Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design

It would be a rare developer indeed who had worked on every genre and style of game addressed in this book, and certainly neither of us can make that claim. When it came time to speak of subjects of which we had little direct experience, we relied heavily on the advice, wisdom, and support of our professional colleagues, for which we are immensely grateful. Five people in particular have given us permission to quote extensively from their writing, which has enriched the book enormously. We owe a special debt of gratitude to:

Jesyca  Durchin

Scott  Kim

Raph  Koster

Brian  Moriarty

Chris  Taylor

Among our many other benefactors (here listed in alphabetical order) were:

Chris  Bateman

Ellen  Guon  Beeman

Steve  Beeman

Kim  Blake

George  Broussard

Charles  Cecil

Charlie  Cleveland

Noah  Falstein

Geoff  Howland

Amy  Kalson

Dave  Morris

Bill  Roper

Jake  Simpson

Tess  Snider

Teut  Weidemann

Russ  Williams

We hasten to add that these people bear no responsibility for any faults in the work. Errors and omissions should be laid squarely at our own door.

In addition to our colleagues listed here, several other people deserve particular mention. Technical editors Scott Crabtree, Jonathan Harbour, and Brooke Monroe, all seasoned game developers, offered us important insights and commentary as they read through the entire manuscript. Mary Ellen Foley also read and edited large sections of the book, making hundreds of constructive suggestions to clarify our language while at the same time providing a valuable "outsider's" perspective. Our editors at New Riders, Stephanie Wall and Lisa Thibault, were unfailingly understanding and positive in the face of missed deadlines, incorrect formatting, and general grumpiness after two years of work on the project. And finally, we owe a great debt to our agent, Jawahara Saidullah of Waterside Productions, who helped us to rescue the book and find a new publisher after our first one went out of business.

To any whom we have inadvertently omitted, sincere apologies. We'll make sure your name gets into the second edition!