Books Collection

Collection of my favourite professional books, mostly about game design and UX.

The ‘bible’ of game design by Jesse Schell. Fundamental and practical guide, must read for any designer. Link
A fun, well-illustrated, and easy-to-read game design book by Scott Rogers, making it especially useful for beginners. Link
A highly practical game design book by Brenda Romero and Ian Schreiber, featuring a series of ‘challenges’ to reinforce the material. Link
A solid collection of diverse game design principles, perfect for use as a reference book to tackle specific design challenges. Link
An older yet valuable book that provides a comprehensive overview of the most essential theoretical game design concepts. Link
An excellent game design book that focuses on the creative process, playtesting, and prototyping. Link
A book on the game production process by the Lead Game Designer of the Uncharted series. Link
A book about the various constraints you must overcome to bring your new ideas to life. Link
An excellent theoretical game design book co-authored by Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. Link
An excellent book on game system design, covering balancing, tuning, and the testing process. Link
An excellent book on designing game systems and gameplay loops. Link
One of the few books that provides an in-depth exploration of game balance as a subject. Link
A classic game design book by Raph Koster that explores the concept of ‘fun.’ Link
One of my favourite game design books—an absolute must-read for anyone designing real-time character controls. Link
A 500-page book dedicated entirely to cameras! It covers everything from designing and implementing cameras to exploring 2D, 3D, and other types of camera systems, authored by a developer of Metroid Prime. Link
A book that reimagines fundamental animation principles specifically for games. Pretty useful when working on the ‘Character’ aspect of 3C. Link
The best book on game UX I’ve read to date—highly recommended. Link
An excellent overview of the core pillars of player motivation: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness. Link
A rare book on behavioral design that explores principles potentially applicable to game design. Link
A great collection of ‘dark patterns’ commonly used in UX design. Link
A rare and unique book that covers the art direction process for games and movies, from developing an artistic style to managing an art team. Like
A classic book not just about comics, but also exploring the principles of visual communication. Link
A book that explores how classical art principles can be applied to game design. Link
A book that applies classical art principles to establish a framework for interactive narrative. Link
A great theoretical framework that explains what worldbuilding is and how it works, drawing on theories from J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Link
A book that explores how we perceive characters in games, from NPCs to the player’s immersion as the main character. Link
A short yet intriguing book about the nature of emotions in games. Link
An older study on levels of immersion in games, using D&D as a case example. Link
A good overview of how the worldbuilding process in video games works in practice. Link
One of the best books on level design I’ve come across, packed with practical knowledge. However, the author’s use of ‘German English’ can occasionally make it challenging to read. Link
A rare book on applying architectural theory to level design. Link
An essential study on how people mentally construct images of space. A must-read for level designers. Link
A foundational book on the language of architecture. Link
A book with quite a unique perspective on the application of architectural theory in game design. Link
A classic book on architectural patterns, offering common solutions to various challenges in designing buildings and environments. Link
A classic book exploring universal principles that explain why certain places feel good, even when built without formal architectural knowledge. Link
A truly unique book that focuses on smaller yet essential architectural elements often overlooked. Link
A book about the architectural and environmental archetypes that our brains naturally find appealing. Link
One of the best books on interior design principles, though the language can be quite dry. Link
A book that explores how someone’s personality is reflected in their living environment. It could be particularly useful for environmental storytelling. Link
This book explores how signs and navigation systems are designed for physical spaces. Can be useful for level design, especially when working on real-world locations. Link
A book that explores how our brain navigates and processes spatial environments. Link
A book that explains how our brain creates ‘cognitive maps’ to navigate through space. Link
A unique book that explores the principles behind creating ‘imaginative’ maps, often used in game design. Link
A good collection of essential design principles. Link
A strong collection of essential human factors applicable to UX design. Link
Another excellent collection of human factors in UX design. Link
A comprehensive list of human factors, both cognitive and physical, and their impact on design. Link
A must-read for any designer working on anything ‘interactive,’ from a teapot to a video game. Link
A book about the nature of complexity and how to address it in design. Link
A book that explores how to address users’ emotional processing when designing interactive experiences. Link
A short book about the nature of user experience when interacting with technology. Link
One of the best books on applying cognitive psychology principles to UI design. Link
An older book on Human-Computer Interaction, but it includes important metrics that are difficult to find elsewhere. Link
A foundational book on various aspects of Human-Computer Interaction, including key human factors metrics. Link
So far, the best book I’ve found on the subject of motion sickness. Link
In-depth research on how high-level motor skills are acquired and trained. This can be especially useful when working in genres that demand high player skills, such as FPS or fighting games. Like
A book that examines human error’s evolution, from individual mistakes to systemic failures. Link
A book on UI design by an author with 50 years of experience. While some parts may feel outdated, the depth and quality of its content are invaluable. Link
A book that explores the creation of UI design systems using the ‘Atomic Design’ methodology. Link
A classic book on information architecture. Link
A book about designing microinteractions—small, single use-case features within the UI. Link
A classic book on the fundamental principles of complex data visualisation. Link
A classic book on statistical data visualisation, including graphs, charts, and tables. Link
A fundamental book that explores various aspects of branding. Link
A branding book that focuses on emotionally engaging your audience through interactions with your brand. Link
One of the best books on branding fundamentals, strategy, and process. Link
A solid overview of common procedural generation approaches in game and level design, as well as narrative. Link