Joining Nintendo as a video game designer in the late 1970s, Miyamoto is the mastermind behind Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong-games. Learn about one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2007 with the first book this week.
The book features critical essays, interviews, bibliographies, and striking visuals, unveiling the artist behind thousands of glowing gaming screens, his design decisions, aesthetic preferences, and the material conditions that shaped his work.
Jane Jensen’s work brought new darkness and personality to PC gaming, showing what games could be as they came of age. The second book is all about detailed research to make game settings come to life, attention to mature dilemmas and complex character development, and an audience-driven vision for genres reaching beyond the typical market approaches of the gaming industry, and more.
The third book will tell you about the genius behind Purple Moon, the pioneering game company Brenda Laurel cofounded in the 1990s. “Purple Moon’s games were based on years of research Laurel completed in an effort to understand why computer games seemed to be of so little interest to girls,” states the description. “Using diverse archival sources such as trade journals, newspapers, and recorded interviews, alongside Laurel’s completed games and own writings and an original interview with Laurel herself, this volume offers insight into both the early development of the games for girls movement of the 1990s and the lasting impact of Laurel’s game design breakthroughs.”
The Psychology of Zelda is a great read about that applies the latest psychological findings, plus insights from classic psychology theory, to Link, Zelda, Hyrule, and the players who choose to wield Master Sword.
In The Psychology of Zelda, you will learn:
Production Pipeline Fundamentals for Film and Games discusses how to direct limited resources to the right technological initiatives, getting the most for every dollar spent.