There are countless Video Game courses, tutorials, articles available online, but for some, having a book is still a necessity to learn. This is an up-to-date list of recommended books.
1. Trapped in a Video Game: The Complete Series (2019)
Getting sucked into a video game is not as much fun as you'd think. Sure, there are jetpacks, hover tanks, and infinite lives, but what happens when the game starts to turn on you? In this best-selling series, 12-year-old Jesse Rigsby finds out just how dangerous video games – and the people making those games – can be. Jesse hates video games – and for good reason. You see, a video game character is trying to kill him. After getting sucked into the new game Full Blast with his best friend, Eric, Jesse quickly discovers that he's being followed by a mysterious figure. If he doesn't figure out what's…
2. Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design (2014)
If you want to design and build cutting-edge video games but aren’t sure where to start, then the SECOND EDITION of the acclaimed Level Up! is for you! Written by leading video game expert Scott Rogers, who has designed the hits Pac Man World, Maximo and SpongeBob Squarepants, this updated edition provides clear and well-thought out examples that forgo theoretical gobbledygook with charmingly illustrated concepts and solutions based on years of professional experience. Level Up! 2nd Edition has been NEWLY EXPANDED to teach you how to develop marketable ideas, learn what perils and pitfalls await during a…
3. Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More (2019)
Find out about the fast and furious growth and evolution of video games (including how they are quickly taking over the world!) by looking at some of the most popular, innovative, and influential games ever, from Pong, the very first arcade game ever, to modern hits like Uncharted.Learn about the creators and inspiration (Mario was named after Nintendo’s landlord after he barged into a staff meeting demanding rent), discover historical trivia and Easter eggs (The developers of Halo 2 drank over 24,000 gallons of soda while making the game), and explore the innovations…
4. Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques (2014)
With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key…
5. Trapped in a Video Game (Book 1) (Volume 1) (2018)
Kids who love video games will love this first installment of the new 5-book series about 12-year old Jesse Rigsby and his wild adventures inside different video games.Jesse Rigsby hates video games – and for good reason. You see, a video game character is trying to kill him. After getting sucked in the new game Full Blast with his friend Eric, Jesse starts to see the appeal of vaporizing man-size praying mantis while cruising around by jet pack. But pretty soon, a mysterious figure begins following Eric and Jesse, and they discover they can't leave the game. If they don't figure out what's going…
6. The Video Games Textbook: History • Business • Technology (2018)
The Video Games Textbook takes the history of video games to another level, with visually-stimulating, comprehensive, and chronological chapters that are relevant and easy to read for a variety of students. Every chapter is a journey into a different era or area of gaming, where readers emerge with a strong sense of how video games evolved, why they succeeded or failed, and the impact they had on the industry and human culture. Written to capture the attention and interest of both domestic and international college students, each chapter contains a list…
7. Trapped in a Video Game (Book 3): Robots Revolt (Volume 3) (2018)
Kids who love video games will love this third installment of the new 5-book series about 12-year old Jesse Rigsby and the wild adventures he encounters inside different video games. The robots are here and they're not happy, at all. After accidentally releasing the robot villains from Super Bot World 3 into the real world, Jesse Rigsby's got to figure out a way to make everything right before anyone gets hurt. He'd usually rely on his friend Eric to help him with this sort of thing, but he's gone missing. To find Eric, Jesse will…
8. Game On! 2019: All the Best Games: Awesome Facts and Coolest Secrets (2018)
Get ready for another awesome year of gaming with this ultimate guide to the best games, including a definitive list of the biggest games of the past year and the new ones coming in 2019. Featuring Five Nights at Freddy’s and Hello Neighbor!Game On! 2019, the most comprehensive guide to all the best games, tech, and YouTube stars, features some of the year’s greatest moments, including exclusive interviews with YouTube legends, top streamers, and game developers.This complete guide is packed with information on all the latest gaming hardware, tech, and essential mobile games. Also included are the best…
9. Trapped in a Video Game (Book 2): The Invisible Invasion (Volume 2) (2018)
Kids who love video games will love this second installment in the new 5-book series about 12-year old Jesse Rigsby and the wild adventures he encounters inside different video games. After Full Blast, Jesse Rigsby and his friend Eric has sworn off video games. But when Jesse is offered the chance to save his friend Mark, of course he says, "Yes." Problem is, Jesse is invisible now, sucked into the world of Go Wild—a Pokémon Go–style mobile game. To reach Mark, Jesse's going to have to shake the Bigfoot chasing him through the school library, survive the velociraptor in the bathroom, and…
10. Trapped in a Video Game (Book 4): Return to Doom Island (Volume 4) (2018)
Kids who love video games will love this fourth installment of the 5-book series about 12-year old Jesse Rigsby and the wild adventures he encounters inside different video games. Alistair Gregory, the man who figured out how to put people into video games, is not what he seems. Jesse Rigsby is sure of that. Jesse’s sure of something else, too—he’s being watched. To unravel the mystery, Jesse’s going to have to transform himself into a superspy with serious retro-gaming skills. Can he pull it off before the bad guys catch on?…
11. Trapped in a Video Game (Book 5): The Final Boss (2019)
Kids who love video games will love this fifth and final installment of the 5-book series about 12-year old Jesse Rigsby and the wild adventures he encounters inside different video games. Jesse and Eric have ten minutes to save the world. In those ten minutes, they’re supposed to dive into a massive video game universe, track down an all-powerful madman, and stop his evil plan before it’s too late. Sound impossible? It’s super impossible. There will be fire-breathing pterodactyls, angry green giants, and unicorns that shoot lasers out of their hooves. If Jesse and Eric are going to survive long enough to fight…
12. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition (2007)
James Paul Gee begins his classic book with “I want to talk about video games–yes, even violent video games–and say some positive things about them.” With this simple but explosive statement, one of America’s most well-respected educators looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games. In this revised edition, new games like World of WarCraft and Half Life 2 are evaluated and theories of cognitive development are expanded. Gee looks at major cognitive activities including how individuals develop a sense of identity, how we grasp meaning, how we evaluate and follow a…
13. Replay: The History of Video Games (2010)
A riveting account of the strange birth and remarkable evolution of the most important development in entertainment since television, Replay is the ultimate history of video games. Based on extensive research and over 140 exclusive interviews with key movers and shakers from gaming’s past, Replay tells the sensational story of how the creative vision of game designers gave rise to one of the world’s most popular and dynamic art forms….
14. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon–The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World (2001)
With all the whiz, bang, pop, and shimmer of a glowing arcade. The Ultimate History of Video Games reveals everything you ever wanted to know and more about the unforgettable games that changed the world, the visionaries who made them, and the fanatics who played them. From the arcade to television and from the PC to the handheld device, video games have entraced kids at heart for nearly 30 years. And author and gaming historian Steven L. Kent has been there to record the craze from the very beginning.This engrossing book tells the incredible tale of how this backroom novelty transformed into a cultural phenomenon. Through meticulous…
15. The Golden Age of Video Games (2011)
This book focuses on the history of video games, consoles, and home computers from the very beginning until the mid-nineties, which started a new era in digital entertainment. The text features the most innovative games and introduces the pioneers who developed them. It offers brief analyses of the most relevant games from each time period. An epilogue covers the events and systems that followed this golden age while the appendices include a history of handheld games and an overview of the retro-gaming scene….
Best Video Game Books You Should Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some video game books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Video Games And Well-being: Press Start
Author(s): Rachel Kowert
Publisher: Palgrave Pivot, Year: 2020, Size: 2 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2445010
The Publishing Challenge for Independent Video Game Developers: A Practical Guide
Author(s): Odile Limpach
Publisher: CRC Press, Year: 2020, Size: 7 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2512035
Little Book of Video Games: 70 Classics That Everyone Should Know and Play
Author(s): Melissa Brinks
Publisher: Running Press, Year: 2020, Size: 11 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2580223
Professional techniques for video game writing
Author(s): Wendy Despain (editor)
Publisher: , Year: 2020, Size: 6 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2623010
They create worlds : the story of the people and companies that shaped the video game industry Volume 1, 1971-1982
Author(s): (Historian) Alexander Smith
Publisher: , Year: 2020, Size: 6 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2623436
The Dream Architects: Adventures in the Video Game Industry
Author(s): David Polfeldt
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, Year: 2020, Size: 691 Kb, Download: epub
ID: 2633804
They create worlds: the story of the people and companies that shaped the video game industry Volume 1, 1971-1982
Author(s): Smith, Alexander;
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group, Year: 2020, Size: 1 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2786455
The video games textbook: history, business, technology
Author(s): Wardyga, Brian J
Publisher: CRC Press, Year: 2019, Size: 58 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2351649
Please note that this booklist is not absolute. Some books are absolutely chart-busters according to USA Today, others are drafted by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.