List of books about video games

The following is a list of books about video games, which range from development, theory, history, to art books.

Business

Business & Legal Primer for Game Development
(ISBN 1-58450-492-7) by Brian Green and S. Gregory Boyd
Changing the Game: How Video Games Are Transforming the Future of Business: (ISBN 978-0132171472) by David Edery and Ethan Mollick
Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play: (ISBN 978-1430233510) by Morgan Ramsay
Innovation and Marketing in the Video Game Industry: Avoiding the Performance Trap: (ISBN 978-0-566-09167-4) by David Wesley and Gloria Barczak
Total Engagement: How Games and Virtual Worlds Are Changing the Way People Work and Businesses Compete: (ISBN 978-1422146576) by Byron Reeves and J. Leighton Read
We Weren't Facebook: A Scottish student led new start business revolution which didn't happen: by Dr Malcolm A Sutherland: (ISBN 9781310032219) : available from smashwords

Design and theory

On the Way to Fun: an Emotion based Approach to Successful Game Design: (ISBN 978-1568815824) by Roberto Dillon
8 Bits of Wisdom: Video Game Lessons for Real Life's Endbosses: (ISBN 978-1466328860) by Andy Schindler.
Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design
(ISBN 1-59273-001-9) by Andrew Rollings and Ernest W. 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.
The Art Of Game Design
(ISBN 978-0123694966) by Jesse Schell
Character Development and Storytelling for Games
(ISBN 1-59200-353-2) by Lee Sheldon. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
The Art of Gaming and Cloning
by Brandy Manda. This book is part of the Skills to Go 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 0-1310-1816-7) by Richard Bartle. Definitive work on MMO/virtual world development.
Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide: (ISBN 1-59273-000-0) by Jessica Mulligan and Bridgette Patrovsky.
Digital Gameplay: Essays on the Nexus of Game and Gamer: (ISBN 0-7864-2292-0) edited by Nate Garrelts.
Ecrire pour le jeu (writing for game)
(ISBN 978-2844810250) by Emmanuel Guardiola, 2000, Edition Dixit, Paris
Expressive Processing: Digital Fictions, Computer Games, and Software Studies: (ISBN 978-0262013437) by Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Assistant Professor at University of California, Santa Cruz.
Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter
(ISBN 978-0-307-37870-5) by Tom Bissell
Fun Inc.: Why Games are the 21st Century's Most Serious Business: (ISBN 0-7535-1985-2) written by Tom Chatfield. A cultural and intellectual exploration of the multiple roles played by games in the 21st century and the myths and attitudes surrounding them.
Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition: (ISBN 0-7357-1363-4) by Andrew Rollings and Dave Morris.
The Game Design Reader
(ISBN 978-0-262-19536-2) by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman.
Game Design: From Blue Sky to Green Light
(ISBN 978-1-56881-318-9) by Deborah Todd, 2007 Frontline Award Finalist, "One of the top 5 industry books of 2007" by Game Developer Magazine.
Game Design: How to Create Video and Tabletop Games, Start to Finish
(ISBN 978-0-7864-6952-9) by Lewis Pulsipher (2012).
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 Foundations, Second Edition
(ISBN 1-59822-034-9) by Roger E. Pedersen.
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.[1]
Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds
(ISBN 0-262-10110-6) by Jesper Juul.[2]
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.
Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design
(ISBN 047068867X) by Scott Rogers.
The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto: Critical Essays
(ISBN 9780786428229) edited by Nate Garrelts
The Medium of the Video Game
edited by Mark J. P. Wolf.
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 and Eric Zimmerman.
Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games: (ISBN 0-226-09626-2) by Edward Castronova.
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 video games 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 video games, 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.[3]
Understanding Minecraft: Essays on Play, Community and Possibilities
(ISBN 9780786479740) edited by Nate Garrelts
The Video Game Theory Reader
edited by Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron.
The Video Game Theory Reader 2
edited by Bernard Perron and Mark J.P. Wolf.

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.

Gaming Compendiums

The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987
(ISBN 0764346180) by Brett Weiss. Here are the best of the early video games, shown in over 400 color photos and described in incredible detail in the entertaining and informative text. Each game's entry features production history, critical commentary, quotes from industry professionals, gameplay details, comparisons to other games, and more. Published in 2014 by Schiffer.
1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
(ISBN 978-0-7893-2090-2) is a book about 1001 video games worth playing. The main editor is Tony Mott, editor-in-chief of Edge, as well as other gaming journalists. It also includes a preface from Peter Molyneux.
Hardcoregaming101.net Presents: The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures: (ISBN 146095579X) compiled and edited by Kurt Kalata. Published in 2011, it catalogues over 300 graphic adventures, mostly from between 1984-2000, including full reviews, box pictures and screenshots. It also includes several developer interviews.
The Video Games Guide
(ISBN 0752226258) is a book by Matt Fox first published in October 2006 by Boxtree Pan Macmillan. It 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 Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games
(ISBN 0-385-19309-2) by Rawson Stovall. Published in 1984 by Doubleday, it is a collection of reviews for 80 different video games for the Atari 2600, Intellivision, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Odyssey 2 and Vectrex systems. Many of the reviews first appeared in the syndicated newspaper column The Vid Kid syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate.
Ken Uston's Guide to Buying and Beating the Home Video Games
(ISBN 0-451-11901-0) by Ken Uston. Published in May 1982 by Signet in New York, it was a 676-page strategy guide for many console games in existence at the time.
Score! Beating the Top 16 Video Games
(ISBN 0-451-11813-8) by Ken Uston. Published in 1982.
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 nine 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 was 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 nine screenshots. It contains several feature articles and interviews with well-known game developers.
Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984
(ISBN 0786432268) by Brett Weiss. This thoroughly researched reference work provides a comprehensive guide to popular and obscure video games of the 1970s and early 1980s, covering every official United States release for programmable home game consoles of the pre-NES era. Included are the following systems: Adventure Vision, APF MP1000, Arcadia 2001, Astrocade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Fairchild Channel F, Intellivision, Microvision, Odyssey, Odyssey2, RCA Studio II, Telstar Arcade and Vectrex.
Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988
(ISBN 0786436603) by Brett Weiss. Weiss follows his 2007 volume (Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984) with this follow-up, which covers games made for the Atari 7800, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Master System, with the bulk of the text devoted to the popular Nintendo system. The entry for each game lists the publisher, developer, possible number of players and year of publication. Sound, graphics and levels of play are briefly described, and the author - an experienced collector and gamer - provides his well-educated opinion on the quality of play. Arcade games and other systems for which the game was also ported to are listed. A glossary and index provide further information. For as far as it goes, this reference is professionally executed and an obvious labor of love.
Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990: A Complete Guide to Sega Genesis, Neo Geo and TurboGrafx-16 Games: (ISBN 0786441720) by Brett Weiss. The third in a series about home video games, this detailed reference work features descriptions and reviews of every official U.S.-released game for the Neo Geo, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16. This trio of systems ushered in the 16-bit era of gaming. Organized alphabetically by console brand, each chapter includes a description of the game system followed by substantive entries for every game released for that console. Video game entries include historical info, gameplay details and, typically, the author’s critique. In addition, appendices list and offer brief descriptions of all the games for the Atari Lynx, original Game Boy, Neo Geo CD, Sega CD, Sega 32X, and TurboGrafx-CD.

History

The Golden Age of Video Games: the Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry: (ISBN 978-1439873236) by Roberto Dillon
Games vs. Hardware. A history of PC gaming: The 80's [Kindle Edition]

ASIN: B00I4KRI4E by John B. Purcaru. It is a complete description of PC video games and hardware and how they evolved together in the 80's. (2014)

Classic Video Games: The Golden Age, 1971-1984: (ISBN 0747810427) by Brian Eddy (2012).
Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation: (ISBN 978-0062276704) by Blake Harris.
The Ultimate Guide To Classic Game Consoles
(ISBN 9781456617080) by Kevin Baker (2013).
Des Pixels à Hollywood. Cinéma et jeu vidéo, une histoire économique et culturelle
(ISBN 2918272116) by Alexis Blanchet (2009).
The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games
(ISBN 0-9704755-0-0) by Steven L. Kent. A book portraying the first 25 years of the video game industry. It also contains several hundreds of interviews done with some of the most popular figures in the industry (Bushnell, Miyamoto, Kassar, Phillips, Wright, Romero, Rosen...among many others).
The Ultimate History of Video Games
(ISBN 0-7615-3643-4) by Steven L. Kent. The updated version of the previous book. This time the author takes the history further into the 1990s, reaching the beginning of the millennium. Game Informer magazine named this book the fourth best video game related book ever published.
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. An insider view over Nintendo's roots and domination over the video game industry until the 1990s. It's also acknowledged as a fundamental business book, regarding strategies used in the video game industry.
Game Over: the Maturing of Mario: (ISBN 0-9669617-0-6) by David Sheff. This updated second version of the previous book, takes the Nintendo history of the video game industry until the second half of the 1990s. Game Informer magazine named this book the 8th best video game related book ever published.
Gaming Wonderland
(ISBN 978-1-4523-1894-3) by Francesco Fraulo.[4] An insider look at the video game industry from 1999 to 2004.
High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games
Published in April 2002 by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media and written by Rusel Demaria and Johnny Lee Wilson. The first edition is mostly center on the US video game history, while the second edition, published in December 2003, features a brief history on Japanese and UK 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. Game Informer magazine named this book the 10th best video game related book ever published.
Joystick Nation
(ISBN 0-316-36007-4) by J.C. Herz. A book about the video game industry general history, going until circa 1997.
Masters of Doom
(ISBN 0-375-50524-5) by David Kushner. The book regards the story of John Carmack and John Romero, portraying how both changed the video game industry, specially in the computer field. It also explains the concept behind video games like Dangerous Dave, Commander Keen series, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake series. Game Informer magazine named this book the best video game related book ever published.
Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything
by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson. A book about the story of Minecraft and its creator, Markus Persson.
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 & Rise of Videogames
(ISBN 0-9643848-5-X) by Leonard Herman (2001). Phoenix was the first serious book on video game history when it was originally published in 1994. A second edition was published in 1997 and a third in 2001. A fourth edition is planned to be released in 2013. In April 2008, Game Informer magazine named this book the second best video game related book ever published.
Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture
(ISBN 0-262-20163-1) T. L. Taylor (2006).
Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life
(ISBN 0-7440-0424-1) by Chris Kohler.
Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System
(ISBN 0-262-01257-X) by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (2009).
Replay: The History of Video Games
(ISBN 0-956-507204) by Tristan Donovan (2010). A general view over the history of the video game industry, including the US, Japanese and European markets.
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 book is a narrative of how the video game industry came to be. It gives almost a biographer's point of view, portraying the life of some popular authors and how their ambitions or life events are reflected in their productions.
Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984: by Van Burnham.
The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to PlayStation and Beyond: (ISBN 0-3133386-8-X) edited by Mark J.P. Wolf. This is the first comprehensive academic history of video games.
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.
Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time: (ISBN 0-2408-1146-1) by Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton.

Artwork collections, Artbooks and "making of" books

Franchise Title Author(s) ISBN Based on/ Notes
Alice: Madness Returns The Art of Alice: Madness Returns R.J. Berg ISBN 978-1595826978
Assassin's Creed III The Art of Assassin's Creed III Andy McVittie ISBN 978-1781164259
Atelier (series) Atelier: Artworks of Arland Various ISBN 978-1926778631
BioShock Infinite The Art of BioShock Infinite Various ISBN 978-1595829948
Borderlands 2 The Art of Borderlands 2 Various ISBN 978-0744014372
Brütal Legend The Art of Brutal Legend Scott Campbell, Daniel Bukszpan, Tim Schafer ISBN 978-1926778648
Darksiders The Art of Darksiders Matt Moylan ISBN 978-1926778105
The Art of Darksiders II Joe Madureira, Jonathan Kirtz ISBN 978-1926778532 Based on Darksiders II
Dead Space (series) The Art of Dead Space Martin Robinson ISBN 978-1781164266
Disgaea DISGAEArt!!! Disgaea Official Illustration Collection Takehito Harada ISBN 978-1926778501
Doom 3 The Making of Doom 3: The Official Guide Steven L. Kent ISBN 978-0072230529
Gears of War 3 The Art of Gears of War 3 Ronnie Gramazio ISBN 978-1921828157
God of War III The Art of God of War III Daniel P. Wade ISBN 978-1921002724
Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar David Hodgson ISBN 0-7615-4364-3
Halo (series) Halo: The Art of Building Worlds Titan Books ISBN 978-0857685629
Halo: The Essential Visual Guide Various ISBN 978-0756675929
Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe Tobias Buckell ISBN 978-0756688691
Awakening: The Art of Halo 4 Paul Davies ISBN 978-1781163245
Marvel Vs. Capcom Marvel Vs. Capcom: Official Complete Works UDON, Shinkiro, Akiman, Bengus ISBN 978-1926778495
Mass Effect The Art of the Mass Effect Universe Various ISBN 978-1595827685
Myst From Myst To Riven Richard Kadrey ISBN 978-0786863655
Myst and Riven: The World of the D'ni Mark J. P. Wolf ISBN 978-0472051496
Okami Okami Official Complete Works Michelle Kirie Hayashi (Translator) ISBN 978-1897376027
Persona Persona 3: Official Design Works Shigenori Soejima, Shigenori Atlus ISBN 978-1926778433 Persona 3
Persona 4: Official Design Works Shigenori Soejima, Shigenori Atlus ISBN 978-1926778457 Persona 4
Persona 4 Arena: Official Design Works Shigenori Soejima ISBN 978-1926778815 Publication Date: August 13, 2013[5]
Prince of Persia The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985 - 1993 Jordan Mechner ISBN 978-1468093650
Remember Me The Art of Remember Me Aleksi Briclot, Michel Koch, Jean-Max Moris ISBN 978-1616551636
Resident Evil Resident Evil Archives (Vol. 1) Various ISBN 978-0744006551
Resident Evil Archives Volume 2 Various ISBN 978-0744013214
Silent Hill Silent Hill: The Terror Engine Bernard Perron ISBN 978-0472051625 Close analysis of the first three Silent Hill games and general look at the whole franchise.
Street Fighter Street Fighter World Warrior Encyclopedia Matt Moylan, Jo Chen, Arnold Tsang, Jeffrey Chamba Cruz, Joe Ng, Gonzalo Ordonez ISBN 978-1926778013
Street Fighter: The Ultimate Edition Ken Siu-Chong, Alvin Lee, Omar Dogan, Long Vo, Arnold Tsang, Joe Madureira, Adam Warren, Jo Chen ISBN 978-1926778075
Sonic the Hedgehog The History of Sonic the Hedgehog Various ISBN 978-1926778563
The Last of Us The Art of The Last of Us Naughty Dog Studios, Rachel Edidin ISBN 978-1616551643
The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Akira Himekawa, Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma ISBN 978-1616550417
Tomb Raider Tomb Raider: The Art of Survival Various ISBN 978-0744014549 Based on Tomb Raider version 2013.
Uncharted The Art of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Daniel P. Wade ISBN 978-1921002717 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Drake's Journal Inside the Making of Uncharted 3 Nolan North ISBN 978-0615554402 Uncharted 3
Valkyria Chronicles Valkyria Chronicles: Design Archive Various ISBN 978-1926778167
Valkyria Chronicles 2: World Artworks Various ISBN 978-1926778389
Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks Raita Honjou ISBN 978-1926778617
Various 1000 Game Heroes David Choquet ISBN 3-8228-1633-7
High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games Rusel DeMaria, Johnny Lee Wilson ISBN 978-0072224283
Sega Video Game Illustrations Graphic Sha Pub Co ISBN 978-4766107722 Artworks from early-1990s Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System and Game Gear titles.
The Art of Game Worlds Dave Morris and Leo Hartas ISBN 1-904705-34-0

See also

References

  1. ↑ "GAM3R 7H30RY". Futureofthebook.org. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  2. ↑ "Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds". Half-Real. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  3. ↑ "An introduction to understanding digital games" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  4. ↑ "Smashwords — Gaming Wonderland — A book by Francesco Fraulo". Smashwords.com. 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  5. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Persona-Arena-Official-Design-Works/dp/1926778812/ref=pd_sim_b_2
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