If you want to design and build cutting-edge video games but aren't sure where to start, then the SECOND EDITION of the acclaimed Level Up! is for you! Written by leading video game expert Scott Rogers, who has designed the hits Pac Man World, Maximo and SpongeBob Squarepants, this updated edition provides clear and well-thought out examples that forgo theoretical gobbledygook with charmingly illustrated concepts and solutions based on years of professional experience.

Press Start! -- Welcome, N00bs! -- Ideas -- Writing the story -- You can design a game, but can you do the paperwork? -- The three Cs, part 1: character -- The three Cs, part 2: camera -- The three Cs, part 3: controls -- Sign language: HUD and icon design -- Everything I learned about level design, I learned from level 9 -- The elements of combat -- They all want you dead -- The nuts and bolts of mechanics -- Now you're playing with power -- Multiplayer- the more the merrier -- Everybody wins: monetization -- Some notes on music -- Cutscenes, or no one's gonna watch 'em anyway -- And now the hard part -- Continue? -- Bonus levels: 1. The one-sheet sample -- 2. The ten-page design document sample -- 3. Game design document template -- 4. The medium-sized list of story genres -- 5. Game genres -- 6. The big list of environments -- 7. Mechanics and hazards -- 8. Enemy design template -- 9. Boss design template -- 10. High-concept pitch presentation -- 11. Achievement unlocked: exactly like making chili.