Enduring Play
Creating Video Games that Thrive
The video game industry has grown to become a darling of the entertainment industry, with $184 billion of revenue in 2023. But that expansion has increased competition exponentially, and today’s game developers face a tougher struggle than ever before to differentiate their titles before a market full of algorithmic recommendations swallows them whole. Enduring Play invites both industry veterans and aspiring game developers and designers to level up their game development craft to this newest normal. Explore the modern game development process holistically to gain new understanding about how the most successful games are made. No stone is left unturned – from process, roles, and market concepts like live service games and monetization to basic game design principles and UX design best practices.
The video game industry has grown to become a darling of the entertainment industry, with $184 billion of revenue in 2023. But that expansion has increased competition exponentially, and today’s game developers face a tougher struggle than ever before to differentiate their titles before a market full of algorithmic recommendations swallows them whole. Enduring Play invites both industry veterans and aspiring game developers and designers to level up their game development craft to this newest normal. Explore the modern game development process holistically to gain new understanding about how the most successful games are made. No stone is left unturned – from process, roles, and market concepts like live service games and monetization to basic game design principles and UX design best practices.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Modern Game Development
Part 1: Game Design Essentials
Chapter 2: Game Designer’s Toolbox
Chapter 3: Creating Immersive Worlds
Part 2: Living Games: From single player to live service
Chapter 5: Building the Fun
Chapter 6: The Fun Business
Chapter 7: A Fruitful Game Loop
Part 3: Social Gaming: Creating community at scale
Chapter 8: The Who and Why of Multiplayer
Chapter 9: Emergent Gameplay
Chapter 10: Prosocial Gaming Communities
Part 4: Multi-Platform Experiences: Expanding Markets and Mindshare
Chapter 11: The State of Technology
Chapter 12: The State of Humans
Chapter 13: The State of Distribution
Part 5: User Experience in Gaming
Chapter 14: Experience Design in the Design Spectrum
Chapter 15: Common UX Patterns and Systems
Chapter 16: UX Research for Games