The Secret Science of Games

The Secret Science of Games is an entertaining tour of games research with behind-the-scenes stories from blockbuster games including Halo, Destiny, Age of Empires, and World of Warcraft. Written by a games industry veteran, this book is a friendly and practical guide to games research by someone who’s done the work.

Some of the things you’ll learn:
The difference between a good player and a good playtester
How to give feedback to game designers that they’ll actually listen to
Why asking players if a game is fun isn’t all that useful
What happened when we met the most toxic players in Overwatch
How game designers are different than normal people
Why players said they cheated in Destiny’s competitive modes
The right way to use online feedback to make a better game

Instead of a dry list of research methods or theory, this book is a lively exploration of how science and games mix together to make fun experiences that work for all players, including real stories from games everyone knows.