About the book
Raph Koster, a veteran game designer, sets out to explain what fun is and why it matters more than any other element in a game. He traces the influences behind modern video games and what they have in common with older games such as checkers, and explains why some games turn boring fast while others hold players for years. Koster treats games as learning tools that play on the human drive to find patterns and solve puzzles. He also considers why people respond to fun in different ways, whether games can be art, and what social responsibility game makers carry. A 10th anniversary edition updated the book in full color.
Jesper Bylund, co-founder of BlankPage, calls it one of the most important books he has read, and as a designer and developer of tools he considers its account of fun his top design principle.
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This book has 1 recommendation
Jesper Bylund (Co-Founder/BlankPage)
One of the most important books I’ve ever read is A Theory of Fun by Raph Koster. It creatively describes how “fun” is created and what it is. Which might sound trivial, but as a designer and developer of tools, this is by far the most important design principle I’ve discovered. Basically, why would you do anything if it wasn’t fun? Thankfully, this book describes how to make anything fun.
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