ABSTRACT

Join videogame industry veteran Michael Thornton Wyman on a series of detailed, behind-the-scenes tours with the teams that have made some of the most popular and critically acclaimed videogames of the modern era. Drawing on insider's perspectives from a wide variety of teams, learn about the creation of a tiny, independent game project (World of Goo), casual game classics (Diner Dash, Bejeweled Twist), the world's most popular social game (FarmVille) as well as the world's most popular MMORPG (World of Warcraft), PC titles (Half Life 2) to AAA console games (Madden NFL 10), and modern-day masterpieces (Little Big Planet, Rock Band, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves). Hear directly from the creators about how these games were made, and learn from their stories from the trenches of videogames production. This book is an excellent resource for those working directly on game design or production, for those aspiring to work in the field, or for anyone who has wondered how the world's greatest videogames get made.

part |1 pages

Part 1 THE GAMES

chapter 1|16 pages

LittleBigPlanet

chapter |3 pages

Team Role Interview: Lead Game Designer

chapter 2|13 pages

World of Warcraft

chapter 3|11 pages

Diner Dash

chapter |3 pages

Team Role Interview: Producer

chapter 4|12 pages

Half-Life 2

chapter |2 pages

Team Role Interview: Game Writer

chapter 5|16 pages

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

chapter 6|14 pages

Rock Band

chapter |2 pages

Team Role Interview: Music Composer

chapter 7|10 pages

FarmVille

chapter |3 pages

Team Role Interview: Programming Lead

chapter 8|12 pages

Bejeweled Twist

chapter 9|9 pages

Madden NFL 10

chapter |3 pages

Team Role Interview: Voice Actor

chapter 10|10 pages

World of Goo

chapter |3 pages

Team Role Interview: Art Director

part |1 pages

Part 2 ANALYSIS

chapter 11|15 pages

Commonalities: What Goes Right

chapter 12|12 pages

Commonalities: What Goes Wrong

chapter 13|9 pages

The Nature of High-Performing Teams

chapter 15|6 pages

Hiring and Managing for Success

chapter |2 pages

Team Role Interview: External Producer