Table Of ContentGame Design Tools
This book provides a series of transdisciplinary tools to help game designers improve their
design pipeline and design output. Using approaches from psychology, anthropology, and
sociology, it offers practical tools for all the main aspects of game design from conception
through to testing.
Drawing on game design theory, the book looks at the relationship between game
design and other disciplines to create a toolbox of modern tools for game designers. It
covers archetypes, praxeology, behavioural game design, and emotional game design.
Covering a wide breadth of content, the book includes chapters on:
• Documentation
• Production
• Evaluation
• Analysis and marketing tools
This book will be of great interest to students on game design courses, as well as early-
career game designers and those looking to break into the industry. It will also be of
interest to more experienced game designers looking for new game design tools.
Game Design Tools
Cognitive, Psychological,
and Practical Approaches
Diego Ricchiuti
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
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First edition published 2023
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ricchiuti, Diego, author.
Title: Game design tools : cognitive, psychological, and practical approaches / Diego Ricchiuti.
Description: First edition. | Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, 2023. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifers: LCCN 2022036234 (print) | LCCN 2022036235 (ebook) | ISBN 9781032134802 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781032134789 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003229438 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Video games—Design | Video games—Psychological aspects.
Classifcation: LCC GV1469.3 .R49 2023 (print) | LCC GV1469.3 (ebook) |
DDC 794.8/3—dc23/eng/20220825
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022036234
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022036235
ISBN: 978-1-032-13480-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-13478-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-22943-8 (ebk)
DOI: 10.1201/9781003229438
Typeset in Times
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Access the Support Material: www.routledge.com/9781032134789
Dedicated to the people of the game industry,
without whom I would have only lived one life.
Contents
Foreword by Dominic Butler xiii
Foreword by Fawzi Mesmar xv
Acknowledgments xvii
About the Author xix
SECTION ONE Introduction 1
1 How to Use This Book 3
Task Guide 3
Chapter Guide 5
Introduction 5
Research Tools 5
Game Design Tools 5
Documentation 5
2 Book Introduction 7
Modern Game Design 7
What Is Game Design? 8
The Best Compromise 9
Designer and Author 11
Design and Manipulation 12
The Forbidden Words 14
SECTION TWO Analysis Tools 17
3 Design and Analysis 19
The Importance of Analysis in Game Design 20
Satisfying Your Audience 21
The Importance of Data 23
4 Target Audience Tools 27
9 Whys Technique 27
Bartle’s Archetypes 30
Killer: Acting on the Players 33
Achiever: Acting on the World 34
Explorer: Interacting with the World 35
vii
viii Contents
Socializers: Interacting with the Players 35
How to Use These Player Types 37
Quantic Foundry 38
Big Five 43
5 Data Tools 59
Stakeholders 59
SWOT Analysis 62
Perceptual Mapping 63
Problem vs Need 64
SECTION THREE Game Design Tools 67
6 Introduction to Game Design Tools 69
Demolishing the Creativity Myth 70
Being a Creative 70
Being the Creative 72
7 Brainstorming Techniques 75
Limitation 75
Opposite Design 76
Worst Idea 78
Diffuse Mode 78
Break the Theme 80
Acting Brainstorming 80
TRIZ 81
8 Praxeology 85
First Axiom 87
Second Axiom 89
Third Axiom 91
Fourth Axiom 93
Fifth Axiom 95
Sixth Axiom 97
Seventh Axiom 98
Eighth Axiom 100
Praxeology Framework 100
9 Self-Determination Theory 103
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation 103
Competence 106
Autonomy 108
Relatedness 109
Contents ix
10 Habit Loop and Operant Conditioning 111
Habit Loop 111
Operant Conditioning 113
11 Game Design Patterns 117
12 MDA Framework 119
Theory 120
Practice 122
13 Nudges 127
God/Superman Complex 127
Fear of Missing Out 128
Framing 129
Apophenia 131
Ikea Effect 131
Principle of Least Effort 132
Endowed Progress 132
Survivorship Bias 133
Mere Ownership Effect 134
Sunk Cost 135
Ego Preference 136
Diderot Effect 136
Drowning Person Effect 137
14 Behavioural Game Design 139
Diagnosis Tools 140
Drive Theory 140
Theory of Planned Behaviour 142
Design Tools 145
COM-B 145
BMAP 147
15 Emotional Game Design 153
White Writing 154
Artist’s Date 155
Internal Game Design 155
Emotions, Feelings, and Mood 156
Two Factor Theory 158
Grounded Cognition Theory and Embodied Cognition Theory 159
16 Emotional Theories 163
Paul Ekman’s Wheel 163
Robert Plutchik’s Colours 163
Two-Dimensional Analysis or Russell’s Circumplex Model 167
