Let a Billion Videogames Bloom

When I first started writing this book, engines with integrated editors were the hot new way to make games. Not five years later, they're the default, and stubborn old programmers who still write code the old fashioned way like I do are seen as quaint.

That's wonderful, because it allows a lot more people to make games, and compelling games at that. It's also terrible, because it teaches all those people to make games but not how games work, what players deal with, or different ways to do it all.

Turns out, knowing what to actually put in your game is the harder part after all.

I'm not sure it can even be taught. Tried my best in this book anyway. Thank you for giving it a chance.

Table of contents

• Part 1 (2015): when games are read-write

• Part 2 (2016-2017): text games never die

• Part 3 (2018): games in the age of tools

• Part 4 (2019-2020): games, stories and everything else

• Appendix: chapter notes

What you get

30 chapters and 30K words that cover tools, communities, game design and more. Also numerous (up to date!) links and references.