Blog-o-rama

This blog will function as documentation for my assignment in “Selvbestemt pensum”, where I aim to create a short and concise overview of general game design rules and theories. The overview is supposed to take form as some sort of handbook or manual. The idea derived from my own interest in the subject, and this could be a good chance to explore the topic further. Here, I will post on my progress on the assignment, as well as my thoughts on games and game design issues in general.

I’ve started to look into books and articles that I can use, and did already come across this interesting article over at GameCareerGuide.com. Brenda Brathwaite, the author, is a 25 year veteran in the gaming industry, and is also hosting a blog here on WordPress, called Applied Game Design. Interestingly enough, her article at GameCareerGuide specifically mentions setting up a blog and writing about games as a smart thing to do in order to create a game designer portfolio. She also mentions two books: Koster’s A Theory of Fun for Game Design and Bjork and Holopainen’s Patterns in Game Design. I had already planned to check out the latter, but I guess I should also check out Koster’s book as well.

I’m still a bit unsure of exactly how I should pursue this task. Which topics should I pay most attention to, and how? Also, I have to avoid just citing various sources, I’ll also have to reflect on them, and add something new. I guess I’ll start by reading some literature. Hopefully, something will come to me.