Situational Design lays out a new methodology for designing and critiquing videogames. While most game design books focus on games as formal systems, Situational Design concentrates squarely on player experience. It looks at how playfulness is not a property of a game considered in isolation, but rather the result of the intersection of a game with an appropriate player. Starting from simple concepts, the book advances step-by-step to build up a set of practical tools for designing player-centric playful situations. While these tools provide a fresh perspective on familiar design challenges as well as those overlooked by more transactional design paradigm.

Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Situations, constraints, and moves -- Chapter 3. Playfulness -- Chapter 4. Anticipation -- Chapter 5. Goals -- Chapter 6. Methods -- Chapter 7. Narrative -- Chapter 8. Meaning.