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Think Like A Game Designer: The Step-by-Step Guide to Unlocking Your Creative Potential

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Do you love gaming? Do you have ideas for games
of your own and want to learn how to produce them
professionally?

Longtime game designer Justin Gary has the answers
you seek. After twenty years in the gaming industry,
creating such games as Solforge, Ascension, and the
World of Warcraft Miniatures Game, Justin is now
sharing all his secrets in Think Like a Game Designer.
Best of all, Justin’s secrets are really simple, practical,
and common sense steps you can take yourself. Justin
will walk you through each step and provide exercises
for you to formulate your own game concepts and bring
them to fruition.

In Think Like a Game Designer, you will learn
how

• Overcome mental blocks to great creative work
• Understand players’ emotional reactions and
evoke the right ones
• Brainstorm ideas and then refine them into
useable ones
• Follow the six steps of the core design loop for
successfully designing a game
• Capitalize on the excitement of Big Moments
in a game
• Get a job in the game industry and get your
games published
• Remove the grind of gaming or use it to your
advantage
• Integrate monetization into your designs
• Deliver an enjoyable experience to your players
so your game stands the test of time

Whether you want to create video games, board games,
or just discover how a true creative mind works, it’s all
here in Think Like a Game Designer. It’s time to take
the first step toward your game designer dream. Are
you game?

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT JUSTIN GARY AND THINK LIKE A GAME DESIGNER

“Every journey starts with a single step, and if your desired journey is to become a game designer,
I can think of no better fi rst step than reading and doing the exercises in Justin’s book. Justin has
managed to capture and communicate the process for designing games starting from the blank
sheet of paper all the way to thousands of fans playing your game.”

— Jordan Wiesman, Creator of Shadowrun and BattleTech,
and Founder of WizKids game studio

“Justin Gary went from world champion The Gathering pro-tour competitor to
award-winning game designer and then to multi-million-dollar CEO. He has a lot to teach and
you can fi nd that wisdom clearly articulated in these pages.”
— Peter Adkinson, Founder of Wizards of the Coast and Owner of Gen Con,
the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America

“Think Like a Game Designer should be on the shelf of anyone interested in game design, or even
just in playing games. Plus, even people with no interest in games will learn valuable lessons
about innovation, marketing, and how games motivate their players.”
— Ethan Mollick, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
Wharton School of Business

“Justin Gary has crafted a fun book that takes the essentials of game design and presents
them in a light, personable format that anyone can understand. If you are new to
game design, this is a great way to get started!”
— Jesse Schell, CEO, Schell Games and Author of
The Art of Game Design

“Straightforward and relentlessly practical, this book efficiently guides you through
the key steps involved in designing and publishing a game.

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2018

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About the author

Justin Gary

8 books1 follower

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Serge Pierro.
Author 1 book40 followers
January 15, 2019
Several years ago there was a dearth of high quality books on Game Design, fortunately the recent interest in board games has inspired many to put their pen to paper and share their experience on the subject. These books have taken several approaches, from those of mathematically inspired treatises to those looking to encourage would be designers. “Think Like a Game Designer” uses the latter approach and provides insight from a designer who has first hand knowledge of the subject at hand.

“Think Like a Game Designer” is a 230 page hardcover book which includes a dustcover. Should you decide to remove the dustcover, the covers have the same imagery and text, and are printed with a glossy finish.

The foreword is supplied by Magic the Gathering Design veteran, Mark Rosewater and Justin Gary provides a 3 1/2 page introduction.

The book is divided into five parts: Understanding Design, Learning the Core Design Loop, Refining Your Design, Building Great Games and Making Money. Each of these parts are further broken down into chapters. And while there are a couple of diagrams, this is essentially an all text book.

The layout of each chapter is similar and nicely laid out, with the chapter number, title and a relevant quote. The chosen quotes are excellent throughout the book and range from the likes of Duke Ellington and Andy Warhol to Albert Einstein and Leonardo Da Vinci. Many of the chapters end with a related exercise, thus prodding the aspiring designer to push forward.

The exercises are primarily for novice designers, but also provide experienced designers with thought-provoking musings. For example, Chapter Five,“Inspiring”, ends with a series of six exercises, each of which 20 minutes of time is to be devoted. Two of them are “Review the Games Your Love” and “Look for Patterns”. All six focus on what you like as far as games and mechanics go, and then you are asked to try and put together combinations that haven’t been tried before. The serious student will start to analyze the games they like, and don’t like, and begin to get a sense of what they might want to pursue, or avoid.

Part V of the book had the most potential to be interesting, however each of the five chapters were all far too brief. The chapters in this section include: “Monetizing Games”, “How to Be a Professional Game Designer”, “How Can I Get My Game Published”, “Game Business Models” and “How to Make Games that Last”. Chapter 24 “How to Be a Professional Game Designer” is only 3 pages long. That’s a shame, as this is a topic that most aspiring game designers would like to know more about, especially if they are trying to decide on whether or not to pursue that path.

Not surprisingly, the most interesting discussions within the book are those in which the author delves into the finer points and concepts of his own designs. I would have loved to see more of this throughout the book, as they were insightful and provided excellent information.

Both board game designers and computer game designers might have welcomed that the book be completely devoted to their area of interest. At times I found myself reading about video game concepts that didn’t translate over to board games and found myself drifting. The book tries to cater to both crowds, but in doing so, presented some material that isn’t going to appeal to the other designer group.

Overall, this is a solid offering and makes a good first book for an aspiring designer. First time designers will find the “road map” that is presented within will yield the desired results if followed. One of the main highlights of the book is the inclusion of the exercises, as this helps the designer in focusing their attention to the task at hand.

For novices looking to read a book that covers everything from the initial inspiration to making money with your design, this is a fine book to start your designing journey. And for those who are already experienced designers, this will provide some insights to consider and add to your designing repertoire.
Profile Image for Mateusz.
16 reviews8 followers
December 4, 2020
Finally I found a book that I can recommend to a person that takes first steps as a designer and also to people that already work in the industry but have a creative block. This book mixes well with Justin's podcast that can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Profile Image for leo ♡.
50 reviews5 followers
January 21, 2022
this was a really interesting look into the process of game design; perfect for a beginner.

the book takes you through the stages of design from getting through any potential mental blocks to writing your first ideas down on paper. there are a number of exercises throughout which was a nice addition.

overall, this was a really inspiring read, with some great information and tips!
Profile Image for Hesam m.
4 reviews
December 19, 2020
"Think like a game designer" might be a nice start for absolute beginners in the field.

The book tries to oversimplifies concepts and feels more like a self help book rather than game design, the reason behind is because the book, including the title is focused on 'being' a designer rather than doing the 'design'. This wrong mindset will lead to attempts of copying other designers, their values and worst of all, their process, while in fact everyone must try to find his/her own unique process.

Based on the title, I was hoping Justin Gary will mention some system thinking or design thinking, but it goes with the simple iterative process of game design and not much about "thinking" in design. The author also subtly touches concepts such as perfectionism, ego, self confidence, creativity and more, which are made to sound simple while in fact are quite complicated and deserve their own books.

Profile Image for Tyler.
85 reviews5 followers
December 27, 2024
In Think Like a Game Designer, longtime game designer Justin Gary walks readers through everything they need to know to come up with great game concepts, create their games, test them, and successfully bring them to market. Even people who just love to play games will enjoy this book because of the inside look it provides into the creative and analytical mind of a great game designer.

For those who don’t recognize Gary’s name, he began his career by gaming. At age seventeen, he won the Magic: The Gathering US National Championships. He continued to play Magic professionally for many years, winning several more championships. Gary began designing games by working on the Vs. System trading card game and went on to lead-design the DC Comics: Infinite Crisis set. Afterwards, he created the World of Warcraft Miniatures game before starting his own company, Gary Games, in 2010, which released the hit deck-building game Ascension that year. His credentials just go on and on from there.

In Think Like a Game Designer, Gary reveals the secrets to his success, and any honest artist will tell you that those secrets boil down to having common sense and a willingness to work hard. Most people never succeed because they are afraid their ideas are bad and because they don’t make the effort to bring them to fruition. Gary will be the first to tell you that it’s okay to have bad ideas. You have to have lots of them to get to the good ones, and the first game you design will not be good, but you will keep learning from your mistakes. Ultimately, game designers must learn to create enjoyable experiences for their audiences. That means continually tweaking ideas until they are right.

Think Like a Game Designer is divided into five sections: Understanding Design, Learning the Core Design Loop, Refining Your Designs, Building Great Games, and Making Money. Each section is then broken into several chapters. The book truly does take the reader “step-by-step,” and while I don’t have room to elaborate upon all of those steps, I’ll mention a few of the insightful highlights for me.

First and foremost, I was blown away by one simple key to gaming that Gary shares: “To be a great game designer, you must be able to predict your players’ emotional responses to the rules you design. Predictions require a degree of empathy and the ability to understand why people play games.” To me, this really explained the magic of gaming. Gamers want to be entertained; they want to experience the emotional ups and downs of the game. Gary talks about how you want to avoid making your players become so frustrated that they will want to quit playing; instead, you must entice them to continue to play in hopes of winning. Gary goes on to teach how to capitalize on the Big Moments in games that keep the game exciting for everyone, such as when a player in last place surges forward to win.

Gary is continually honest with his readers. He has no problem telling them “your first game is going to suck” and goes on to explain, “I’m just sharing a basic fact that is as true for you as it is for me and every great designer I know. Only the people who make games that suck then move on to create something awesome.” At the same time, he removes any mysticism from the creative process. In Chapter 4, he states, “This chapter will bring inspiration down to earth. Everyone can be inspired and everyone can be creative. Despite all the hype to the contrary, inspiration is both the easiest and least important part of the design process.”

Gary also encourages people to get feedback as early as possible by sharing their ideas to make sure they are good:

“Ideas are important, but not as important as everyone thinks. Think of your game idea as the foundation for a house. If it isn’t solid, the house is in trouble. On the other hand, without all the planning, labor, and resources required to build an actual house, all you have is an empty lot. Sharing your idea early helps you make sure you have a good foundation before investing in building your house.

“I’ve encountered multiple designers who were terrified that someone would steal their brilliant game concept. So terrified, in fact, that they never showed it to anyone. Those game ideas may have been brilliant, but no one will ever know because they never saw the light of day.”

Finally, I appreciate that Gary gives readers a reality check about the gaming industry. He tells us, “The question I get asked most often by fans and players at conventions is: How do I get a job in the gaming industry? If you are reading this book, the odds are good that you have a similar goal. The answer I always give is counterintuitive: The easiest way to get paid in the game industry is not to get paid in the game industry.

“Despite sounding like a Zen riddle, the above answer is a great guideline for anyone new to the industry. What it means is that you should start doing work in games so you can prove yourself as someone worth hiring in the future. The gaming industry is competitive, and game companies are always on the lookout for pleasant, smart, hardworking people to help them be successful. Be one of those people and you will have no trouble finding a job in the long run.”

There is so much more I could say about the design process that Gary walks readers through, but it would be better just to let you read the book and apply the process and concepts for yourself. What I will say is that Gary offers a refreshing and invaluable look into the process of game design and anyone interested in learning that process would do well to read and study this book multiple times.
2 reviews2 followers
September 23, 2018
What a fantastic read and journey into the mind and thought process of one of gaming's successful modern designers.

If you have any interest in designing your own games, this is a great place to start. This book is an entertaining exploration of game design as a whole from initial brain storming through monitization. Justin is able to provide real world examples from many popular games as well many of his own designs in most situations.

In summary, a wonderfully enjoyable book with up to date game design information and processes.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Jan Holan.
5 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2025
V rámci vlastního zamyšlení nad tvorbou jsem se chtěl vrátit k základům a při oddechovém čtení zjistit, jestli mi něco vlastně neuteklo. Pro lidi věnující se gamedesignu už nějakou chvíli ovšem nemá příliš co nabídnout - Nejzajímavější pasáže byly tak jsou ty s návazností na konkrétní hry (autor je designérem kartičkovky Ascension a hlavně následně digitální SolForge, budiž ji země lehká:(). Oceňuju praktická interaktivní cvičení napříč knihou a neoceňuju, jak moc je vidět, že autor je ze světa stolních karetních her. Tak jako tak, pro nové zájemce o gamedesign myslím ale fajn ucelené počtení.
2 reviews2 followers
September 23, 2018
What a fantastic read and journey into the mind and thought process of one of gaming's successful modern designers.

If you have any interest in designing your own games, this is a great place to start. This book is an entertaining exploration of game design as a whole from initial brain storming through monitization. Justin is able to provide real world examples from many popular games as well many of his own designs in most situations.

In summary, a wonderfully enjoyable book with up to date game design information and processes.

Highly recommended.
October 1, 2018
Justin describes a clear pipeline to follow when designing and developing your own games. It's written for people aspiring to make games, but also for people just looking to understand what a game designer does, and in both ways, it's a very good read.
His retelling of his own experiences as a young gamer and now successful designer in the industry are fun to read, and make his game creation process relatable to anyone who has played games before.
Profile Image for Chris Boutté.
Author 8 books248 followers
October 2, 2023
If you’re interested in game design, this is an awesome short book. I’ve been working on getting into game design and development, and this book by Justin Gary covers a lot of little details that were super helpful. It covers everything from coming up with ideas to marketing and increasing the longevity of the game. It was super helpful, and I’m definitely going to revisit it when I’m finally ready to start working on my first game.
Profile Image for Caleb Rhoadarmer.
22 reviews4 followers
January 31, 2023
As a lifelong gamer, and game development hobbyist, I found many aspects of his creation process insightful. I wish more time had been spent diving into a few topics in more detail, but it was a great process for getting started with game development.
Profile Image for Blake Gama.
67 reviews12 followers
January 23, 2024
It's not a bad book. Very beginner friendly. But if you're already studying game dev or read other books on the matter, it doesn't add much to your knowledge. But it was a good motivation boost and review, for sure.
March 30, 2024
The book goes over many aspects of game design. Most of the things were a bit surface level while the book makes big claims. So I can't give it a very high rating.

Non the less, it can give some topic ideas to delve deeper into.
Profile Image for Myke Edwards.
Author 13 books1 follower
July 25, 2020
Great insights. Bad binding (not Justin's fault, just a nitpick with the publisher).
Profile Image for A.P. Lambert.
Author 3 books2 followers
June 7, 2021
Just the right book for anyone who wants to be a modern game designer or learn and practice some core principles of the creative design process.
Profile Image for Stephane.
68 reviews4 followers
September 20, 2021
Good intro to how to design games, but mostly having to do with mindset. Don't expect hard lessons on tools or techniques, but more of how to look at design, what to look for and when.
58 reviews2 followers
November 25, 2023
It's good. A lot of stuff that may be obvious to people in the industry but good for a jump start.
Profile Image for Trang  Suwannasilp.
Author 2 books8 followers
April 5, 2020
ดีมาก ดีสุดๆ แนะนำให้อ่าน สำหรับใครที่สนใจการออกแบบเกม ไม่ว่าจะเป็นบอร์ดเกมหรือเกมใดๆ

คือส่วนตัวผมศึกษาแนวทางการออกแบบเกมมาพอสมควร ซึ่งแต่ละเล่มที่อ่านมาก็จะดีต่างกันไป แต่พบว่าเล่มนี้เขียนได้ครบ กระชับ ตัวอย่างดีมาก ทุกไอเดียที่สอนในเล่มนี้ครบถ้วนมาก บอกได้เลยว่าคนแต่งเป็นนักออกแบบเกมที่เข้าใจหลักจิตวิทยาและหลักคิดของเกมอย่างแท้จริง

หนังสือไม่ยาว แค่ 200 กว่าหน้า แต่เป็น 200 กว่าหน้าที่เนื้อๆ เน้นๆ ไม่มีน้ำ

สิ่งที่ผมได้จากหนังสือเล่มนี้

1. A game designer uses teh ineraction fo players and rules to create an experience of the audience ชอบแนวคิดที่ว่าเกมคือการเล่าเรื่อง เราเหมือนคนงาน ที่ทำงานใน feeling factory

2. จะออกแบบเกมต้อง เล่นเกมให้เยอะ ดูคนเล่นเกมให้เยอะ และ สังเกต “Emotion” ของคนเล่นระหว่างเกม

3. การออกแบบเกม เริ่มจาก หา Experince ของผู้เล่นอยากจะสร้าง ... อันนี้สำคัญ หลายๆคนมักจะลืมไป เพราะมักจะนึกถึงกลไก หรือ ธีมก่อน

4. เกมที่ดี เริ่มจากเกมที่ suck ก่อน

5. ระหว่าง play test ถ้าผู้เล่นบอกว่าอะไรไม่ดี ให้ฟังเพราะมันมักจะจริง แต่ถ้าผู้เล่นบอกให้แก้ยังไง ให้ฟังหูไว้หู เพราะมักจะไม่จริง ... ผู้เล่นจะรู้ดีว่าเกมนี้สนุกหรือไม่สนุกตรงไหน แต่สกิลของนักออกแบบเกมคือ อ่านระหว่างบรรทัดให้ออกว่า จริงแล้วผู้เล่นต้องการอะไร เพราะหลายครั้งผู้เล่นก็ไม่ทราบ หรือ บรรยายไม่ได้ว่าตนต้องการอะไร อันนี้เหมือน design thinking

6. ทำเกมให้เรียบง่ายที่สุด ตัดสิ่งที่รุงรังออกไป ไม่ว่าจะเป็นกลไก หรือ อุปกรณ์ ... ขั้นตอนนี้ยาก เพราะตอนออกแบบทุกสิ่งล้วนดีมีเหตุผล การตัดจึงเป็นเรื่องทำใจได้ยาก และ ค้นหายากว่าอะไรบ้างที่ตัดได้ ตัดแล้วเกมจะดีขึ้นได้อย่างไร

7. Make Player Instincts Correct .. อันนี้ล้ำ ... คือ เวลาเล่นเกม ผู้เล่นปรกติจะเล่นโดยสัญชาติญาณ นักออกแบบเกมต้องเคารพตรงนี้ กติกาต้องทำให้สัญชาติญาณของผู้เล่นมัน work และตรงนี้จะเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นการออกแบบสายต่างๆในการเล่นเกม ซึ่งเกมจะช่วยให้เกมสนุก

หนังสือยังสอนรายละเอียดต่างๆเช่นว่า Resource มีกี่แบบ Strategy มีกี่แบบ Fun คืออะไร ไปจนขั้นตอนการออกแบบ ข้อพึงระวัง และ สอนยาวไปยันการผลิต การทำ UI และ การ Marketing

สรุปว่า อ่านได้ ดีมาก สุดยอด แนะนำเลย ส่วนตัวมองว่า หนังสือไม่ได้ลิมิตอยู่แค่การออกแบบเกม แต่สามารถปรับใช้กับงานเชิงสร้างสรรค์ต่างๆได้อีกมาก
Profile Image for Jonathan.
687 reviews57 followers
December 14, 2021
One of the better game design books I've read

Professional development books are always a bit of gamble. However, this one is pretty great. It gives a view on training and exercise activities, offers additional resources, and has an easy and engaging writing style. One other great thing is that while there is professional jargon, the terms are also put in terms that a layman or beginner can understand.
Profile Image for Jason.
Author 1 book
December 26, 2022
A really great introduction to the process of designing games and the different aspects to consider
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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