I dunno if you’ve noticed, but game studies – or ludology, if you want to be wanky about it – has become sort of a big thing over the last few years. Thanks to the work of a few tireless proselytisers, what was once regarded (by me) as a pseudo-discipline for failed film theorists has grown into a respectable and legitimate area of academic inquiry replete with a burgeoning literature. Five years ago, if you went to Amazon and searched for books about videogames, you’d be lucky to get more than 50 hits. Do it now and you’ll get ... lemme have a look ... 2,232 hits. Of those, I’d say at least a quarter are academic texts. So that’s a lot of books. Question is: should you bother to read any of them?

I think so. Even if you aren’t interested in game studies as an academic discipline, reading the literature is a good way to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the cultural and intellectual significance of videogames, which in turn will help you look smart on the internet. Plus, good books are fun to read regardless of their subject or genre, and some of these videogame books are pretty damn good. I haven’t read them ALL of course, but of the ones I have read, there are a few that I think are especially praiseworthy and deserving of your attention. Those are the ones I’m going to talk about now.

Let’s start with a book I’ve already mentioned on Eegra: James Paul Gee’s popular and excellent What Videogames Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Despite its ominously long-winded title, this is in fact one of the most concise and easy-to-read pieces of academic videogame literature out there. Gee’s style is scholarly but accessible, and his arguments – all of which revolve around the notion that good games embody good learning principles – are persuasive. Unlike many of his colleagues, Gee understands that ideas are worthless if they aren’t communicated properly, and so he scrupulously avoids superfluous jargon and exposition. He states his view plainly, he backs it up convincingly, and then he moves on to address the next point in the same fashion. Rarely is such good scholarship expressed so clearly.

And What Videogames Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy is good scholarship. But more importantly, it’s also a good book – enjoyable to read and full of interesting ideas. If you’re at all intrigued by the educational potential of videogames, then there’s no reason for you not to check it out. And if you aren’t intrigued by the educational potential of videogames, then GET intrigued. It’s a fascinating field and knowing about it will make you a better person.  Not that you're a bad person now. I'm just saying.

Anyway.

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