How to Do Things with Videogames

Book cover of How to Do Things with Videogames

Book description

In recent years, computer games have moved from the margins of popular culture to its center. Reviews of new games and profiles of game designers now regularly appear in the New York Times and the New Yorker, and sales figures for games are reported alongside those of books, music, and…

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Why read it?

1 author picked How to Do Things with Videogames as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Caleb J. Ross

Author

Despite the implications of the title, this book is not a how-to book about repurposing Nintendo game cartridges as drink coasters. It’s even better than that (and this is coming from someone who actually does use old, non-functioning game cartridges as drink coasters).

How to Do Things with Videogames is a plea to non-gaming industries to embrace video games as tools to advance their own products and services. While video game mechanics and visuals have certainly matured since their introduction in the 1970s—and that is all quite interesting—Ian Bogost’s book isn’t interested in how humans have advanced video games but…

From Caleb's list on to defend your video game obsession to non-gamers.