Includes index

Welcome n00bs! -- Ideas -- Writing the story -- You can design a game, but can you do the paperwork? -- The three Cs, part 1: character -- The three Cs, part 2: camera -- The three Cs, part 3: controls -- Sign language: UI, HUD, and icon design -- Everything I learned about level design, I learned from level 9 -- The elements of combat -- They all want you dead -- The nuts and bolts of mechanics -- Now you're playing with power -- Multiplayer- the more the merrier -- Reality check: VR, AR, XR, and beyond -- Everybody wins: monetization and marketing -- Some notes on music -- No one's going to watch them anyway -- The play's the thing -- And now the hard part -- Continue? -- The one-sheet sample -- The ten-page design document sample -- Game design document template -- High-concept pitch presentation -- Playtest questionnaire -- Achievement unlocked: exactly like making chili

If you want to design and build cutting-edge video games but aren't sure where to start, then the third edition of the acclaimed Level Up! is for you! Written by leading video game expert Scott Rogers, who has designed for the hits Pac-Man World, God of War, Maximo and SpongeBob SquarePants, this updated edition provides clear and well-thought-out examples that forgo theoretical gobbledygook with charmingly illustrated concepts and solutions based on years of professional experience. The book teaches you how to develop marketable ideas, learn what perils and pitfalls await during a game's pre-production, production and post-production stages, and provide even more creative ideas to serve as fuel for your own projects