Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book
Books that every game designer will find valuable.
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 1 |
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
by
4.39 avg rating — 3,376 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 2 |
A Theory Of Fun For Game Design
by
3.90 avg rating — 3,437 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 3 |
The Design of Everyday Things
by
4.15 avg rating — 47,058 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 4 |
Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals
by
3.99 avg rating — 1,010 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 5 |
Educational Game Design Fundamentals: A Journey to Creating Intrinsically Motivating Learning Experiences
by
George Kalmpourtzis (Goodreads Author)
4.34 avg rating — 44 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 6 |
Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World
by
3.79 avg rating — 8,332 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 7 |
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
by
4.11 avg rating — 87,452 ratings
score: 887,
and
9 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 8 |
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
by
4.29 avg rating — 19,928 ratings
score: 770,
and
8 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 9 |
Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,462,183 ratings
score: 595,
and
6 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 10 |
Neuromancer (Sprawl #1)
by
3.89 avg rating — 359,454 ratings
score: 591,
and
6 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 11 |
Challenges for Game Designers
by
3.99 avg rating — 306 ratings
score: 582,
and
6 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 12 |
Game Feel (Morgan Kaufmann Game Design Books)
by
3.91 avg rating — 378 ratings
score: 488,
and
5 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 13 |
Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames
by
3.84 avg rating — 360 ratings
score: 483,
and
5 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 14 |
The Hero With a Thousand Faces
by
4.13 avg rating — 44,617 ratings
score: 393,
and
4 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 14 |
Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter
by
3.51 avg rating — 3,702 ratings
score: 393,
and
4 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 16 |
The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
by
4.28 avg rating — 79,540 ratings
score: 375,
and
4 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 17 |
The Invisible Game: Mindset of a Winning Team
by
Zoltan Andrejkovics (Goodreads Author)
4.34 avg rating — 225 ratings
score: 300,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 18 |
Perdido Street Station (New Crobuzon, #1)
by
China Miéville (Goodreads Author)
3.98 avg rating — 74,800 ratings
score: 297,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 18 |
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
by
4.11 avg rating — 150,592 ratings
score: 297,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 18 |
Characteristics of Games
by
4.13 avg rating — 238 ratings
score: 297,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 21 |
Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives,and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form
by
Anna Anthropy (Goodreads Author)
3.87 avg rating — 735 ratings
score: 293,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 22 |
Chris Crawford on Game Design
by
3.73 avg rating — 184 ratings
score: 290,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 22 |
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
by
Scott McCloud (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 130,562 ratings
score: 290,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 24 |
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
by
4.04 avg rating — 451,347 ratings
score: 289,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 25 |
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
by
4.42 avg rating — 5,380 ratings
score: 286,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 25 |
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels
by
Jason Schreier (Goodreads Author)
4.20 avg rating — 24,021 ratings
score: 286,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 27 |
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by
4.01 avg rating — 849,507 ratings
score: 281,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 28 |
The Well-Played Game: A Player's Philosophy
by
4.01 avg rating — 168 ratings
score: 276,
and
3 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 29 |
The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design
by
4.06 avg rating — 637 ratings
score: 200,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 29 |
Designing Games: A Guide to Engineering Experiences
by
4.47 avg rating — 489 ratings
score: 200,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 31 |
The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design
by
3.61 avg rating — 344 ratings
score: 199,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 32 |
The Image of the City
by
4.05 avg rating — 4,160 ratings
score: 198,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 33 |
Designing Virtual Worlds
by
4.03 avg rating — 175 ratings
score: 196,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 33 |
Free: The Future of a Radical Price
by
Chris Anderson (Goodreads Author)
3.88 avg rating — 17,485 ratings
score: 196,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 35 |
The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia
by
4.08 avg rating — 566 ratings
score: 195,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 36 |
The Art of Game Design: A Deck of Lenses
by
4.39 avg rating — 3,376 ratings
score: 194,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 37 |
100 Principles of Game Design
by
4.10 avg rating — 40 ratings
score: 193,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 38 |
Postmortems from Game Developer: Insights from the Developers of Unreal Tournament, Black and White, Age of Empires, and Other Top-Selling Games
by
Austin Grossman (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 42 ratings
score: 190,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 39 |
A Game Design Vocabulary: Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design
by
Anna Anthropy (Goodreads Author)
3.93 avg rating — 134 ratings
score: 188,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 40 |
Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation
by
Blake J. Harris (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 11,922 ratings
score: 182,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 41 |
An Introduction to Game Studies
by
3.79 avg rating — 84 ratings
score: 179,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 42 |
The Art of Computer Game Design
by
3.80 avg rating — 144 ratings
score: 177,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 43 |
Unit Operations: An Appoach to Videogame Criticism
by
3.68 avg rating — 216 ratings
score: 174,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 43 |
Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System
by
4.07 avg rating — 808 ratings
score: 174,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 43 |
Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic
by
Brad King (Goodreads Author)
3.62 avg rating — 395 ratings
score: 174,
and
2 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
by
4.40 avg rating — 325 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
First Person: New Media As Story, Performance, And Game
by
Noah Wardrip-Fruin (Editor)
3.74 avg rating — 159 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
Google SketchUp for Game Design: Beginner's Guide
by
Robin de Jongh (Goodreads Author)
4.25 avg rating — 12 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
Virtual Reality: The Revolutionary Technology of Computer-Generated Artificial Worlds - and How It Promises to Transform Society
by
Howard Rheingold (Goodreads Author)
3.78 avg rating — 138 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
Graphic Icons: Visionaries Who Shaped Modern Graphic Design
by
John Clifford (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 55 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
Origins of Architectural Pleasure
by
4.19 avg rating — 26 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
Possible Worlds, Artificial Intelligence, and Narrative Theory
by
3.95 avg rating — 39 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School
by
Matthew Frederick (Goodreads Author)
4.08 avg rating — 5,705 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
The Micro Kids: An 80s Adventure with ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and more (Video Games Book)
by
Gary Plowman (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 72 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
ZX Spectrum Games Code Club: Twenty fun games to code and learn
by
Gary Plowman (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 18 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
The Micro Kids: An 80s Adventure with ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and more
by
Gary Plowman (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 72 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
Think Like A Game Designer: The Step-by-Step Guide to Unlocking Your Creative Potential
by
4.04 avg rating — 168 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 46 |
RPG Design Zine
by
4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 59 |
Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture
by
3.99 avg rating — 2,939 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 59 |
The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security
by
3.76 avg rating — 7,211 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 59 |
Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens: Design Principles, Aesthetic Values
by
4.07 avg rating — 30 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 59 |
The War of Desire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age
by
3.88 avg rating — 65 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 59 |
Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 110 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 59 |
The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1
by
3.67 avg rating — 173 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 59 |
The Infinite Playground: A Player's Guide to Imagination
by
3.84 avg rating — 51 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 66 |
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre
by
4.22 avg rating — 3,855 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 66 |
Morphology of the Folktale
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2,161 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 66 |
Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon
by
Joseph Tobin (Editor)
3.91 avg rating — 100 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 66 |
Think Like an Architect (Roger Fullington Series in Architecture)
by
4.02 avg rating — 109 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 66 |
The Glass Bead Game
by
4.10 avg rating — 41,905 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 66 |
The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 2
by
3.95 avg rating — 37 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 66 |
Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Cheating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Videogames (Volume 53) (Electronic Mediations)
by
3.54 avg rating — 39 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 73 |
Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide
by
3.86 avg rating — 3,829 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 73 |
Stay Awhile and Listen: Book I - How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire
by
David L. Craddock (Goodreads Author)
3.82 avg rating — 618 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 73 |
Games for Actors and Non-Actors
by
4.36 avg rating — 557 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 76 |
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
by
Chris Anderson (Goodreads Author)
3.82 avg rating — 30,008 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 77 |
Doer's Dilemma - Why Achievers Suffer And What To Do About It
by
Tom E. Jones (Goodreads Author)
liked it 3.00 avg rating — 8 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 77 |
SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient--Powered by the Science of Games
by
3.94 avg rating — 2,852 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 79 |
The Making of Star Trek
by
4.10 avg rating — 1,195 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 80 |
How to Read a Person Like a Book
by
3.54 avg rating — 2,950 ratings
score: 93,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 81 |
Casual Game Design
by
3.57 avg rating — 51 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 81 |
You Have Died of Dysentery: The creation of The Oregon Trail – the iconic educational game of the 1980s
by
4.10 avg rating — 29 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 81 |
The Secret History of Mac Gaming
by
Richard Moss (Goodreads Author)
4.22 avg rating — 104 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 81 |
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
by
Gabrielle Zevin (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 1,308,199 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 85 |
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
by
4.10 avg rating — 10,325 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 85 |
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
by
Steven Johnson (Goodreads Author)
3.89 avg rating — 55,759 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 85 |
Breakout: Pilgrim in the Microworld (Boss Fight Books, #22)
by
3.77 avg rating — 144 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 85 |
Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons From Science Fiction
by
3.86 avg rating — 315 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 85 |
Acorn
by
4.22 avg rating — 740 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 90 |
The Visual Time Traveller: 500 Years of History, Art and Science in 100 Unique Designs
by
4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 90 |
Stay Awhile and Listen: Book II - Heaven, Hell, and Secret Cow Levels
by
David L. Craddock (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 157 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 90 |
Recess: From Dodgeball to Double Dutch
by
4.09 avg rating — 11 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 93 |
The Computational Beauty of Nature: Computer Explorations of Fractals, Chaos, Complex Systems, and Adaptation
by
4.37 avg rating — 268 ratings
score: 89,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 93 |
Manga in Theory and Practice
by
4.25 avg rating — 1,439 ratings
score: 89,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 95 |
Mathematical Models in Biology (Classics in Applied Mathematics, Series Number 46)
by
4.19 avg rating — 37 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 95 |
Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games
by
David L. Craddock (Goodreads Author)
3.80 avg rating — 353 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 95 |
The Anatomy of Super Mario (The Anatomy of Games Volume 1)
by
3.72 avg rating — 54 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 98 |
Getting Gamers: The Psychology of Video Games and Their Impact on the People who Play Them
by
Jamie Madigan (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 472 ratings
score: 87,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 98 |
The Anatomy of Castlevania
by
4.06 avg rating — 18 ratings
score: 87,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
| 100 |
Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment
by
3.43 avg rating — 89 ratings
score: 86,
and
1 person voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
107 books ·
117 voters ·
list created January 9th, 2010
by deleted user.
Anyone can add books to this list.
How to Vote
To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes.
To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn't find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search.









