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Dissecting Design -- Left 4 Dead 2

Each week, Game Design Journalist Josh Bycer takes a deep look at a game's design. This week, what the Left 4 Dead series did for elevated cooperative game design.

Josh Bycer, Blogger

November 7, 2017

1 Min Read
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Left 4 Dead by Turtlerock Studios helped to elevate co-op gameplay before the rise of "Games as a Service." With its AI director and focus on teamwork, the series grew in popularity. There was so much to talk about with the design that I needed the help of my friend to talk about the game.

  • 0:00 - Intro

  • 3:40 - The Basic Gameplay

  • 11:57 - The Special Infected Design

  • 26:42 - The Level Design of Left 4 Dead 1 

  • 36:11 -- The Finale Design

  • 49:04 -- The Differences in Left 4 Dead 2

  • 1:10:35 -- Final Thoughts and Left 4 Dead's Impact

For more videos on design, check out the Game-Wisdom YouTube channel.

 

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About the Author

Josh Bycer

Blogger

For more than seven years, I have been researching and contributing to the field of game design. These contributions range from QA for professional game productions to writing articles for sites like Gamasutra and Quarter To Three. 

With my site Game-Wisdom our goal is to create a centralized source of critical thinking about the game industry for everyone from enthusiasts, game makers and casual fans; to examine the art and science of games. I also do video plays and analysis on my Youtube channel. I have interviewed over 500 members of the game industry around the world, and I'm a two-time author on game design with "20 Essential Games to Study" and "Game Design Deep Dive Platformers."

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