Classic and cutting-edge writings on games, spanning nearly 50 years of game analysis and criticism, by game designers, game journalists, game fans, folklorists, sociologists, and media theorists. Classic and cutting-edge writings on games, spanning nearly 50 years of game analysis and criticism, by game designers, game journalists, game fans, folklorists, sociologists, and media theorists. Foreword x Warren Spector Preface xvi Katie Salen Eric Zimmerman interstitial: How to Win ``Super Mario Bros'' Topic Essays 1(90) Katie Salen Eric Zimmerman The Player Experience 3(6) The Rules of a Game 9(6) Gaming the Game 15(6) The Game Design Process 21(6) Player and Character 27(6) Games and Narrative 33(6) Game Communities 39(6) Speaking of Games 45(8) Game Design Models 53(6) Game Economies 59(6) Game Spaces 65(6) Cultural Representation 71(6) What Is a Game? 77(6) What Is Play? 83(8) interstitial: Cosplay Texts: Bibliography 91(2) Chart of Texts and Topics 93(3) interstitial: Urban Invasion Nature and Significance of Play as a Cultural Phenomenon (1955) 96(26) Johan Huizinga The Definition of Play: The Classification of Games (1962) 122(34) Roger Caillois Shoot Club: The DOOM 3 Review (2004) 156(16) Tom Chick interstitial: Collateral Romance Construction of a Definition (1990) 172(20) Bernard Suits I Have No Words & I Must Design (1994) 192(20) Greg Costikyan The Cabal: Valve's Design Process for Creating Half-Life (1999) 212(16) Ken Birdwell interstitial: Urban Games Semiotic Domains: Is Playing Video Games a ``Waste of Time?'' (2003) 228(40) James Gee The Evil Summoner FAQ v1.0: How to Be a Cheap Ass (2001) 268(28) Mochan Play and Ambiguity (2001) 296(18) Brian Sutton-Smith A Theory of Play and Fantasy (1972) 314(16) Gregory Bateson ``Complete Freedom of Movement'': Video Games as Gendered Play Spaces (1998) 330(36) Henry Jenkins interstitial: DDR Step Charts Formal Abstract Design Tools (1999) 366(16) Doug Church Game Theory (1992) 382(28) William Poundstone Games and Design Patterns (2005) 410(28) Staffan Bjork Jussi Holopainen Tools for Creating Dramatic Game Dynamics (2005) 438(22) Marc LeBlanc Game Analysis: Centipede (2001) 460(16) Richard Rouse III interstitial: Indie Game Jam Unwritten Rules (1999) 476(28) Stephen Sniderman Beyond the Rules of the Game: Why Are Rooie Rules Nice? (1983) 504(14) Linda Hughes Changing the Game (1978) 518(20) Bernard DeKoven The Design Evolution of Magic: The Gathering (1993 | 2004) 538(20) Richard Garfield interstitial: Blast Theory Eyeball and Cathexis (1983) 558(20) David Sudnow Frames and Games (1983) 578(24) Gary Alan Fine Bow, Nigger (2004) always_black 602(8) Cultural Models: Do You Want to Be the Blue Sonic or the Dark Sonic? (2003) 610(32) James Gee interstitial: Red vs. Blue Interaction and Narrative (2000 | 2005) 642(28) Michael Mateas Andrew Stern Game Design as Narrative Architecture (2004) 670(20) Henry Jenkins Adventure as a Video Game: Adventure for the Atari 2600 (1983--84) 690(24) Warren Robinett Eastern Front (1941) (2003) 714(14) Chris Crawford interstitial: Serious Games The Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat (1990) 728(26) F. Randall Farmer Chip Morningstar Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs (1996) 754(34) Richard Bartle Declaring the Rights of Players (2000) 788(26) Raph Koster Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier (2001) 814(52) Edward Castronova interstitial: Painstation Coda: Piercing the Spectacle (2005) 866(6) Brenda Laurel interstitial: Le Parkour Interstitial Credits 872(4) Index 876(48) Final Word 924 Katie Salen Eric Zimmerman