Theory of Fun for Game Design, 2nd Edition

Appendix B. Afterword: Ten Years Later

It all began as a keynote address at the very first Austin Games Conference.*

The talk led to a book, essentially an adaptation of the slide deck from the presentation, with the speech itself greatly expanded and turned into a book-length essay. It took months to do the cartoons, on a tight deadline, which is why they were mostly fairly crude. I did them all with Rapidograph pens on Bristol paper, something that now seems rather quaint. The text itself spilled out quickly, mostly over a single long weekend.

The idea that play is a primary form of learning was not new even then, of course.* But at the time that the book was written, games were under regular and sustained attack. They had not yet been exhibited at the Smithsonian.* Many game designers themselves believed that games could not be considered an art form.* We had yet to see a court case upholding them as worthy of First Amendment protection.* Game books were mostly how-to manuals for game developers, with some shining exceptions.

The reception of the book is still difficult for me to believe. It has become standard reading at game design programs around the world. I feel incredibly lucky to have touched so many budding designers, and I sincerely hope I did not damage them for life. It may well be the single largest legacy I leave on this planet, outside of my children.

Writing the book ...