Playful Design

Game design is a sibling discipline to software and Web design, but they’re siblings that grew up in different houses. They have much more in common than their perceived distinction typically suggests, and user experience practitioners can realize enormous benefit by exploiting the solutions that games have found to the real problems of design. This book will show you how.

Review
For UX designers eager to go beyond simple points and badges, it s been hard to find resources that truly bridge the worlds of UX and game design. John Ferrara’s thorough, thoughtful, and practical book is just what we ve been waiting for.
–Jesse James Garrett, Author, The Elements of User Experience

The hype around games and gamification for learning, social change, and impact has hit warp speed. Playful Design is a brilliant beyond-the-hype book that truly sifts the gold from the dross. It is a must read for anyone interested not just in games, but in designing engaging and meaningful human experiences.
–James Paul Gee, Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies, Arizona State University, Author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy

What can the field of UX learn from game design? To answer this question, John Ferrara examines the underlying mechanics behind some familiar (and less familiar) games. But be prepared, you’ll come away with more than a few new tools and ideas added to your design toolbox!
–Stephen P. Anderson, Author, Seductive Interaction Design

Table of Contents
Part I: Playful Thinking
Chapter 1. Why We Should Care about Games
Chapter 2. Understanding Games
Chapter 3. The Elements of Player Experience
Chapter 4. Player Motivations

Part II: Designing Game Experiences
Chapter 5. Ten Tips for Building a Better Game
Chapter 6. Developing a Game Concept
Chapter 7. Creating Game Prototypes
Chapter 8. Playtesting
Chapter 9. Behavioral Tools
Chapter 10. Rewards in Games

Part III: Playful Design in User Experience
Chapter 11. Games for Action
Chapter 12. Games for Learning
Chapter 13. Games for Persuasion
Chapter 14. How Games Are Changing

Book Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Rosenfeld Media (May 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933820144
• ISBN-13: 978-1933820149