Even after 5 years, I still think this book is the BEST one!

This book helped me grow from Mid-level → Senior-level in Game Design 5 years ago. And no, it’s not ‘The Art of Game Design’ 😁

Even after 5 years, I still think this book is the BEST one!
This Book is ‘Advanced Game Design: A system approach’ by Michael Sellers

To understand WHY I like it so much:
Here’s how I define a great Game Designer today.
My TOP-3 criteria:
↳ The way of thinking
↳ System approach
↳ Economy and balance

It’s hard to find one that truly builds all of them — but this one does.


While reading it, I created one of my best-performing features of that period:
↳ It boosted ARpDAU by +30%(!) whenever the feature was active
↳ Even other projects in our company copied it
↳ And it’s still alive, 5 years later

The feature was as simple as it was smart:
→ Solved a real problem in the project
→ Showcased a systematic approach
→ Was directly inspired by this book’s insights

Want similar results? START reading the book today!

I go back to it every few months to revisit its valuable lessons


Why isn’t this book more popular among Game Designers?
It’s not an easy read, I’ll admit. For those new to the field, I’d recommend beginning with basics (‘The Art of Game Design’ is a really good choice for it). But if you’re aiming to know even more and reach the next level — this is the one.

🔸 What is your favorite Book about Game Design?