Alexander R. Galloway University of Minnesota Press | 168 pages | 2006 ISBN 0-8166-4850-6 | hardcover | $54.00 ISBN 0-8166-4851-4 | paperback | $17.95 Electronic Mediations Series, volume 18

I haven't read the book but thought it might be of interest to some of you. Official book description:
In Gaming, Alexander R. Galloway considers the video game as a distinct cultural form that demands a new and unique interpretive framework. Using examples from more than fifty video games, Galloway constructs a classification system of action in video games, and, ultimately offers a new conception of gaming and, more broadly, of electronic culture, one that celebrates the qualities of the digital age.
Book Website: http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/G/galloway_gaming.html

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game-based learning. New York, McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-07-136344-0 (hbk), 0-07-145400-4 (pbk).

As the first book to really look at digital game based learning in the 21st century, Prenskys book is held by many as the bible of game based learning. However, in this book Prensky deals more with game-based learning as used in business training rather than educational training and therefore I feel it is less suited to understanding educational game-based learning. Alot of the case studies contained in the book are focused on military training or company training rather than educational training. In spite of this criticism, this book is hailed in research circles as a must read for all interested in digital game based learning. Published in 2001, it seems (already) to be dated, while many other, more recent books (some also reviewed here) are, in my opinion, more suited to understanding game-based learning for todays educational environments. In 2005, it finally came out in paperback with some (minor) changes from the hardback version published in 2001.

Newman, J. (2004). Videogames. London, Routledge. ISBN 0-415-28192-X

Newman’s book is a thorough and scholarly overview of videogames, and research into the genre. It deals with a range of approaches and perspectives. Beginning with a brief history and taxonomy of videogames, Newman sets them in the context of games and play in general, then considers the question of who is playing these games, and why they play. In this latter area, the book presents evidence to challenge the popular belief that videogames are principally played by pre-adolescent boys. The particular strength of the book is its engagement with the cultural significance of videogames, and their place within the array of new electronic media, arguing that their importance extends more widely than to just those who play.

There is a detailed and helpful review of the book at :
http://www.game-research.com/art_review_newman.asp
which is, however, rather grudging. While acknowledging strengths in the book, the reviewer accuses Newman at the same time of “packing” and “glossing”. This criticism seems to amount to a judgment that the book is not the one that the reviewer wanted to read, which should not diminish its value as a comprehensive and engaging account for the interested lay reader.

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:04 pm Post subject:

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A book from Steven L. Kent, called The Ultimate History of Video Games, gives also a nice introduction and history of the entire field of Video Games.
"- The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World-"
For me it was interesting to get some insitghts and to see, how this field evolved, to remember early games, somehow forgotten in the meanwhile.

ISBN: 1886411840

It is not about educational games but interactivity in general. Especially chapter 19 Play is in my opinion very relevant for this community:
"Play is fundamental to interactitivity. It is the original educational technology, dating back millions of years. Despite our protestations of deadly seriousness, play pervades much of our culture."

Staffan Björk, Jussi Holopainen. Delmar Thomson Learning 2004. ISBN 1584503548.

The authors have identified and collected practical design choices for all types of games. They call these choices ’patterns’. In the book they describe these patterns, give examples of them in existing games, and explain how they are used and what are the consequences of using them.

The book is divided in two main parts. First there is a shorter part which deals with the theoretical aspects of game design patterns. The larger part of the book contains the collection of the identified patterns.

The patterns are categorized in eleven main categories (game elements, actions & events, social interaction etc) and in them several subcategories. The patterns range from Game World, Power-Ups and Enemies to Social Dilemmas, Asymmetric Goals and Puzzle Solving. The pattern collection contains over 200 patterns.

I, a novice in the area of game design, find the book inspiring and helpful as I’m now beginning to design my very first more complex computer game. It may be useful for experienced game designers as well. The book also works as a kind of encyclopedia of game design as it can be used to check the meaning of concepts like Easter Eggs, Roleplaying or Cut Scenes (which of course are very basic examples).

Chris Crawford. New Riders Games 2003. ISBN 0131460994.

In this book the author shares his long experience as a game designer. More than half of the book contains critical self-analyses of the games he has designed. He describes the design process through which the games were born. He tells about the good decisions and mistakes he made during the process. This part is probably more valuable for an experienced designer than the rest of the book.
There are also two more or less educational games among his designs: The balance of Power and Balance of the Planet.

Other parts of the book discuss topics such as play, challenge, conflict, interactivity, creativity, storytelling and common mistakes in game design. Crawford gives also a list of game ideas (games he would like to build) and a list of games with interesting design concept or which are otherwise important in his opinion. He also discusses the (self)education of a game designer

Crawford has gathered the main teachings of his book into about 100 lessons. For example lesson #16: “The absence of graphic information can be just as stimulating to the player’s imagination as its presence”.

Maja Pivec, Anni Koubek, Claudio Dondi (Eds.) Pabst Science Publishers, 2004 ISBN 3-89967-193-7 (Europe), ISBN 1-59326-072-5 (USA)

This book is a contribution to a fast developing field of high interest to many educators: Make learning fun! The primary targert-group of these guidelines is practicioners, i.e. all pedagogues, teachers and trainers that want to implement game-based learning in their classes. The book will help them to systematically find commercial games and introduce them into their classes, or to implement their own ideas in the form of an educational game. Activities included in the chapters often support in this proactive behaviour.