Resources
This page collects tools, links, and references I find useful when researching video games. Whether you’re exploring design, mechanics, history, or criticism, these resources prove invaluable.
📄 Academic Papers
First Person Scholar - Writing bridging academic theory and game criticism.
Game Studies - Peer-reviewed journal on games, culture, and design.
MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research - Academic paper on the MDA framework.
Rules of Play - Academic publication on understanding game systems and design.
🗂️ Archives and Databases
Game Informer Archive - Back issues of Game Informer.
GDC Vault - Talks and slides from Game Developers Conference.
IGDB - Community-driven database of games and metadata.
Internet Archive - Massive collection of software, manuals, and games among other things.
Retromags - Archive of scanned magazines.
Video Game History Foundation - Organization dedicated to preserving and contextualizing game history.
Wayback Machine - Archived versions of websites, useful for lost content.
🌐 Blogs and Webpages
Critical Distance - Weekly roundups of thoughtful game writing.
Game Indutsry.biz - News and analysis on the games business.
📚 Books and Magazines
A Profound Waste of Time - Indie magazine blending essays and art on games.
Bitmap Books - High-quality visual retrospectives on classic games.
Designing Games - Practical guide to systems thinking in game design.
🎥 Videos and Documentaries
Action Button - Long-form video essays on video games.
Ahoy - Documentaries on game history and tech.
Ars Technica War Stories - Postmortems from developers on notable projects.
Design Doc - Video essays on game design.
Digital Foundry - Technical breakdowns of game visuals and performance.
GDC - Game Developers Conference talks on YouTube.
Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games - Design lessons from the Smash Bros. creator.
Noclip - Documentaries with behind-the-scenes developer insight.
People Make Games - Investigative stories focused on people and industry issues.