“An unholy mixture of helpful guidebook and jabbing provocation, it will earn its right to rattle around your brain. It is essential reading for designer, critic, and straight-up rank ‘n’ file gamer alike.”
— Robin D. Laws, creator of HeroQuest and Feng Shui
Things We Think About Games
Written by Will Hindmarch & Jeff Tidball
Foreword by Robin D. Laws
Introduction by Wil Wheaton
with John August, Pat Harrigan, Fred Hicks, Kenneth Hite, John Kovalic, Michelle Nephew, Philip Reed, S. John Ross, Mike Selinker, Noah Wardrip-Fruin
An Origins Award Nominee
ISBN 13: 978-0-9818840-0-4
ISBN 10: 0-9818840-0-8
6×9 inches, 160 pages, softcover
about the book
Will Hindmarch and Jeff Tidball think a lot about games. At their commentary website, Gameplaywright.net, they think out loud about what it means to play games, make games, sell games, and love games. They are gamers.
Here, with fellow game designers and notable game players, they think out loud on paper in the first Gameplaywright book.
Things We Think About Games collects dozens on dozens of bite-sized thoughts about games. From the absurd to the magnificent, the demonstrable to the dogmatic, this collection spans both the breadth of games—board, card, roleplaying and more—and the depth of gaming, offering insights about collecting, playing, critiquing, designing, and publishing.
It is rare that I actually shout “Yes, goddamn it!” when reading a book.
— Richard Dansky, Manager of Design, Red Storm Entertainment
Ordering Information
You can buy Things We Think About Games directly from Gameplaywright using PayPal (use the yellow “Buy Now” button up above). You can also find it at Amazon and at Indie Press Revolution.
Signed Copies
The first twenty copies of the book, after the author proofs, were numbered, signed by Will and Jeff, and had their US shipping charges covered by Yourses Truly. That promotion is now closed.
We will still happily sign books if you find us at conventions or readings, or otherwise persuade us. It’s something of a trick to get done online, though, as we live far, far apart and have to ship books all over to get them signed. So normally we don’t sign online orders.
[...] always as the editors. But now Will Hindmarch and Jeff Tidball (from gameplaywright) have announced Things We Think About Games. Pat and I each shared a little of what we think with the book’s author/editors, as did such [...]
Congrats! Thats pretty cool to have a book out. I look forward to reading it.
Congrats on the collaboration, sounds like an interesting read especially with the list of contributors, many of whom I recognize as industry stalwarts (and kudos on the Laws foreward).
Much success!
[...] Also, Hindmarch has a new book, Things We Think About Games. Read about it here. [...]
My copy got here today; it was great! I found Things I nodded in agreement as I read, Things I cocked a disbelieving eyebrow over… I even found Things my mom (pretty much a non-gamer) laughed at, and understood.
I’m looking forward to reading it again, to catch all the Things I didn’t fully appreciate the first time.
[...] Things We Think About Games Where The Deep Ones Are [...]
Arrived in Europe last night. Read it today. A little book that says a great deal in a few words. Every gamer should read this once. A good gamer reads it twice.
[...] first is Things We Think About Games by game designers and writers Will Hindmarch and Jeff Tidball. You may be familiar with [...]
While I wasn’t able to make it to GenCon to pick up a copy, I did receive my pre-ordered copy last week and devoured it a few hours later.
As everyone says, it’s good stuff.
I was particularly amused/annoyed to see the Thing stating that, for several good reasons, players should draw cards at the ends of their turns. You see, we have been discussing this very thing at work lately, in regards to a game we’re currently working on. And while we might end up going to a draw-at-the-end model, right now we have players drawing at the beginning of their turn, and here’s why:
If my hand is bad, and I need to draw a good card to do well on my turn, it’s (somewhat) dramatic and suspenseful to draw at the beginning of my turn. If I get lucky and draw what I need — hoody-hoo! I get to play a great turn! If not… well, that sucks and my turn is wasted.
Now, if I’m drawing at the END of my turn, I know a full turn in advance if my next turn is going to be great or wasted. That’s not as exciting if it’s great, and it’s a total downer if I don’t get the cards I need: I have an extra full turn to know that my next turn is going to suck because I don’t have the card I need. That’s just depressing.
[...] where John had set up shop so I left the con without it. I also completely forgot to buy a copy of Things We Think About Games and of The Solar System. Thank goodness for IPR on all three counts. At around 2 pm we left the [...]
Just read my contributor’s copy. I enjoy being surrounded by funny, smart people. A blazingly good read.
But seriously, “Chicago, Follow the Queen”? What if the card that follows the last queen is a 7 of hearts, and two players have the Ace of spades and 7 of spades down? Are all wild cards spades? Who splits the pot then?
[...] and approachable, Things We Think About Games is well worth reading for both casual and hardcore gamers, and especially for game designers. You [...]
What if the card that follows the last queen is a 7 of hearts, and two players have the Ace of spades and 7 of spades down? Are all wild cards spades? Who splits the pot then?
Such pots are mailed to the book’s authors. A side pot is assembled to cover shipping and handling.
Reply to Darrell: Perhaps what you need is a model where most cards are drawn at the end of the turn, but you draw one card at the beginning to provide that small chance of an AHA!! play.
There’s nothing that says you can’t draw more than once, after all.
[...] As a public service announcement to an astute readership that is no doubt already, Ken Hite’s long-running and highly recommended Out of the Box column is back from hiatus, now sponsored by and hosted at Indie Press Revolution, a fine organization now doubly beloved as the fine purveyors of Ken’s fine column and our fine book. [...]
[...] got a pair of copies of Things We Think About Games that came to us from the printer in slightly less than perfect cosmetic [...]
[...] credit: Will contributed the “core one minute” Thing in Things We Think About Games. I think I was first exposed to the concept by John Tynes, back in the [...]
[...] in-laws over the next few days? Go pick up Will Hindmarch & Jeff Tidball’s new book, Things We Think About Games. Its essentially a collection of essays and interview excerpts from various luminaries in gaming [...]
[...] has put our book Things We Think About Games on their list of the twelve best gamer stocking stuffers of 2008, in fine company with new [...]
[...] novel called <em>South China Sea</em>, dropped some props on our book over at the Amazon blog, Omnivoracious. Want five good reasons to pick up our book? Click that link [...]
[...] you object: Isn’t the intention of playing a game “to win?” Hell no. In Things We Think About Games (Thing 28), I wrote: When playing a game, be aware that the other players are not necessarily [...]
[...] looking for short, direct statements in the style of those from our newest book, Things We Think About Games. For example, Thing #28: When playing a game, be aware that the other players are not necessarily [...]
[...] Things We Think About Games is an exceptionally quick read, fun and thought provoking. Much of the book is a collection of short, sharp sayings. Much of the work is in the interpretation– sometimes that author takes up the challenge, writing up to a page of discussion– and sometimes the analysis is up to you, only a quickly sentence is provided. [...]
[...] Adam! Your Complete Edition of Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria and your copy of Things We Think About Games are on their way to [...]
[...] Jeff Tidball saw it and asked me to repost it over at Gameplaywright.net in the discussion about Things We Think About Games, the game-ruminations book he and Will Hindmarch put together. Which I did. And so I thought [...]
[...] Yaruki Zero Games A Blog About Ewen Cluney’s RPG Stuff « Slime Story: Playtest Document 1 Things I Think About Games February 4, 2009 Inspired by Things We Think About Games. [...]
[...] I also wrote a Thing, in Things We Think About Games, describing how I think that moments of preparation and aftermath can intensify the emotional [...]
[...] and I got word over the weekend that Things We Think About Games has been nominated for an Origins Award in the Non-fiction [...]
[...] Things We Think About Games [...]
[...] In his post on paragaming, Jesper Juul (Half-Real) cites a few fundamental criteria for good video-game design, each of which is violated by China Miner, a game that he enjoys despite, and because of, its faults. (Each of these might be thought of as a Thing Juul Thinks About Games.) [...]
[...] of these would make great Things, I think. But take a closer look at that second list and consider this: how might it apply to the [...]
[...] masterminded by Seth Godin, “What Matters Now.” Its format reminded me a little bit of Things We Think About Games, in that each page contains a discrete thought, unconnected from the thoughts that come before and [...]