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The Art of Game Design

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The Art of Game Design
A Book of Lenses

Jesse Schell
Carnegie Mellon University

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Morgan Kaufmann Publishers is an imprint of Elsevier

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For Nyra who always listens

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Lenses...................................................................................................................... xvii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ xxi Hello......................................................................................................................................... xxiii

1

In the Beginning, There Is theDesigner................................................................................... 1
Magic Words ............................................................................................................................... 1 What Skills Does a Game Designer Need? ....................................................................... 2 The Most Important Skill........................................................................................................ 4 The Five Kinds of Listening .................................................................................................... 5 The Secret of the Gifted .......................................................................................................... 6

2

The Designer Creates an Experience.......... 9
The Game IsNot the Experience .......................................................................................10 Is This Unique to Games? .....................................................................................................11 Three Practical Approaches to Chasing Rainbows .....................................................12 Introspection: Powers, Perils, and Practice...