John Hopson. The Secret Science of Games

Self-published by John Hopson, 2023. — 208 p.The Secret Science of Games is an entertaining tour of games research with behind-the-scenes stories from blockbuster games including Halo, Destiny, Age of Empires, and World of Warcraft. Written by a games industry veteran, this book is a friendly and practical guide to games research by someone who’s done the work.Some of the things you’ll learn:
The difference between a good player and a good playtester.
How to give feedback to game designers that they’ll listen to.
Why asking players if a game is fun isn’t all that useful.
What happened when we met the most toxic players in Overwatch?
How game designers are different than normal people.
Why do players say they cheated in Destiny’s competitive modes?
The right way to use online feedback to make a better game.Instead of a dry list of research methods or theories, this book is a lively exploration of how science and games mix to make fun experiences that work for all players, including real stories from games everyone knows.John Hopson has been a researcher in the games industry for twenty years, working on some of the biggest franchises in gaming including Halo, Age of Empires, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraft, Diablo, Guild Wars, Lineage, and Destiny.