Good or bad level design can make or break any game, so it is surprising how little reference material exists for level designers. Beginning level designers have a limited understanding of the tools and techniques they can use to achieve their goals, or even define them. This book is the first to use a conceptual and theoretical foundation to build such a set of practical tools and techniques. It is tied to no particular technology or genre, so it will be a useful reference for many years to come. Kremers covers many concepts universal to level design, such as interactivity, world building, immersion, sensory perception, pace, and more, and he shows how to apply these concepts in practical ways, with many examples from real games.
Rudolf Kremers is a veteran game designer who has worked on a plethora of games ranging from small and fun titles for handheld systems to multi-million selling games and franchises on consoles and PCs. His professional experience includes work on original IP as well as famous established brands like Harry Potter, Championship Manager, and Avatar the Last Airbender. Kremers is the founder of Omni Systems, which produces and develops games and (interactive) media that push for progressive, positive, or social video game experiences. Additionally he works as a games consultant. He is the co-developer of an exciting new game, Eufloria (formerly Dyson), which will be launched this fall. He lives in Folkestone in Great Britain.
Title: Level Design: Concept, Theory, and Practice
Author: Kremers, Rudolf
ISBN: 9781568813387
Binding:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Inc
Publication Date: 2009-10-21
Number of Pages: 408
Weight: 0.7033 kg
A book on level design comprehensive and relevant enough that I can recommend it to professional colleagues and students alike. The industry has needed a book like this for years. Kremers leaves no stone unturned, touching upon the relationship between level design and the game's lighting, audio, story, artificial intelligence, mechanics, puzzles . . . It's a truly grand task to take in the domain of 'level design' and try to wrap it up into a book of manageable length. Kremers has succeeded in doing so, unafraid to mix in the relevant considerations of game design, art, and psychology where applicable.
-Chris DeLeon, February 2010
This is not just another book that deals with the discipline of level design. ... This book covers relevant concepts and theories behind designing levels. Instruction in building levels is replaced by fascinating examinations behind the reasons why.
-A. Chen, CHOICE Magazine, June 2010
