Will Learn The Apple Picker Prototype The Purpose of a Digital Prototype Preparing Coding the Apple Picker Prototype GUI and Game Management Summary Chapter 30 Mission Demolition What You Will Learn The Mission Demolition Prototype Getting Started: Mission Demolition Game Prototype Concept Art Assets Coding the Prototype From Prototype to First Playable Summary Chapter 31 Space SHMUP -- Part 1What You Will Learn Getting Started: Space SHMUP Setting the Scene Making the Hero Ship Adding Some EnemiesSpawning Enemies at Random Setting Tags, Layers, and Physics Making the Enemies Damage the Player Restarting the Game Shooting (Finally)Summary Chapter 32 Space SHMUP -- Part 2What You Will Learn Getting Started: Space SHMUP -- Part 2Enemy to Enemy_0 Programming Other Enemies Shooting Revisited Showing Enemy Damage Adding PowerUps and Boosting Weapons Race Conditions & Script Execution OrderMaking Enemies Drop PowerUpsEnemy_4 -- A More Complex EnemyTuning Settings for the Game EntitiesAdding a Scrolling Starfield Background Summary Chapter 33 Prospector Solitaire -- Part 1What You Will Learn The Prospector Game Getting Started: Prospector SolitaireBuild Settings Setting Up the Unity Window Layout Setting Up the Camera and Game PaneImporting Images as Sprites Constructing Cards from SpritesImplementing Prospector in Code Implementing Game Logic Summary Chapter 34 Prospector Solitaire -- Part 2What You Will Learn Getting Started: Prospector -- Part 2Additional Prospector Game Elements Adding GUI Elements to Display the Score Building and Running Your WebGL Build Summary Chapter 35 Dungeon Delver -- Part 1What You Will Learn The Dungeon Delver Game Getting Started: Dungeon Delver Setting Up the Cameras Understanding the Dungeon Data Showing the Map with a Unity Tilemap Adding the Hero Giving Dray an Attack Animation Dray's Sword Programmatic Collision in Unity Tilemap The InRoom Script Enemy: Skeletos Keeping GameObjects in the Room Aligning to the Grid Moving from Room to Room Making the Camera Follow Dray Summary Chapter 36 Dungeon Delver -- Part 2What You Will Learn Getting Started: Dungeon Delver -- Part 2Dungeon Delver -- Part 2 Overview Implementing TileSwaps Swapping in LockedDoor GameObjects Implementing Keys and Unlocking Doors Adding GUI to Track Key Count and Health Enabling Enemies to Damage Dray Making Dray's Attack Damage Enemies Modifying Enemy to Take Damage Picking Up Items Enemies Dropping Items on Death Implementing a New Dungeon -- The Hat Implementing a Grappler Summary Part IV Next Steps Chapter 37 Coding Challenges What Is a Coding Challenge?Getting Started on a Coding Challenge Filling in the Blanks How to Approach Each Challenge Chapter 38 Beyond This Book Continue to Learn Unity Development Build a Classic Game Start a Small Game Project or Prototype Make Games for Lifelong Enrichment Consider Going to School for GameDev Explore Advanced Game Design Finally, Drop Me a Line PART V Online Appendices Appendix A Standard Project Setup ProcedureThe Set Up Sidebar for Tutorial ProjectsSetting Up a New ProjectImporting a Starter UnityPackageSetting the Scene NameSetting the Game Pane to Full HD (1080p)Setting Up a WebGL BuildUnderstanding Unity Version ControlSummaryAppendix B Useful ConceptsTopics CoveredC# and Unity Coding ConceptsAttributesAutomatic PropertiesBitwise Boolean Operators and Layer MasksCoroutinesUnity Example--CoroutinesDelegates, Events, and UnityEventsUnityEventsEnumsExtension MethodsInterfacesUnity Example--InterfacesUnity Makes Frequent Use of Interfaces for Observer PatternJSON (JavaScript Object Notation) in UnityLambda Expressions =>Naming ConventionsObject-Oriented Software Design PatternsComponent PatternObserver PatternSingleton PatternStrategy PatternMore Information on Design Patterns in Game ProgrammingOperator Precedence and Order of OperationsRace ConditionsUnity Example--Race ConditionsRecursive FunctionsString Interpolation -- $""StringBuilderStructsUnity Messages Beyond Start() and Update()Life-Cycle MessagesFrame-Based MessagesPhysics-Based MessagesVariable ScopeXMLXML Documentation in C#Math ConceptsCosine and Sine (Cos and Sin)Unity Example--Sine and CosineDice Probability EnumerationUnity Example--Dice ProbabilityUsing Data-Oriented Design to Improve the DiceProbability CodeDot ProductInterpolationLinear InterpolationTime-Based Linear InterpolationsLinear Interpolations Using Zeno's ParadoxInterpolating More Than Just PositionLinear ExtrapolationEasing for Linear InterpolationsBezier CurvesThree-Point and Four-Point Bezier CurvesA Recursive Bezier Curve FunctionA Data-Oriented Bezier FunctionPen-and-Paper Roleplaying GamesTips for Running a Good Roleplaying CampaignUser Interface ConceptsComplex Game Controller InputInput Manager Mapping for Various ControllersRight-Click on macOSControl-Click = Right-ClickUse Any PC MouseSet Your macOS Mouse to Right-ClickSet Your macOS Trackpad to Right-ClickAppendix C Online ReferenceTutorialsUnite ConferenceUnity's YouTube ChannelProgrammingSearching TipsFinding and Creating AssetsOther Tools and Educational DiscountsAppendix D Tips for Teaching from This BookThe Goal of This AppendixTeaching Introduction to Game DesignTeaching Introduction to Game ProgrammingMore Information Is Available