Video games books
Video games books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
Masters of Doom
David KushnerThe story of id Software, the two founders behind Doom and Quake, and their working relationship.
Console Wars
Blake J. HarrisAn account of the 1990s marketing and business rivalry between Sega and Nintendo.
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels
Jason SchreierReported accounts of how big games get made, including crunch, delays, and studio conflict.
Theory of Fun for Game Design
Raph KosterA designer's account of why games are fun, built on learning and pattern recognition.
Rules of Play
Eric ZimmermanA textbook-style framework for analyzing and designing rules, play, and culture in games.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More video games books
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Half-realJesper Juul - Racing the Beam
Racing the BeamNick Montfort - Extra Lives
Extra LivesTom Bissell - Hackers
HackersSteven Levy - The Ultimate History of Video Games
The Ultimate History of Video GamesSteven L. Kent - Game Over
Game OverDavid Sheff - The Art of Game Design
The Art of Game DesignJesse Schell - Slay
SlayBrittney Morris - SuperBetter
SuperBetterJane McGonigal - The Gamification of Learning and Instruction
The Gamification of Learning and InstructionKarl M. Kapp - Chessington World of Adventures Resort's Minecraft Themed Ar
Chessington World of Adventures Resort's Minecraft Themed Area Built In Minecraft!Mojang2019 - FORTNITE
FORTNITEEpic Games2018