Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World

by Jane McGonigal

Playing with real-life friends and family is better than playing alone all the time, or with strangers.

A handy rule of thumb: try to make half of your gaming social.

Playing face-to-face with friends and family beats playing with them online.

Cooperative gameplay, overall, has more benefits than competitive gameplay.

Creative games have special positive impacts.

The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell, Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite, Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton,

Level Up! The Guide to Great Videogame Design by Scott Rogers, and Game Programming for Teens by Maneesh Sethi. Additional online resources can be found at www.gamasutra.com.

Any game that makes you feel bad is no longer a good game for you to play.

http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_wikis.

In 2009, the annual spending on games in the United States was $25.3 billion; in the United Kingdom, it was £3.8 billion; in Germany, 3.7 billion euros; and in France, 3.6 billion euros. “Newzoo Games Market Report.”

“The Best Videogames in the History of Humanity,” an extraordinary compilation of greatest-games lists compiled by J. J. McCullough, can be found at http://www.filibustercartoons.com/games.htm.