Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development

A hands-on book that explains concepts "by doing," Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development, Third Edition, takes readers through the process of making both paper and digital game prototypes. Rather than focusing on a single tutorial, as most Unity books have done, this book explores several small prototypes, reinforcing critical concepts through repetition from project to project. Author Jeremy Gibson Bond's approach creates a stable of "base projects" that serve as starters for readers looking to create their own games), while skipping the aspects of project creation (e.g. modeling, animation, etc.) that are less central to this book. Intermediate readers may browse this book for a tutorial that clarifies the specific prototyping or programming concept that they wish to learn.

This book begins with an introduction to general game design concepts and basic programing concepts. C# is the chosen language used in this book, and it is easy to learn and enforces good coding practices. Game prototyping and programming tutorials use Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), the standard for coding over the past 30+ years, in addition to the new Data-Oriented Technology Stack (DOTS) and Entity Component System (ECS), providing a well-rounded approach. Game development concepts covered help readers find further resources to expand their game design knowledge.