You Said This Would Be Fun

What Makes a Game Good and How to Make a Good Game

By: Jeff Warrender

Narrated by: Quentin Hudspeth

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Good games don’t emerge out of thin air. Game design is a craft, and as in any other craft, there are skills and knowledge, acquired through study and practice, that accelerate progress toward better games.

You Said This Would Be Fun explores these skills, explaining how great games exhibit qualities that designers of all experience levels can strive to emulate. There are many game design journeys - that of the first-time designer with a fresh idea, the experienced designer looking for new approaches, the enthusiast seeking a deeper understanding of how games work - and if you are on (or considering joining) any of these, this book will be a useful guide to help you along your way.

©2020 Jeff Warrender (P)2020 Jeff Warrender

Excellent overview of many board-game related topics.

This was a big book to get through, and I really appreciate the author’s commitment to staying on topic and diving into many aspects of board game design.

I especially like how many specific game examples he shared, and how different games are related.

Probably the quote I’ll most remember is: “Don’t play keepaway with the fun thing.”

I plan to revisit this book as I design more board games.

Great Advice

Not perhaps groundbreaking advice, but as a fledgling designer who is serious about breaking into the industry, it’s good to hear different perspectives and it’s worth being reminded of basic design rules, even if you’re already aware of the best practices. But the most important thing this book can give you is concrete ideas that will help encourage you on your way. I plan on listening again each time I’m feeling stuck on an early design, and I’m confident that this book will keep giving me ideas of how to move forward.

This was the book I was looking for

This book on game design is most excellent. Jeff Warrender does well to explain the basis for so many things that I have considered in my game designs. The organization and pace of this book makes it easy to both listen and understand. The “theoretical” and conceptual stuff if is supported nicely by simple examples peppered throughout each chapter. The narrator is also excellent and provides an even tempo with excellent articulation and pronunciation.