List of books about video games

The following is a list of books on computer and video games, which range from history to art books. See also: List of books based on computer and video games.

Design and theory

21st Century Game Design: (ISBN 1584504293) by Chris Bateman and Richard Boon. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design: (ISBN 1592730019) by Andrew Rollings, Ernest Adams.
The Art of Computer Game Design: (ISBN 0881341177) 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 1592003532) by Lee Sheldon. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling: (ISBN 0321278909) by Chris Crawford.
Computer Game Design: Theory and Practice: (ISBN 1556229127) by Richard Rouse III.
Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering: (ISBN 1592730078) by David Freeman.
Designing Virtual Worlds: (ISBN 0131018167) by Richard Bartle.
Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide: (ISBN 1592730000) by Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky.
Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition: (ISBN 0735713634) by Andrew Rollings, Dave Morris.
Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games: (ISBN 0761531653) Bob Bates.
Game Interface Design: (ISBN 1592005934) by Brent Fox.
Introduction to Game Development: (ISBN 1584503777) by Steve Rabin. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
More Than A Game: The Computer Game as Fictional Form: (ISBN 0719063655) by Barry Atkins
Patterns in Game Design: (ISBN 1584503548) by Staffan Bjork and Jussi Holopainen. This book is part of the Game Development Series.
Rules of Play : Game Design Fundamentals: (ISBN 0262240459) by Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman.
Theory of Fun for Game Design: (ISBN 1932111972) by Raph Koster.
Trigger Happy: (ISBN 1559705981/ISBN 1841151211) 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.

History

High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games: 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 featurs 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.
Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution : by Dean Takahashi
Playing to Win: by David Sirlin
The Video Game Theory Reader: (ISBN 0415965799) edited by Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron.
The Ultimate History of Video Games: (ISBN 0761536434) by Steven Kent
Masters of Doom: (ISBN 0375505245) by David Kushner
Game Over: (ISBN 0966961706) by David Sheff
Power Up: (ISBN 0744004241) by Chris Kohler

Artwork collections and "making of" books

1000 Game Heroes: (ISBN 3822816337) by David Choquet
The Art of Game Worlds: (ISBN 1904705340) by Dave Morris and Leo Hartas
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar: (ISBN 0761543643) by David Hodgson
Sega Video Game Illustrations: Japanese and English language book featuring artwork from early-1990s Sega Mega Drive, Master System and Game Gear titles.