Level Design for Games: Creating Compelling Game Experiences [With CDROM]

by Phil Co

At the heart of any great computer game are expertly designed levels: the locales and stages that define gameplay. And at the core of any strong game development team are the level designers: the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321375971
• ISBN13: 9780321375971
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: New Riders Publishing
• Length: 339 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Not perfect, but pretty much the best around

As an experienced game developer, I found "Level Design for Games" to be a refreshing change, focusing as it does on real world level documentation, from brainstorming, to paper maps, to prototyping and final development. The processes provided are very similar to what you find in professional game development, with an eye to asset reuse and testing designs as early on as possible. It's not perfect however, the text has a few inaccuracies, and some of the content has dated. The last third of the book is very focused on Unreal, so skip it if you're using another engine, but everything else is applicable to level design in general. Regardless, I believe there to be no better introduction to level design, go buy it if you're interested in making level design your career, or if you're going to be involved in the level design process in any way (system designers, environment artists and producers take note).

Practical take on level design

The book is practical and easy to read. It is clear that this book is written by somebody with experience from the games industry. Inside the book you will find several useful level diagrams and design examples to help you improve the way you work with, think about and document your level designs. The book is very focused which means that even though it is relatively short, it probably has more (relevant) content than other books which mix in a lot of other subjects (at the expense of level design). If you are a games design student you should read this book.

Page for Page the best content for your dollar

Page for page, this book is likely one of the most useful game design books on the market. Phil Co boils all the essentials needed to understand level design into this tightly written text. I wish others would follow his lead and give developers more useful information rather than a long winded history of the game industry. Time and time again I point to this book as the most useful, manageable, and clearly written text on the subject of level design. It's perfect for teens as well as pros who want to brush up on their level design.

Excellent Book!

This is an excellent book. It is straightforward and delivers very useful information. This book is devoid of the fluff, generalizations and pseudo-intellectual chatter so many books in the game development/design genre contain. This author speaks from experience, which is evident from his bio, but more so from the flow and genuine voice of his writing. I am particularly cynically and harsh on books in this genre so I didn't write this review lightly.