Why games matter

One employee shared how he bonded with his mother over playing World of Warcraft. Another learned confidence and persistence after realizing, through games, that anything can be accomplished with enough effort. While our educational games startup was founded because of the powerful potential of games, chatting that morning left us reflecting on all of our amazing personal stories that show the incredible and positive impact that playing games has had on our lives.

We hope to promote a fresh dialogue about why games matter and encourage more people to take part, share, and reflect on the positive impact that this industry has had in the world, which will also allow us to more clearly see the potential we have to continue to transform as we go forward as game devs, gamers, and most importantly, as people.

There have been lots of straightforward video game histories, but this is the one I refer to most. The first game design book I ever read, A Theory of Fun is an extremely approachable guide, which sets out a series of questions about what games are as well as the problems designers must overcome — all in a chatty writing style, with lots of illustrations. Published to accompany the excellent British Museum exhibition in , Manga is a beautiful volume in its own right.

Can we learn about dualism, free will and cognition by playing Bioshock or Call of Duty? Yes, according to Dan Griliopoulos and Guardian games contributor Jordan Erica Webber, who take us on a fascinating trip through the philosophical canon, showing how games illustrate key existential questions. Dimopoulos is an urban planner and a designer of game worlds, and his insights into the architecture of play spaces will make you appreciate familiar games in whole new ways.

It chimed perfectly with the dawn of online gaming, internet forums and epic role-playing adventures and is still a fascinating, almost game-like experience today. A seminal work of pop culture analysis. Another book that considers the meaning and validity of games as cultural products, Extra Lives is a fascinating collection of essays on key titles such as Bioshock, Mass Effect and Fallout.

Bissell is a critic as well as a video game scriptwriter, and his observations are always challenging and informed. Technology journalist Jason Schreier takes us behind the scenes of game development, showing the sheer effort, emotion and often panic that goes into the process.

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