Describes some theory indicating how games help learning, classifies games a few ways, and considers electronic games. Considers the mechanics of playing and debriefing games. Looks at a few particular games and assesses how they might be used. Finally, suggests ideas for creating your own games. (Reviewed Dec., '02)

Improvisational acting techniques are influencing the training world. They help you look at everything that happens as something you can say, "Yes, and" to, and create new and interesting things. Johnstone looks at how posture and other cues convey status, at the challenges of being spontaneous, at building one's narrative skills, and at masks and trance as a pathway to creating new characters. (Reviewed Dec., '02)

Chris Crawford is the designer of Balance of Power and numerous other games. He surveys his own and others' games, and considers games along the dimensions of play, challenge, conflict, interactivity, and creativity. Although a fair portion is spent on describing some of the highly constrained environments he's worked with, it's clear he comes from a designer's perspective. (Reviewed July, '03)

This is a solid 800-page collection of traditional games: cards, dice, mancala, and so on. Many games have a page of descriptive text, and a page of pictures. Some important games have more. This book doesn't have much if anything on strategy or game design, but if you want breadth, it's worth a look. (Reviewed Dec., '04)

The Game Makers: The Story of Parker Brothers® from Tiddledy Winks to Trivial Pursuit®
Philip E. Orbanes, Harvard Business School Press, 2004. ISBN 1-59139-269-1.
This book tells the story of the company from its founding by George Parker, through growth and management by others in the family, to its purchase by other companies. The company formerly tended to buy and publish games developed by others (though I guess that's changed in current times). The book is much more about people and business than the games themselves, though lots of familiar names came up: Ping-Pong, Diabolo, Monopoly, Rook, Clue, Risk, Nerf, and many others. (All names TM their trademark holders.) (Reviewed August, '04)

Game Inventor's Handbook, Steve Peek. F&W Publications, 1993. ISBN 1-55870-315-2.
The "Game Inventor's Marketing Handbook" would be a more accurate title. Other than one fairly light chapter on inventing games, the focus of this book is on selling and marketing games. The author tries to present a realistic (and discouraging:( picture of what it's like to try to do that. His basic message is that it's expensive and risky, but can be done. (Reviewed July, '04)

This book contains a few dozen card games, arranged by the area of the world in which they originated (with little claim to deep scholarship). There are a couple original games thrown in at the end. It would benefit from an index and some overall organization, but all in all it's a good resource. (Reviewed Dec., '04)

A.C. Gilbert invented the Erector set, and made a big business out of "learning" toys. Gilbert was a track star and magician as well as a toy inventor. This biography takes you through his whole life. The end is a little sad, though: the world has moved on. (Reviewed June, '05)

The time pressure makes it a real challenge - it's worth figuring out a strategy, but you can't take too long to do so. (Reviewed Dec., '04)

You start with three cards, and the rule "Draw one, play one." Your goal is to find a goal card that matches what you have, such as "Milk and Cookies" or "Appliances." Along the way, you play cards that change the rules: "Draw two, play three", "First play random," and so on.

Some people find it all a little too random; others love it. I think it's great fun. It's easy to let someone join you in the middle of a game. It feels like a new game each time, and it's interesting to ponder which rules bend and which do not. (Reviewed Dec., '04)