Developers Corner

I'm looking for books specifically on massively multiplayer game design - the design part more than the programming part. I have books that focus on single player and lan-style multiplayer games which don't raise the issues and things you don't always think to look for when designing MMORPG's. Here's a list of books that I've seen advertised. Can anybody think of any more? Has anybody seen these?

Sorry about the links - the editor kept messing them up.

Online Game Interactivity Theory (Advances in Computer Graphics and Game Development Series)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1584502150/ref=wl_it_dp/002-6607684-1720812?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I57F3U6B7BKCO&v=glance&colid=1B7SXD4MV77V8

Massively Multiplayer Game Development (Game Development Series)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1584502436/ref=wl_it_dp/002-6607684-1720812?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I2RPB63E3TZLUY&v=glance&colid=1B7SXD4MV77V8

Ultimate Game Design: Building Game Worlds
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0072228997/ref=wl_it_dp/002-6607684-1720812?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I1755LIC5PTUBS&v=glance&colid=1B7SXD4MV77V8

Core Techniques and Algorithms in Game Programming
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0131020099/ref=wl_it_dp/002-6607684-1720812?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=ILF4UZDF050QE&v=glance&colid=1B7SXD4MV77V8

See sig.

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Originally posted by Athon
See sig.

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No. I don't want my own MMORPG.

I'm not really that interested in the programming side of the games.

I am interested in the transport technologies, the server management and maintenence, the user profiling and data mining with relation to marketing and live team direction, team management and problem resolution strategies.

All the stuff that absolutely nobody covers.

MMO design:

Designing Virtual Worlds, by Richard bartle

Developing Online Games, by Jessica Mulligan

Theory of Fun for Game Design, by Raph Koster

Bartle is the creater of MUD1, Mulligan came from UO, and was Executive producer of AC, and Koster is the man behind SWG.

Other interesting reads:

Game Design, Theory and Practice, by Richard Rouse

Secrets of the Game Business, by Laramee

Chris Crawford on Game Design, by guess who

Game Development Business and Legal Guide, by Salisbury

The Ultimate History of Video games, by Kent (this is more of an overview of the US game market from the 70s to the turn of the century.  It focuses alot on the console business, but it gives invaluable insight into "how" the industry works)

Game Architecutre and Design: A New Edition, by Andrew Rollings

Ultimate Game Design: Building Game Worlds, BY Tom Meigs

Rules of Play: Game Deisng Fundamentals, by Kaite Salen

Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design, by Andrew Rollings

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games: the People, the Addictions and the Playing Experience, by R. V. Kelly

Massively Multiplayer Game Development 2, by Thor Alexander (ok so this one isn't so much about design)

None of these are programming books.  They are aimed at the design and/or business end of game development -- most are targetted specificially at MMOs.  I own most of these books, but i have NOT read all these titles.  Amazon is a good place for reading customer reviews.

There are also alot of online resources about design and/or the business of game development specifically targetted at MMOs.

www.mmorgchart.com is maintained by Sir Bruce Woodcock.  Good MMO subscriber information.

http://www.nickyee.com/ nick yee did graduate work on social/psychology issues on MMO gamers.  It's an ongoing project with alot of information.

As far as profiling and data mining.  www.theesa.com has some "profiling" data on the US game market.  NPD funworld would have better data, but you have to pay for it and it's not cheap.  I haven't seen much in the way of data mining probably because it is very valuable information and those who have it are going to want money for it and/or they don't want to help their competition by publishing it.

There's also the MUD-Dev mailing list.  The Themis Group www.themis-group.com partners with MMO creators with both advice and partial outsourcing solutions.  I would imagine they have lots of good insider information, but don't expect them to give it away for free.  http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/ is the main blogging site for many of the MMO creators.  Bartle frequents the site.

Ted Castranova is a professor of communications.  He currently lectures on Economics of MMOs.  He has a book on MMO economies that's slated for release this summer.  He is another poster at terra nova.

There are also about a dozen PDFs i have run across on the net from a variety of organizations on the MMO industry.

There's alot of info out there if you are willing to look.

Don

Don't forget Game Design Perspectives; by Laramee I believe.

I am so glad someone mentioned Theory of Fun. It really isn't a game design book so much as a psychological look at games and why we play them, as well as to the purpose of games. And in my opinion should be mandantory reading by anyone who wants to get into gaming ever. One of the few books of the genre you will be able to pick up and just read it and enjoy the reading.

All that said, you still should build some games. Feel free to use lots of pre-packaged tools if you like; but no amount of reading will ever get you to think like a game designer until you actually have designed a few games and seen them through start to finish.

Thanks for such a comprehensive list - this is exactly what I'm after

*gets reading*

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Originally posted by frumbert

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Originally posted by Athon
See sig.

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No. I don't want my own MMORPG.

I'm not really that interested in the programming side of the games.

I am interested in the transport technologies, the server management and maintenence, the user profiling and data mining with relation to marketing and live team direction, team management and problem resolution strategies.

All the stuff that absolutely nobody covers.

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Athon

[quote]Originally posted by Athon
You obviously failed to read the entire sig.
Athon[/b][/quote]

"Designing Virtual Worlds" - Actually I saw that.