Curiosity First
So You Want To Be A Video Game Designer is an engaging introduction to video game design that combines creativity, real-world insight, and practical guidance for young aspiring creators. What inspired you to write a career-focused book specifically for kids interested in video game design?
It started with my son. He was captivated by gaming from about the age of one (and that is no exaggeration), and as a parent, I had to make a choice. I could spend the next decade telling him to put down the controller, or I could pay attention to what was actually happening when he played. And what was happening was thinking. He was pattern-matching, problem-solving, building, breaking, rebuilding. So instead of fighting his passion, I tried to help him see what was underneath it. He is twelve now, deeply immersed in coding and technology, and at this point, I’m pretty sure he has taught me more about the industry than I have taught him. So You Want To Be A Video Game Designer came from that experience. There are millions of kids out there who love games the way he does, and I wanted them to see that the thing they already love can lead somewhere real.
The book emphasizes that game design is real work, not just playing games. Why was that important to highlight?
Because the assumption that gaming is just play is exactly what stops kids — and the adults around them — from taking the interest seriously. Game design is engineering. It is storytelling. It is psychology, art, and project management all at once. When a kid finishes a level and thinks “that was fun,” they are not seeing the thousands of decisions someone made to produce that feeling. The book seeks to open that up. Once you see how much real work goes into making something feel effortless, you also see why it might be worth dedicating a career to. And I think kids deserve to be told the truth about the work behind the things they love. They can handle it. In my experience, they are usually relieved to hear that the field they are drawn to has substance.
The book does a great job of showing collaboration. Why was it important to highlight roles beyond “the designer”?
Because no game gets made by one person. Even small indie games involve programmers, artists, sound designers, writers, testers, and people whose entire job is making sure the game runs without crashing. If a kid only sees “the designer” as the path forward, they might miss the role that actually fits them. Maybe they love drawing. Maybe they are obsessed with how music makes people feel. Maybe they like finding things that are broken and figuring out why. There is a place in the industry for all of those kids. I wanted the book to show that the door is wider than it looks from the outside.
You include practical ways kids can start learning now. What first step would you most recommend to a curious reader?
Start playing differently. The same game you have played a hundred times will teach you something new if you start asking why. Why does the music shift right at that moment? Why does the jump feel right? Why do you keep coming back even when the game beats you? That is a designer’s eye, and you can develop it without writing a single line of code. From there, the technical tools — Scratch, GameMaker, Unity, learning to code — become much easier because you have already been thinking like someone who builds games. Curiosity first. Tools second.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
So You Want To Be A Video Game Designer is an illustrated nonfiction guide for kids ages 10 to 14 who are curious about one of the most exciting creative careers in science and technology. It goes far beyond surface-level inspiration to show young readers what game designers actually do every day — the real process of turning a rough concept sketch into a living, breathing game that players cannot put down.
You will learn how game design works from the inside: how designers prototype mechanics and test them until they break, how writers build interactive stories that respond to the player’s choices, and how artists, engineers, and sound designers collaborate to create worlds that feel impossibly real. You will discover the science and psychology behind why certain games hook you and others do not — and why understanding that difference is the foundation of great design.
This book does not skip the hard parts. It covers the history of video games and the visionary designers who invented the creative language the entire industry now speaks. It explains what development teams look like, what every role on a team actually contributes, and what it takes to push a project from first draft to finished product. It is honest about what the work demands, because kids who are serious about this future career deserve a real answer, not a simplified one.
You will also find practical guidance on what young people can start doing right now — from sketching game ideas and learning basic coding concepts to studying the games they already play with a designer’s eye. Whether your passion leans toward art, storytelling, programming, or the science of how players think, there is a path into game design that fits the way your mind works.
For the kid who builds worlds in notebooks and debates game mechanics with friends. For the young reader who senses that video games are something more than entertainment — that they are an art form, a science, and an engineering challenge all at once.
The next great game is waiting for someone to imagine it. That someone might be you.
Ages 10 to 14. Nonfiction. Careers and Professions. Illustrated.
Posted on May 13, 2026, in Interviews and tagged author, book, book recommendations, book review, Book Reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, Children's Jobs & Careers Reference, Children's Video & Electronic Games, childrens books, ebook, goodreads, indie author, kindle, kobo, Linda Soules, literature, nook, novel, read, reader, reading, So You Want To Be A Video Game Designer, story, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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