Customer Reviews

The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology

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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.

There's a lot in here, ranging from total hot-air nonsense to some really brilliant stuff. Basically, getting this book is a lot like googling "Game Design Article" - you have to do a lot of sifting of your own. However, with that said, I suppose it's nice to have. In general, though, I can't totally recommend it. You're better off reading other books on design, or simply playing games, or designing games than reading this.

Curious minds that have delighted in games will love this book! I adored the compilation of shared thoughts from "Who's Who" in game design. Aesthetically, the book is so cute! My copy sits on my coffee table. The book had me at the cover...