Raph Koster - A Theory of Fun (Game Developers’ Library ep02)

use my Bookshop.org affiliate link if you want to buy the book and support IGC at the same time! https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/indiegam... 00:00 intro theme 00:21 greetings and housekeeping 01:51 the status of this book 03:51 the ethical framing of the book 10:35 professional musings and a design philosophy 17:11 cynicism about games as multimedia or stories 18:45 the "sweet spot" of games' expression 24:40 the genealogy of shmups is the only good diagram in the book 26:55 Koster being a ludology bro about game stories 31:45 more on games vs stories 34:22 games formalism in the 2004 context 36:16 fun vs other enjoyments 41:40 the problem with forcing an everyday word into a technical usage 45:40 different fun for different folks 47:53 Koster's checklist for a good game 49:25 why Guitar Hero isn't a game 51:00 emergence as a gold standard in design 54:40 formalism and games as art 57:15 making boomers "take games seriously" is a waste of energy 59:50 game designers are gardeners for humans 01:04:49 should you read this book in 2025? 01:09:29 what's next for Game Developer's Library? 🤔 Other References: Chris Crawford's Dragon Speech (1992)    • GDC Founder Chris Crawford's Dragon Speech   Fourteen Forms of Fun: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/... Keith Burgun on Games vs Contests and Puzzles https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/... Computer Game Studies Year 1 (2001) https://www.gamestudies.org/0101/edit... Janet Murray's Hamlet on the Holodeck (1997) https://books.google.co.uk/books/abou... 🤝 Support This Channel:   / indiegameclinic