List of books about video games

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.

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".; "The Art of Gaming and Cloning": (ISBN 1-69999-353-2) 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.; "": (ISBN 1-59273-007-8) by David Freeman.; "Designing Virtual Worlds": (ISBN 0-13-101816-7) by Richard Bartle.; "": (ISBN 1-59273-000-0) by Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky.; "": (ISBN 0-7864-2292-0) edited by Nate Garrelts.; "": (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.; "": (ISBN 0-7615-3165-3) Bob Bates.; "": (ISBN 1-55622-912-7) by Richard Rouse III.; "": (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.; "": (ISBN 0-8173-1418-0) by Ken S. McAllister.; "Gamer Theory": (ISBN 0-67402-519-9) by McKenzie Wark. [http://www.futureofthebook.org/gamertheory/ Book website] .; "": (ISBN 0-262-10110-6) by Jesper Juul. [http://www.half-real.net 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".; "": (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".; "": (ISBN 0-262-20163-1) by T.L. Taylor.; "Playing to Win": by David Sirlin; "": (ISBN 0-262-24045-9) by Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman.; "": (ISBN 0-226-09626-2) by Edward Castranova.; "": (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. [http://www.digiplay.info/node/250 (Table of contents and contributing authors)] , [http://www.sagepub.co.uk/upm-data/9768_36401ch1.pdf (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.”; "": 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.”; "": by George Jones.; "": by Van Burnham.

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.

History

; "": (ISBN 0-9704755-0-0) by Steven L. Kent; "": (ISBN 1-56025-681-8) by Ed Halter; "": (ISBN 0-679-40469-4) by David Sheff.; "": (ISBN 0-9669617-0-6) by David Sheff; "": 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; "": (ISBN 0-375-50524-5) by David Kushner; "My Tiny Life": (ISBN 0-8050-3626-1) by Julian Dibbell. A narrative history of LambdaMOO.; " : by Dean Takahashi; "Phoenix, The Fall and Rise of Videogames" (ISBN 0-9643848-5-X) by Leonard Herman (2001): Phoenix was the first serious book on videogame 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 for 2009. In April 2008, Game Informer magazine named this book the 2nd best videogame related book ever published.; "": (ISBN 0-262-20163-1) TL Taylor (2006); "": (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.; "": (ISBN 0-9643848-1-7) by Ralph Baer; "The Ultimate History of Video Games": (ISBN 0-7615-3643-4) by Steven L. Kent; "": (ISBN 0-7440-0424-1) by Chris Kohler.

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; "": (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":