Games like Manipulative Game Design

It's Not an Accident. It's an Architecture. Ever felt a beloved hobby slowly transform into a system of obligation and financial pressure? You're not alone. The frustration you feel in a game isn't a flaw; it's often a meticulously engineered feature. This book is a codex of forbidden knowledge, a guide to the hidden architecture of digital manipulation designed not as an attack on games, but as …

Unlock the Secrets of Player Behavior: A Guide to Process Mining for Game Development Have you ever wondered... Why do most players gather all the components for a powerful item, but only a fraction ever craft it? What are the hidden paths that lead players to success in a complex puzzle, and which ones lead to failure? Players report a feature feels "slow,"…

Stop Guessing What Your Players Want. Start Knowing. In the competitive world of game development, understanding your players is the key to creating successful, engaging, and beloved games. But how do you move beyond assumptions and gather actionable insights into the player experience? Games User Research Methods is your comprehensive and practical guide to the world of games user research. Thi…

Turn Player Feedback Into Your Most Powerful Design Tool Your players are talking. In forum posts, in survey comments, in playtest sessions. They're leaving a trail of data that holds the secret to making your game more intuitive, engaging, and successful. But how do you make sense of it all without a dedicated data science team or expensive software? Games User Research: Data Anal…

Games Are for Players, not Stock Holders The Urgent Case for Co-operative, Player-Governed Live Service Games "The system is working exactly as intended and must be dismantled." Live service games promise us ever-evolving worlds and vibrant communities. Yet, too often, this potential is tarnished by player frustration, developer burnout, and the creeping sens…

Turing Complete is a challenging puzzle-platformer game where players control a small bug-like machine. The game features over 50 levels, each requiring you to reprogram the machine's abilities to solve complex puzzles. With its unique gameplay mechanics, Turing Complete offers a fresh take on the puzzle genre, perfect for players who enjoy problem-solving and programming concepts.

Definitive Guide to Video Game Reward Design Building Player-Centered Systems that Drive Engagement, Retention, and Monetization Stop guessing what players want. Start designing rewards they'll genuinely love. Have you ever designed a reward system that, despite looking great on your spreadsheet, ended up feeling like a chore for your players? Have you worried that your game is becoming a "gold…

Welcome to the world of the future. Here, you're not just a player… You're a creator. You're a programmer. You're an architect of intelligence. A developer panel offers endless possibilities: algorithms, data flows, behavior modules, and customizable memory systems… All of them await your touch. Because in this game, you're not just running a simulation—you're coding your own AI from scratch. Ever…

Are you tired of being a tenant in a hobby you helped build? Have you felt the sting of seeing your favorite army invalidated by a new product release schedule? This book is a blueprint for a revolution. It is a practical and philosophical guide that will transform you from a passive consumer into an active creator, owner, and governor of your tabletop world. We believe a hobby's true value lie…

Capes is a single-player strategy game with intense, turn-based superhero combat. After supervillains took over, you must reclaim the city by building a team of unique heroes, each with different powers and abilities. Grinding is required to unlock heroes, earn skill points, and unleash Stage-clearing Ultimates, so be prepared for a lengthy journey in this dystopian world.