List of books about video games

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following is a list of books on computer and video games, which range from development, theory, history, to art books. See also: List of books based on computer and video games.

Contents

[edit] Design and theory

Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design
(ISBN 1-59273-001-9) by Andrew Rollings, Ernest Adams.
The Art of Computer Game Design
(ISBN 0-88134-117-7) by Chris Crawford is attributed by Wolf & Perron in The Video Game Theory Reader as being the first book devoted to the theory of video games. It was originally published in Berkeley, California by McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media in 1984. The original edition is now out-of-print but available for free download from a site maintained by Washington State University, Vancouver.
Character Development and Storytelling for Games
(ISBN 1-59200-353-2) by Lee Sheldon. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling
(ISBN 0-321-27890-9) by Chris Crawford.
Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering
(ISBN 1-59273-007-8) by David Freeman.
Designing Virtual Worlds
(ISBN 0-13-101816-7) by Richard Bartle.
Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide
(ISBN 1-59273-000-0) by Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky.
Digital Gameplay: Essays on the Nexus of Game and Gamer
(ISBN 0-7864-2292-0) edited by Nate Garrelts.
Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition
(ISBN 0-7357-1363-4) by Andrew Rollings, Dave Morris.
The Game Design Reader
(ISBN 978-0-262-19536-2) by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman.
Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games
(ISBN 0-7615-3165-3) Bob Bates.
Game Design: Theory and Practice
(ISBN 1-55622-912-7) by Richard Rouse III.
Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting Games
(ISBN 1-57820-222-1) by Tracy Fullerton, with Steven Hoffman and Chris Swain.
Game Interface Design
(ISBN 1-59200-593-4) by Brent Fox.
Game Work: Language, Power, and Computer Game Culture
(ISBN 0-8173-1418-0) by Ken S. McAllister.
Gamer Theory
(ISBN 0-67402-519-9) by McKenzie Wark. Book website.
Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds
(ISBN 0-262-10110-6) by Jesper Juul. Book website.
Inside Electronic Game Design
(ISBN 1-55958-669-9) by Arnie Katz and Laurie Yates
Introduction to Game Development
(ISBN 1-58450-377-7) by Steve Rabin. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
More Than A Game: The Computer Game as Fictional Form
(ISBN 0-7190-6365-5) by Barry Atkins
Patterns in Game Design
(ISBN 1-58450-354-8) by Staffan Bjork and Jussi Holopainen. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture
(ISBN 0-262-20163-1) by T.L. Taylor.
Playing to Win
by David Sirlin
Rules of Play : Game Design Fundamentals
(ISBN 0-262-24045-9) by Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman.
Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
(ISBN 0-226-09626-2) by Edward Castranova.
The Business and Culture of Digital Games: Gamework and Gameplay
(ISBN 1-4129-0047-6) by Aphra Kerr.
A Theory of Fun for Game Design
(ISBN 193211197-2) by Raph Koster
Trigger Happy
(ISBN 1-55970-598-1/ISBN 1-84115-121-1) by Steven Poole examines videogames in terms of their aesthetic appeal — what makes certain games more fun to play than others. It covers aspects such as the effective use of space and perspective in videogames, rewards and progression through games, the design of an appealing video game character and the debate over violence in games.
21st Century Game Design
(ISBN 1-58450-429-3) by Chris Bateman and Richard Boon. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
Understanding Digital Games
(ISBN 1-4129-0034-4/ISBN 1-4129-0033-6) by Jason Rutter and Jo Bryce. (Table of contents and contributing authors), (Introduction to collection)

The following are taken from Recommended Reading lists in the Centennial College Seminar Series: The Video Game Industry Lecture Series handouts (2005).

Creating the Art of the Game
by Matthew Omernick. “A great reference to great modelling and texturing techniques.”
Animating Real-Time Game Characters (Game Development Series)
by Paul Steed. “Tips and tricks on game animation from the professionals in the industry, especially for the 3D Max [sic] artist.”
Game Modeling Using Low Polygon Techniques
by Chad Walker and Eric Walker. “…For the beginner. Learn to design, sketch and model for low-polygon content.”
Ultimate Game Design: Building Game Worlds
by Tom Meigs. “An insider[’]s perspective on advanced techniques for creatiing [sic] compelling characters and vivid environments. Good reference for artists using Maya.”
Character Development and Storytelling for Games (Game Development Series)
by Lee Sheldon. “An excellent writers[’] aid in creating content and writing for characters in a game setting.”
Gaming 101: A Contemporary History of PC and Video Games
by George Jones.
Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984
by Van Burnham.

[edit] Gaming Compendiums

The Video Games Guide
(ISBN 0752226258 is a book by Matt Fox first published in October 2006 by Boxtree Pan Macmillan. The Video Games Guide is similar in format to a traditional film guide with A to Z reviews of over 1000 video games. Accompanying each review are: the year of release, the system first released on, the developer and publisher, information on sequels and conversions, and a rating between one and five stars. Each ‘classic’ game that receives five stars has a colour screenshot in a glossy section in the Guide’s centre, and these screenshots are arranged by date - providing a visual timeline of game graphics.
The Book of Games Volume 1
(ISBN 82-997378-0-X) by gameXplore. This book is the first in the The Book of Games series and was published in November 2006 by gameXplore. It describes 150 games from the period 2005-2006. Each game has a short description about the gameplay and challenges accompanied with 9 screenshots. The book also has some feature articles about game topics such as MMORPGs.
The Book of Games Volume 2
(ISBN 82-997378-2-6) by gameXplore. This book is the second in the The Book of Games series and will be published in November 2007. It describes 100 games from the period November 2006 to November 2007. Each game has a short description about the gameplay and challenges accompanied with 9 screenshots. It contains several feature articles and interviews with well known game developers.

[edit] History

The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games
(ISBN 0-9704755-0-0) by Steven L. Kent
From Sun Tzu to Xbox: War and Video Games
(ISBN 1-56025-681-8) by Ed Halter
Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children
(ISBN 0-679-40469-4) by David Sheff.
Game Over: the Maturing of Mario
(ISBN 0-9669617-0-6) by David Sheff
High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games
is a book published in April 2002 by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. It was written by Rusel Demaria and Johnny Lee Wilson. The book also has a second edition, published in December 2003 , which features a brief history on Japanese and English video game companies. It details the history of video games, beginning with a page about the earliest computer processors to the current days, this book goes into detail about what was happening to companies like Atari back before, during, and after the Video Game Crash of 1983-1984.
Joystick Nation
(ISBN 0-316-36007-4) by J.C. Herz
Masters of Doom
(ISBN 0-375-50524-5) by David Kushner
My Tiny Life
(ISBN 0-8050-3626-1) by Julian Dibbell. A narrative history of LambdaMOO.
Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution : by Dean Takahashi
Phoenix, The Fall and Rise of Videogames
(ISBN 0-9643848-5-X) Leonard Herman (2001)
Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture
(ISBN 0-262-20163-1) TL Taylor (2006)
SMARTBOMB: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution
(ISBN 1-56512-346-8)by Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby.
The Video Game Theory Reader
(ISBN 0-415-96579-9) edited by Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron.
Videogames in the Beginning
(ISBN 0-9643848-1-7) by Ralph Baer
The Ultimate History of Video Games
(ISBN 0-7615-3643-4) by Steven L. Kent
Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life
(ISBN 0-7440-0424-1) by Chris Kohler.

[edit] Artwork collections and "making of" books

1000 Game Heroes
(ISBN 3-8228-1633-7) by David Choquet
The Art of Game Worlds
(ISBN 1-904705-34-0) by Dave Morris and Leo Hartas
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
(ISBN 0-7615-4364-3) by David Hodgson
From Myst To Riven
by Richard Kadrey
Sega Video Game Illustrations
Japanese and English language book featuring artwork from early-1990s Sega Mega Drive, Master System and Game Gear titles.
The Making of Doom 3