Book: Stephanie Boluk and Patrick Lemieux' "Metagaming" (2017)

An outstanding examination of what makes gaming truly fascinating by

(Assistant professor in the English department and Cinema and Digital Media Program at University of California, Davis) and

(artist, game designer, and assistant professor in the Cinema and Digital Media Program at University of California, Davis).

This is not a review. More like an imperative: read it now!

It's incredibly inspiring for anybody who thinks that there's much more to games than gaming. Featuring, among other things, technical glitches, Renaissance painting, algorithmic trading, professional sports, and the War on Terror.

My favorite bit? Chapter 4: "Hundred Thousand Billion Fingers: Serial Histories of Super Mario Bros." Instant classic.

Below is the synopsis:

Metagaming uncovers alternative histories of play by exploring the strange experiences and unexpected effects that emerge in, on, around, and through videogames. One of the only books to include original software alongside each chapter, Metagaming transforms videogames from packaged products into instruments, equipment, tools, and toys for intervening in the sensory and political economies of everyday life.

Also:

One of the only books to include original software alongside each chapter, Metagaming transforms videogames from packaged products into instruments, equipment, tools, and toys for intervening in the sensory and political economies of everyday life. And although videogames conflate the creativity, criticality, and craft of play with the act of consumption, we don’t simply play videogames—we make metagames.

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