Player Experience Design in 20 Minutes (Coffee Break Series)

Almost excellent. A second edition could easily push it to five stars.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.

A superb guide. The examples are small but complete.

I have been working with game design for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with game design.

Worth every page. I have already recommended it to two colleagues.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The chapters on game design are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.