Book Review: Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts

by Louis Bedigian

If you have any interest in the gaming industry, even if it's not as much a desire to work in it as it is curiosity, you must buy this book.

The only thing that's more difficult or more frustrating than playing a bad game is breaking into the video game industry.  And the only thing more difficult than breaking into the industry is creating a game that doesn't suck.  To get to that point in your life where you have the power to actually design the next Half-Life, you must first finish high school, go to college (preferably one with a game development-related degree), and spend countless hours learning the technical ins and outs of the industry.  As any developer will tell you, the learning process does not end with a degree.  Game development is an ongoing exercise in educating the mind.

Regardless of your age or knowledge of game development, it's never too early to start pumping iron.  There are a lot of development resource sites out there, numerous books and even transcripts of game design discussions.  None of them, however, are as complex or as comprehensive as Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts.

This book, from journalist Marc Saltzman (who has written for USA Today, LA Times, Newsweek and several other publications), is packed with more interviews from more developers than most Web sites combined.  The interviews cover topics that most developers rarely get into.  They give advice on what potential and existing game developer should and shouldn't do, discuss the key features that a great game must have, and talk about the importance of being a team leader and player, not a dictator.

Jason Rubin and Lorne Lanning (creators of the Crash Bandicoot and Oddworld series, respectively) give their opinions of what makes a great game character.  What makes them unique and memorable and forever loved?  Jason, Lorne and several other developers give you their answers.  One especially interesting story about creating characters: Shigeru Miyamoto describes the reasoning behind Mario's original design.

When it comes to actual game development, Minh Le, the legendary creator of the world's most famous Half-Life mod, Counter-Strike, offers some great, revealing comments.  Minh talks about the challenges and time issues of developing low-budget game development.  American McGee's words are invaluable and should be heeded by all aspiring game developers.

The creator of Twisted Metal, David Jaffe, provides great advice on making innovation a reality in games.  He also feels that E3 should be open to the public for one day.  If that isn't a reason to love him then what is?

Several developers also go into detail about the all-important user interface (UI) and game control.  Obviously this is a topic that Shigeru Miyamoto can tackle.  Just look at his long list of games with great controls – Mario, Zelda, and most recently, Pikmin.  Those are just a few of the many games that he has made better with stellar controls.  Miyamoto's comments on game controls are unusually brief, but still interesting.  (Perhaps he doesn't want to give away his secret!)

Some of the other developers who discuss the importance of great game controls are: Sid Meier (Firaxis Games), Steve Rechtschaffner (EA Canada), Lorne Lanning, James Schmalz (Digital Extremes), George Broussard (3D) Realms, Matt Householder (Blizzard Entertainment) and Todd Howard (Bethesda Software).

Game Creation and Careers also includes a section dedicated to the marketing and public relations aspect of game development.  PR experts like Tammy Schachter and Jeffrey Castaneda cover the most vital aspects of promoting your game, and how you should go about it.  Even if you have no interest in the business aspect of game development, this is still a very interesting, must-read chapter.

I really can't say enough good things about this book.  Marc Saltzman has done a stellar job of compiling all of the best game developers' comments into one excellent book.  If you have any interest in the gaming industry, even if it's not as much a desire to work in it as it is curiosity, you must buy this book.  It's the best of its kind.  Hardcore gamers will love every page of it!

To purchase Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts, visit: Amazon

To learn more about the author and his writings, read our full interview with him: Learn how to break into the gaming industry with “Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts”