To get the most out of this book

We've done our best to explain any industry-specific terms and practices in order to make this book as accessible as possible.

The contents of this book require no prior experience with game development. However, a basic knowledge of some popular video games (such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Hearthstone, and Starcraft) will be helpful.

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://www.packtpub.com/sites/default/files/downloads/PracticalGameDesign_ColorImages.pdf.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book. An exercise is styled as follows:

Exercise
This is your first exercise. If you have a game idea already in your head, try to put it on paper: a couple of pages would be enough. If you don't have any particular game idea in mind, try to describe a game that you have played and loved enough to know all its rules and secrets.

Italics: Indicates new or highly specific terms as well as titles of games, books, or articles.

Bold: Is sometimes used within the body text to put extra emphasis on certain terms and sentences.

Important notes and information appear like this.

Tips, tricks, and interesting techniques appear like this.