Making Games

An argument that production tools shape the aesthetics and political economy of games as an expressive medium.

In Making Games, Stefan Werning considers the role of tools (primarily but not exclusively software), their design affordances, and the role they play as sociotechnical actors. Drawing on a wide variety of case studies, Werning argues that production tools shape the aesthetics and political economy of games as an expressive medium. He frames game-making as a (meta)game in itself and shows that tools, like games, have their own "procedural rhetoric" and should not always be conceived simply in terms of optimization and best practices.On Thinking Playfully
Introduction
Chapter I: Making Sense of Tools
Chapter II: Tool Essays: From Tool Fandom and Aesthetic Ecosystems to the Evolution of Tool Affordances
Chapter III: A Call for Evocative Tool Design: Game Creation as...
Acknowledgements
Notes
References
Index“With Making Games, Stefan Werning shows us the importance of thinking playfully about the tools used for making games and play. By walking us through the machines and practices that make digital play possible, Werning challenges us to rethink the role of technology in the production of play.”
—Miguel Sicart, Associate Professor at the Center for Computer Game Research, IT University Copenhagen; author of Play Matters
 
“Modern games are blurring the lines between creators and players. Stefan Werning explores this fascinating territory by examining dozens of thoughtful examples from modern game tools. Read this, and you'll never think of games or tools the same way again!”
—Jesse Schell, CEO, Schell Games; Distinguished Professor of Entertainment Technology, Carnegie Mellon University
 
“In Making Games, Stefan Werning invites us to reconsider the trajectory of games—and the medium's expressive limitations—as a result of the tools upon which they are built and distributed. Werning asks us to envision new possibilities for games in the future by reimagining and reconsidering our tools, drawing on software and platform studies to reveal their impact on our play. This intervention offers an important reminder to games scholars and makers to think carefully when choosing the engines that power our work.”
—Anastasia Salter, Associate Professor of English, University of Central Florida; coauthor of Flash: Building the Interactive WebStefan Werning is Associate Professor for Digital Media and Game Studies at Utrecht University. He has worked in the digital games industry, most notably at Codemasters and Nintendo of Europe.