Recommended Reading

As part of my Master's Program, I am currently taking part in a class that is designing an educational video game. There is some recommended reading for that class which deals with video games mostly. But I think the reading crossesover well to the realm of board game design. So, the following is the professor's recommended reading list that he shared with the class at the start of the semester.

Dr. G’s Recommended Readings

Books

• Raph Koster, A Theory of Fun for Game Design. This book inspired much of my work for the last several years. I decided against making it a required book for the course, knowing how much attention production tends to eat. However, I’m happy to lead a discussion group with anyone that wants to dive into this during the semester!

Articles

• Eric Klopfer, Scot Osterweil, and Katie Salen. Moving Learning Games Forward: Obstacles, Opportunities, & Openness.
• Raph Koster, Narrative is not a game mechanic. Designers and philosophers disagree about what a “game” and a “story” is, but Koster’s practical perspective helps one focus on the systemic nature of interactive entertainment.
• Raph Koster, How I Analyze a Game. If you’re reflecting on how to write a good analysis, look no further than this recent essay.
• Keith Burgun, What Makes a Game? This is a controversial essay. A lot of people disagree with his taxonomy and nomenclature, but I believe it still has value. It is easiest to read if you see his use of “puzzle” and “game” as somewhat arbitrary variable names. His manifesto, Game Design Theory: A New Philosophy for Understanding Games, is worth a look if you are interested in more details; a copy is in the library.
• Anything by Daniel Cook at The Lost Garden, although I would not start with Multiplayer Logistics even if it is still the most recent one. Loops and Arcs and Building Tight Systems of Cause and Effect are both quite good.
• Keith Burgun, Instant Ambiguity Sauce is a challenging essay on the meaninglessness variety of “fun” that is easy to add to a game.

Dr. G’s Extra Recommendations

These recommendations are at the periphery of what we’re doing this semester. However, if you’re looking for something deep to chew on, look no further. I find them deeply connected to the essential questions of our inquiry.

Books

• Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini, Inevitable Illusions. This book is about the cognitive illusions under which all of us live. A cognitive illusion is like an optical illusion: you still fall for it even if you know it’s a trick.
• George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By. The authors describe how everything in thought and language is a metaphor. At the end, they tear down both objectivism and subjectivism. Who would want more from a book by a philosopher and a linguist?