A game designer considers the experience of play, why games have rules, and the relationship of play and narrative.
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
I Games
1 Defining Play 9
2 Interactivity 23
3 Play Spaces 39
4 Heuristics 51
5 Anticipation 73
6 Mastery 93
II Minds
7 Understanding 117
8 Epistemology 127
9 Neurons 145
10 Signs 161
III Stories
11 Playing without Winning 183
12 Performance 199
13 Narrative Play 215
14 Narrative Structure 237
15 Play and Meaning 259
16 Critical Play 283
Bibliography 307
Index 319
Brian Upton cofounded Red Storm Entertainment, where he was lead designer of the popular games Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. He is now a "script doctor for games" at Sony's Santa Monica Studio.
This thoughtful book is unusual in that the author has extensive experience in video game development and also has a strong interest in philosophy, aesthetics, and epistemology.--Choice--
Ask a Question About this Product More... |