The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology

The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology

The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology
List Price: $50.00
Our Price: $34.93
You Save: $15.07 (30%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $18.99 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Editor: Eric Zimmerman
Editor: Katie Salen
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-11-23
ISBN: 0262195364
Number of pages: 954
Publisher: The MIT Press

Book Reviews of The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology

Book Review: Thoughtful
Summary: 5 Stars

This book collects a wide variety of critical thought on game design and the theory of games. As the subtitle states, it's a nice companion to "Rules of Play", but "Rules of Play" is by no means necessary to appreciate this book.

I like that it has a broad mix of theoretical articles from academics and more practical discussions from practicing game designers. It has most of the seminal articles I would expect to find in a summary of the field, as well as some I was not previously familiar with, but still enjoyed. As with any collection, not every piece was my cup of tea, but the overall quality was higher than I expected.

If you like games, this will make you think about how they work. It won't give you much day to day practical advice on making games, but sometimes it's good to think outside the practical. As a professional video game designer, I like things that make me think in new ways.

Summary of The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology

The Game Design Reader is a one-of-a-kind collection on game design and criticism, from classic scholarly essays to cutting-edge case studies. A companion work to Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman's textbook Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, The Game Design Reader is a classroom sourcebook, a reference for working game developers, and a great read for game fans and players.Thirty-two essays by game designers, game critics, game fans, philosophers, anthropologists, media theorists, and others consider fundamental questions: What are games and how are they designed? How do games interact with culture at large? What critical approaches can game designers take to create game stories, game spaces, game communities, and new forms of play?Salen and Zimmerman have collected seminal writings that span 50 years to offer a stunning array of perspectives. Game journalists express the rhythms of game play, sociologists tackle topics such as role-playing in vast virtual worlds, players rant and rave, and game designers describe the sweat and tears of bringing a game to market. Each text acts as a springboard for discussion, a potential class assignment, and a source of inspiration. The book is organized around fourteen topics, from The Player Experience to The Game Design Process, from Games and Narrative to Cultural Representation. Each topic, introduced with a short essay by Salen and Zimmerman, covers ideas and research fundamental to the study of games, and points to relevant texts within the Reader. Visual essays between book sections act as counterpoint to the writings.Like Rules of Play, The Game Design Reader is an intelligent and playful book. An invaluable resource for professionals and a unique introduction for those new to the field, The Game Design Reader is essential reading for anyone who takes games seriously.

Games & Strategy Guides Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Games & Strategy Guides Books
Bulletstorm Prima Official Strategy Guide with Bonus Videos: Prima Official Game Guide ImageBulletstorm Prima Official Strategy Guide with Bonus Videos: Prima Official Game Guide
by David Knight
Prima Games; Published: 2011-02-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.97
Price in other shops: $19.99
WWE '12: Prima Official Game Guide ImageWWE '12: Prima Official Game Guide
by Matt Sumpter
Random House/Prima Games; Prima Games; Published: 2011-11-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $19.99
Alan Wake Illuminated ImageAlan Wake Illuminated
by Jorg Neumann, Tony Elias
Prima Games; Published: 2010-05-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $45.00
Pokemon Pocket Pokedex Vol.3: Prima Official Game Guide ImagePokemon Pocket Pokedex Vol.3: Prima Official Game Guide
by Prima Games
Prima Games; Published: 2010-08-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops: $14.99
Lost Planet 2: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) ImageLost Planet 2: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
by Stephen Stratton
Prima Games; Published: 2010-05-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.29
Price in other shops: $19.99
The Warcraft Civilization: Social Science in a Virtual World ImageThe Warcraft Civilization: Social Science in a Virtual World
by William Sims Bainbridge
The MIT Press; Published: 2010-01-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.00
Price in other shops: $27.95
Dr. C.Wacko's Miracle Guide to Designing and Programming Your Own Atari Computer Arcade Games ImageDr. C.Wacko's Miracle Guide to Designing and Programming Your Own Atari Computer Arcade Games
Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc; Spiral-bound; Book
Student Solutions Manual for Quantum Chemistry ImageStudent Solutions Manual for Quantum Chemistry
by Ira N Levine
Prentice Hall; Published: 2002-09-21; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $40.20
3D Game Engine Architecture: Engineering Real-Time Applications with Wild Magic (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology) Image3D Game Engine Architecture: Engineering Real-Time Applications with Wild Magic (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology)
by David H. Eberly
Morgan Kaufmann; Published: 2004-12-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $48.36
Price in other shops: $89.95
New Super Mario Bros (Wii): Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) ImageNew Super Mario Bros (Wii): Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
by Fernando Bueno
Prima; Prima Games; Published: 2009-11-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $89.54
Similar Books and other products
A Theory of Fun for Game Design ImageA Theory of Fun for Game Design
by Raph Koster
Paraglyph Press; Published: 2004-11-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.85
Price in other shops: $24.99
Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter ImageEverything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter
by Steven Johnson
Riverhead Trade; Published: 2006-05-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.92
Price in other shops: $16.00
Gamer Theory ImageGamer Theory
by McKenzie Wark
Harvard University Press; Published: 2007-04-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.58
Price in other shops: $23.50
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition ImageWhat Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition
by James Paul Gee
Palgrave Macmillan; Published: 2007-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.04
Price in other shops: $18.00
How to Do Things with Videogames (Electronic Mediations) ImageHow to Do Things with Videogames (Electronic Mediations)
by Ian Bogost
Univ Of Minnesota Press; Published: 2011-08-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.61
Price in other shops: $18.95
Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System (Platform Studies) ImageRacing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System (Platform Studies)
by Nick Montfort, Ian Bogost
The MIT Press; Published: 2009-01-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.71
Price in other shops: $22.95
Understanding Video Games: The Essential Introduction ImageUnderstanding Video Games: The Essential Introduction
by Simon Egenfeldt-Nielson, Jonas Heide Smith, Susana Pajares Tosca
Routledge; Published: 2008-02-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $38.49
Price in other shops: $44.95
Game Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (Gama Network Series) ImageGame Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (Gama Network Series)
by Tracy Fullerton
Morgan Kaufmann; Published: 2008-02-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.07
Price in other shops: $44.95
The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses ImageThe Art of Game Design: A book of lenses
by Jesse Schell
Morgan Kaufmann; Published: 2008-08-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $34.74
Price in other shops: $59.95
Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals ImageRules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals
by Eric Zimmerman, Katie Salen
The MIT Press; Published: 2003-09-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $35.87
Price in other shops: $55.00
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories