The World of Warcraft Diary project by former Blizzard developer John Staats has turned to KickStarter. Staats is WoW's first 3D level designer and his book will touch on the design of the game from the ground up. The project sought $10,000 but is already nearing $30,000 with about four weeks to go.
Supporter levels begin at $5 and run all the way to $300, each with a variety of digital and physical perks.
My book, The World of Warcraft Diary, offers a rare, unfiltered, comprehensive look at game development. I start at WoW’s humble beginnings, and give a fly-on-the-wall access to the dev team’s conversations, debates, failed experiments, and internal pressures. Licensed by Blizzard Entertainment, it contains over 130 behind-the-scenes images (many of which have never been seen before). Every image is captioned and dated within the project's timeline.
Although the book has been licensed by Blizzard, I didn’t write it like the average promotional merchandise, or the typical art folio brimming with gorgeous concept sketches. In fact, I kept the pretty pictures out of the book. I am celebrating the chaotic, humorous, and ugly side of computer game development. I covered the people and philosophies behind the curtain. If you’ve ever wanted to know the ingredients inside Blizzard’s secret sauce, this book is for you.
Check out the World of Warcraft Diary KickStarter page to learn more.
