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Nicholas Lovell
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The Pyramid of Game Design: Designing, Producing and Launching Service Games Hardcover – 13 Dec. 2018

by Nicholas Lovell (Author)
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Game design is changing. The emergence of service games on PC, mobile and console has created new expectations amongst consumers and requires new techniques from game makers.

In The Pyramid of Game Design, Nicholas Lovell identifies and explains the frameworks and techniques you need to deliver fun, profitable games. Using examples of games ranging from modern free-to-play titles to the earliest arcade games, via PC strategy and traditional boxed titles, Lovell shows how game development has evolved, and provides game makers with the tools to evolve with it.

    • Harness the Base, Retention and Superfan Layers to create a powerful Core Loop.

    • Design the player Session to keep players playing while being respectful of their time.

    • Accept that there are few fixed rules: just trade-offs with consequences.

    • Adopt Agile and Lean techniques to "learn what you need you learn" quickly

    • Use analytics, paired with design skills and player feedback, to improve the fun, engagement and profitability of your games.

    • Adapt your marketing techniques to the reality of the service game era

    • Consider the ethics of game design in a rapidly changing world.

    Lovell shows how service games require all the skills of product game development, and more. He provides a toolset for game makers of all varieties to create fun, profitable games. Filled with practical advice, memorable anecdotes and a wealth of game knowledge, the Pyramid of Game Design is a must-read for all game developers.

    Key Features

    • Harness the Base, Retention and Superfan Layers to create a powerful Core Loop.
    • Design the player Session to keep players playing while being respectful of their time.
    • Accept that there are few fixed rules: just trade-offs with consequences.
    • Adopt Agile and Lean techniques to "learn what you need you learn" quickly.
    • Use analytics, paired with design skills and player feedback, to improve the fun, engagement and profitability of your games.
    • Adapt your marketing techniques to the reality of the service game era.
    • Consider the ethics of game design in a rapidly changing world.
    Previous slide of product details
    1. ISBN-10
      1138298999
    2. ISBN-13
      978-1138298996
    3. Edition
      1st
    4. Publisher
      A K Peters/CRC Press
    5. Publication date
      13 Dec. 2018
    6. Language
      English
    7. Dimensions
      15.88 x 2.54 x 24.13 cm
    8. Print length
      326 pages
    9. See all details
    Next slide of product details

    Product description

    About the Author

    Nicholas Lovell has been working with game companies making service games since 2008. He has worked on large franchises such as Angry Birds, consulted on taking PC games like EVE Online free, helped take existing intellectual properties into a F2P service model (Stronghold Kingdoms) and helped small startups with their online MMOs (e.g. Lazarus). Along the way, clients have included a vast array of companies ranging from the largest (Square Enix, Bandai Namco, Rovio) to tiny startups like Spilt Milk Studios and nDreams and companies throughout Europe, the US and Canada.

    Nicholas is the author of The Curve (Portfolio Penguin), a book about how to make money in the digital age and The F2P Toolbox (Gamesbrief). He has been writing about F2P game design since 2008 at www.gamesbrief.com.

    Prior to 2008, Nicholas was CFO of Internet startup Shopsmart, CEO of PC gaming community GameShadow and, for a decade, an investment banker.

    Nicholas lives in London.

    Product details

    • Publisher ‏ : ‎ A K Peters/CRC Press; 1st edition (13 Dec. 2018)
    • Language ‏ : ‎ English
    • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
    • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1138298999
    • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1138298996
    • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.88 x 2.54 x 24.13 cm
    • Customer reviews:

    About the author

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    Nicholas Lovell

    Nicholas Lovell

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    Nicholas Lovell is a games designer, author and consultant. His books include The Pyramid of Game Design, The Curve and The F2P Toolbox. Since 2008, he has advised more than 50 companies on adapting to service games, with a particular focus on free-to-play. Clients have included Bandai Namco, Bohemia Interactive, CCP, Exient, Firefly Studios, Madfinger, nDreams, Rebellion, Rovio, Square Enix and Supersaurs. Nicholas is currently Design Director at Electric Square in Brighton. He lives in London.

    Customer reviews

    4.5 out of 5 stars
    4.5 out of 5
    17 global ratings

    Top review from United Kingdom

    PaulMode7
    5.0 out of 5 stars A modern, pragmatic look at game design
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2019
    The Pyramid of Game Design is an insightful, holistic look at the game design process that is directly applicable to development projects at almost any scale.

    While the book is primarily targeted at those looking to create "live" or "game-as-a-service" products, the author's design taxonomy - particularly the concepts of a "base" and "retention layer" - and the inferences he draws from it, will be relevant to developers across the board. Clear, accessible theory backed up by plenty of real-world examples means that you'll be sure to find something actionable here.

    I'd strongly recommend this to anyone who wants to view some solid design concepts through a marketing lens, and think about ways to create a great long-term experience for their players. There's plenty of pure design books out there: read this if you want something which unites different disciplines and will make your game into a stronger product without compromising on fun, accessibility or genuine value for your community.

    [Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book from the author]
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    Top reviews from other countries

    Jaayden Halko
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great knowledge if you are interesting in free to play games
    Reviewed in the United States on 30 June 2019
    Verified Purchase
    It provided a great framework for understanding what is needed to make a free to play game.
    2 people found this helpful
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    John Hofmann
    1.0 out of 5 stars Formatted poorly for Kindle
    Reviewed in the United States on 26 June 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I didn't get far into this book because it's very difficult to read on a mobile device. It doesn't scroll the way Kindle books usually do, the font is tiny and it's not easy to expand. Basically, it's a mediocre-quality PDF that costs $35. None of this is a statement about the content, which was too difficult to read so I'm not sure whether it was good or not.
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