21st Century Game Design

This book teaches designers how to design better games, not from a how-to perspective, but from a why perspective.
Understanding the players' needs also provides the missing link between the process of design and the players, developers, and publishers of games. By applying psychological metrics to survey data and case studies, a framework was produced which identifies some of the core themes in player needs and is represented by four player types - Conqueror, Manager, Wanderer, and Participant. Methods such as interface design, structural elements, and game world abstractions are discussed in relation to the needs of the audience.

The book demonstrates how an audience model can inform the design process and take the games industry forward at a time when it is facing a schism between the games that the audience would like to play, and the games the development community would like to make.