by Chris Crawford
Preface to the Electronic Version: This text was originally composed by computer game designer Chris Crawford in 1982. When searching for literature on the nature of gaming and its relationship to narrative in 1997, Prof. Sue Peabody learned of The Art of Computer Game Design, which was then long out of print. Prof. Peabody requested Mr. Crawford's permission to publish an electronic version of the text on the World Wide Web so that it would be available to her students and to others interested in game design. Washington State University Vancouver generously made resources available to hire graphic artist Donna Loper to produce this electronic version. WSUV currently houses and maintains the site.
Correspondence regarding this site should be addressed to Prof. Sue Peabody, Department of History, Washington State University Vancouver, speabody@vancouver.wsu.edu.
If you are interested in more recent writings by Chris Crawford, see the Reflections interview at
the end of The Art of Computer Game
Design; the Virtools
Swap-meet interview with Chris Crawford; and Chris Crawford's
webpage,
Erasmatazz.
This text is available in PDF format HERE. To download Adobe Reader, follow THIS link.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgement
- Preface
- Chapter 1 - What is a Game?
- Chapter 2 - Why Do People Play Games?
- Chapter 3 - A Taxonomy of Computer Games
- Chapter 4 - The Computer as a Game Technology
- Chapter 5 - The Game Design Sequence
- Chapter 6 - Design Techniques and Ideals
- Chapter 7 - The Future of Computer Games
- Chapter 8 - Development of Excalibur
- Reflections - Interview with Chris
- The
Education of a Game Designer, November 2003
