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Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives,and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form
Part critical essay, part manifesto, part DIY guide, and altogether unprecedented, Rise of the Videogame Zinesters shows why the multi-billion dollar videogame industry needs to change—and how a new generation of artists can change it. Indie game designer extraordinaire Anna Anthropy makes an ardent plea for the industry to move beyond the corporate systems of production and misogynistic culture and to support games that represent a wider variety of human experiences.
Rise of the Videogame Zinesters is a call to arms for anyone who's ever dreamed of making their own games. Anna’s guide to game design encourages budding designers to bring their unique backgrounds and experiences to their creations and widen the playing field of an industry that has for too long catered to an adolescent male consumer base. Anna’s newest game, Dys4ia , an autobiographical game about her experiences with hormone replacement therapy, has been featured in The Penny Arcade, IndieGames, and TigSource.
Rise of the Videogame Zinesters is a call to arms for anyone who's ever dreamed of making their own games. Anna’s guide to game design encourages budding designers to bring their unique backgrounds and experiences to their creations and widen the playing field of an industry that has for too long catered to an adolescent male consumer base. Anna’s newest game, Dys4ia , an autobiographical game about her experiences with hormone replacement therapy, has been featured in The Penny Arcade, IndieGames, and TigSource.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
September 1, 2012
Okay! This book is half essential manifesto, half terrible. So, .. three stars?
The good: Chapters 4-7, plus the appendices, wherein the author makes the case that video games are in need of revolution, and that that revolution is in the same way zines brought it to publishing: everyone creating, everyone sharing, everyone evolving. (And everyone getting to tell their own stories.)
This is solid, emotional, and excellent stuff. And it also is backed up by the appendices, which give examples of the tools and of games made in those tools by individual people, so you can see what's out there, download it, play with it, open it up and see how it works, and then make your own things.
(The chapter which takes you through the brainstorming process, showing you just how many stories are in your head, is beautiful.)
Seriously, if this concept is at all appealing to you, get this book, read the middle bits, and then start messing around with the tools. Get out there and create.
The bad: The rest, especially chapters 2 and 3, which I recommend everyone skip, because wow, there is so much wrong in them. (Wrong as in factually incorrect, not as in 'I disagree'.)
But here's the best quote, which isn't a factual thing, just a ... wow, this is where my eyes rolled so hard I dropped the book. From page 67, where she's discussing the differences between the Eastern and Western game traditions using two very carefully chosen examples (i.e. I can think of a dozen counter-examples off the top of my head).
"Why has character creation remained such a fixture of American interpretations of digital role-playing games while Japanese role-playing games have phased it out? It could possibly reflect that America is a young country, and a nation that has been capitalist almost since inception."
Basically, it feels like the book is in dire need of editing. There is a lot of beauty and power in here, and a very essential message I wish more people could see, but you have to get around half a book that should've been left on the editing floor. (It manifests itself in lots of little ways, too--one example where the author refers to something in "the next chapter" which is actually in an appendix, so probably moved.) However, given that the editor wrote a five-star review of the book herself, I'm guessing the actual editing wasn't the priority here. Which is sad, because it leaves a kernel in a raw husk, rather than bringing it out and making it solid.
(I've got a separate rant on the author's apparent loathing of all things fantasy, and how she completely ignores the fact that concepts like elves and magic can be used in self-discovery and in telling your own story in ways outside the sort of daily drivel you'd find on Twitter. Be bored of World of Warcraft if you want--who isn't?--but don't dismiss an entire storytelling method. And please, *please* stop thinking that elves were invented by Tolkien and all this is derivative nonsense, because fantasy dates straight back to early religion and mythology, to the very core of the stories we've been telling each other since before we even knew how to write them down.)
I'll stop with my ranting now. It really is a good book, and (as far as I know) the best, if not the only, one on this topic.
The good: Chapters 4-7, plus the appendices, wherein the author makes the case that video games are in need of revolution, and that that revolution is in the same way zines brought it to publishing: everyone creating, everyone sharing, everyone evolving. (And everyone getting to tell their own stories.)
This is solid, emotional, and excellent stuff. And it also is backed up by the appendices, which give examples of the tools and of games made in those tools by individual people, so you can see what's out there, download it, play with it, open it up and see how it works, and then make your own things.
(The chapter which takes you through the brainstorming process, showing you just how many stories are in your head, is beautiful.)
Seriously, if this concept is at all appealing to you, get this book, read the middle bits, and then start messing around with the tools. Get out there and create.
The bad: The rest, especially chapters 2 and 3, which I recommend everyone skip, because wow, there is so much wrong in them. (Wrong as in factually incorrect, not as in 'I disagree'.)
But here's the best quote, which isn't a factual thing, just a ... wow, this is where my eyes rolled so hard I dropped the book. From page 67, where she's discussing the differences between the Eastern and Western game traditions using two very carefully chosen examples (i.e. I can think of a dozen counter-examples off the top of my head).
"Why has character creation remained such a fixture of American interpretations of digital role-playing games while Japanese role-playing games have phased it out? It could possibly reflect that America is a young country, and a nation that has been capitalist almost since inception."
Basically, it feels like the book is in dire need of editing. There is a lot of beauty and power in here, and a very essential message I wish more people could see, but you have to get around half a book that should've been left on the editing floor. (It manifests itself in lots of little ways, too--one example where the author refers to something in "the next chapter" which is actually in an appendix, so probably moved.) However, given that the editor wrote a five-star review of the book herself, I'm guessing the actual editing wasn't the priority here. Which is sad, because it leaves a kernel in a raw husk, rather than bringing it out and making it solid.
(I've got a separate rant on the author's apparent loathing of all things fantasy, and how she completely ignores the fact that concepts like elves and magic can be used in self-discovery and in telling your own story in ways outside the sort of daily drivel you'd find on Twitter. Be bored of World of Warcraft if you want--who isn't?--but don't dismiss an entire storytelling method. And please, *please* stop thinking that elves were invented by Tolkien and all this is derivative nonsense, because fantasy dates straight back to early religion and mythology, to the very core of the stories we've been telling each other since before we even knew how to write them down.)
I'll stop with my ranting now. It really is a good book, and (as far as I know) the best, if not the only, one on this topic.
September 9, 2012
2 stars? 3 stars?
Fuck stars, whatever.
There are things I like about this book: what it's trying to say, what it *does* say, the few passages I highlighted in the instances where Anthropy says them very well and very clearly. I wish it dug into things more deeply (the state of video game development, the worker burn out and how, exactly, that is influencing the games like it's claimed, or the ways in which games can force a person to embrace a political ideology and the consequences of that...) but, honestly, what I wish there was "more of" could fill an entire SERIES of books, and that was not what this one set out to do. Understandably.
So as a primer, starter, manifesto, it's all right. It does its job. It has good things to say. It's got me asking questions even if it didn't answer the ones I wanted it to.
Fuck stars, whatever.
There are things I like about this book: what it's trying to say, what it *does* say, the few passages I highlighted in the instances where Anthropy says them very well and very clearly. I wish it dug into things more deeply (the state of video game development, the worker burn out and how, exactly, that is influencing the games like it's claimed, or the ways in which games can force a person to embrace a political ideology and the consequences of that...) but, honestly, what I wish there was "more of" could fill an entire SERIES of books, and that was not what this one set out to do. Understandably.
So as a primer, starter, manifesto, it's all right. It does its job. It has good things to say. It's got me asking questions even if it didn't answer the ones I wanted it to.
June 18, 2015
This book, which reads more like a loaded editorial than an analysis on gaming culture is a frustrating read. To begin, I was asked to read the book as part of an introductory course on video game history that was half analysis of the medium, and half game creation. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to buy or even finish this book.
Anthropy does everything right as far as encouraging players to take advantage of little known sources like twine, or larger platforms like gamemaker to create, well, anything. She makes the point that saturating the medium with games about pushing vaginal boxes, floppy dicks, or whatever nonsensical low brow humor you can imagine, is a positive turn for the industry as a whole. Yet many of her arguments lack the meat to really convince the reader if they should care about flash games over a square enix ios title or big budget "space marine shooters." The book lacks an awareness of the primary videogame audience, and singles out the niche hobbyists who ironically make horrible games to bring a greater message, a lobby on social awareness. And sure, the big guns in the industry aren't going to make games about anything that could jeopardize success. Anthropy simply takes a shit on reality, with shit games for ammo, and a lack of charm that doesn't forgive rebellion the way punk music took its own piss on the world.
The worst thing about this book were Anthropy's unprofessional quips towards bloggers, schools, and ex girlfriends that really had little to do with her point about easy game making. Not only do I not care that you think so and so at said company got on your bad side, but you're sending a classless message to anyone reading the book at a scholarly level.
There isn't much more to say about the book but again I will mention the lack of argument. At one point, Anthropy mentions that Japan makes games without character customization because of its "rigid" society, while America values individuality and includes more custom options. This argument completely ignores the value of franchise characters and how a specific identifiable character is key for a consumer base to latch onto. Also both countries switch roles often depending on game genres (action vs roleplaying vs simulation)
All in all, don't bother with this book unless you're using it as an example of what not to do. There are plenty of online communities and resources that encourage quality game making at the amateur level. Gaming is more prevalent and varied than ever, especially with the advent of kickstarter. It's just not the right time for a rebellion.
Anthropy does everything right as far as encouraging players to take advantage of little known sources like twine, or larger platforms like gamemaker to create, well, anything. She makes the point that saturating the medium with games about pushing vaginal boxes, floppy dicks, or whatever nonsensical low brow humor you can imagine, is a positive turn for the industry as a whole. Yet many of her arguments lack the meat to really convince the reader if they should care about flash games over a square enix ios title or big budget "space marine shooters." The book lacks an awareness of the primary videogame audience, and singles out the niche hobbyists who ironically make horrible games to bring a greater message, a lobby on social awareness. And sure, the big guns in the industry aren't going to make games about anything that could jeopardize success. Anthropy simply takes a shit on reality, with shit games for ammo, and a lack of charm that doesn't forgive rebellion the way punk music took its own piss on the world.
The worst thing about this book were Anthropy's unprofessional quips towards bloggers, schools, and ex girlfriends that really had little to do with her point about easy game making. Not only do I not care that you think so and so at said company got on your bad side, but you're sending a classless message to anyone reading the book at a scholarly level.
There isn't much more to say about the book but again I will mention the lack of argument. At one point, Anthropy mentions that Japan makes games without character customization because of its "rigid" society, while America values individuality and includes more custom options. This argument completely ignores the value of franchise characters and how a specific identifiable character is key for a consumer base to latch onto. Also both countries switch roles often depending on game genres (action vs roleplaying vs simulation)
All in all, don't bother with this book unless you're using it as an example of what not to do. There are plenty of online communities and resources that encourage quality game making at the amateur level. Gaming is more prevalent and varied than ever, especially with the advent of kickstarter. It's just not the right time for a rebellion.
February 20, 2016
p 137-139
What to Make a Game About?
Your dog, your cat, your child, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your mother, your father, your grandmother, your friends, your imaginary friends, your summer vacation, your winter in the mountains, your childhood at home, your current home, your future home, your first job, your worst job, the job you wish you had.
Your first date, your first kiss, your first fuck, your first true love, your second true love, your relationship, your kinks, your deepest secrets, your fantasies, your guilty pleasures, your guiltless pleasures, your break-up, your make-up, your undying love, your dying love.
Your hopes, your dreams, your fears, your secrets, the dream you had last night, the thing you were afraid of when you were little, the thing you’re afraid of now, the secret you think will come back and bite you, the secret you were planning to take to your grave, your hope for a better world, your hope for a better you, your hope for a better day.
The passage of time, the passage of memory, the experience of forgetting, the experience of remembering, the experience of meeting a close friend from long ago on the street and not recognizing her face, the experience of meeting a close friend from long ago and not being recognized, the experience of aging, the experience of becoming more dependent on the people who love you, the experience of becoming less dependent on the people you hate.
The experience of opening a business, the experience of opening a garage, the experience of opening your heart, the experience of opening someone else’s heart via risky surgery, the experience of opening the window, the experience of opening for a famous band at a concert when nobody in the audience knows who you are, the experience of opening your mind, the experience of taking drugs, the experience of your worst trip, the experience of meditation, the experience of learning a language, the experience of writing a book.
A silent moment at a pond, a noisy moment in the heart of a city, a moment that caught you unprepared, a moment you spent a long time preparing for, a moment of revelation, a moment of realization, a moment when you realized the universe was not out to get you, a moment when you realized the universe was out to get you, a moment when you were totally unaware of what was going on, a moment of action, a moment of inaction, a moment of regret, a moment of victory, a slow moment, a long moment, a moment you spent in the branches of a tree.
The cruelty of children, the brashness of youth, the wisdom of age, the stupidity of age, a fairy tale you heard as a child, a fairy tale you heard as an adult, the lifestyle of an imaginary creature, the lifestyle of yourself, the subtle ways in which we admit authority into our lives, the subtle ways in which we overcome authority, the subtle ways in which we become a little stronger or a little weaker each day.
A trip on a boat, a trip on a plane, a trip down a vanishing path through a forest, waking up in a darkened room, waking up in a friend’s room and not knowing how you got there, waking up in a friend’s bed and not knowing how you got there, waking up after twenty years of sleep, a sunset, a sunrise, a lingering smile, a heartfelt greeting, a bittersweet goodbye.
Your past lives, your future lives, lies that you’ve told, lies you plan to tell, lies, truths, grim visions, prophecy, wishes, wants, loves, hates, premonitions, warnings, fables, adages, myths, legends, stories, diary entries.
Jumping over a pit, jumping into a pool, jumping into the sky and never coming down.
Anything. Everything.
February 25, 2022
Accidentally reread because I forgot I had read it, haha.
Anyway it is short and sweet and makes its basic premises (what is a game, why should we make them, why distribution is important and why corporate monopolization over distribution is bad, finishing with a handy recipe guiderail for how to make a really simple game under constraints (as compared to a perfect competitor to major studio or even professional indie games, which will probably be an exercise in failure)
Along the way there are personal stories that tie the author to gaming via her life story and passion, as well as many personal opinions that are mostly relevant to her framework of democratizing games.
Ultimately it's a book that urges a specific act and gives a whole bunch of support and resources and guidance to the reader in order to actually do that thing! Which makes it a very effective 'zine.
Anyway it is short and sweet and makes its basic premises (what is a game, why should we make them, why distribution is important and why corporate monopolization over distribution is bad, finishing with a handy recipe guiderail for how to make a really simple game under constraints (as compared to a perfect competitor to major studio or even professional indie games, which will probably be an exercise in failure)
Along the way there are personal stories that tie the author to gaming via her life story and passion, as well as many personal opinions that are mostly relevant to her framework of democratizing games.
Ultimately it's a book that urges a specific act and gives a whole bunch of support and resources and guidance to the reader in order to actually do that thing! Which makes it a very effective 'zine.
December 15, 2012
As a manifesto, it's really good. Inspirational, witty, interesting. Even with some aggression towards the popular game making "one percent", the book is far from whimpering and criticising. Many manifestos I've read were about how bad our world is. This one is quite the opposite: it's a story about how you can try and create something the way you probably never considered seriously. Something relevant for you. And about people who have been doing exactly that, with very interesting results.
And it's a really, really charming book.
On the flip side, I think the book could tell a little bit about good stuff from "rotten" game developing industry. I admire works of some huge development studios, e.g. The Elder Scrolls series, or Fable. I think there is something good that can be learned and be found in these. I also believe that the brilliance of these games has started with their authors to-be creating small games for themselves, just like Anna teaches us to do.
This book not just inspired me to create games, but showed me a couple of ways it's possible to do. I'm not talking about technical means, but about the sources of inspiration, the ways to find a story, the essence of games as opposed to any other kind of art.
I'd recommend this book for everyone who is not opposed to creating something.
And it's a really, really charming book.
On the flip side, I think the book could tell a little bit about good stuff from "rotten" game developing industry. I admire works of some huge development studios, e.g. The Elder Scrolls series, or Fable. I think there is something good that can be learned and be found in these. I also believe that the brilliance of these games has started with their authors to-be creating small games for themselves, just like Anna teaches us to do.
This book not just inspired me to create games, but showed me a couple of ways it's possible to do. I'm not talking about technical means, but about the sources of inspiration, the ways to find a story, the essence of games as opposed to any other kind of art.
I'd recommend this book for everyone who is not opposed to creating something.
February 9, 2014
One of the most inspiring books I've read in a long time. Anna's book is part manifesto about why games matter--they foster empathy and can be utilized in sharing experiences--and part how-to guide on creating personalized, small-scale videogames that buck the homogeneous, corporate-made publishing model that the industry relies on. It was one of the most inspiring books I've read in a long time. I really want to make a game now! I was thinking of writing a piece of interactive fiction in Twine.
January 17, 2019
If you are thinking about making a game but are intimidated by all the tooling options, or scared that it won't be "good enough," this book is for you. It's a great message that making games is for everyone, along with solid advice on how to get started.
After years of talking about it, I finally made a game thanks to this book. Thanks!
After years of talking about it, I finally made a game thanks to this book. Thanks!
November 5, 2023
Has there been some improvement over the years? Yes... but sadly, the larger video game industry is still much how Anna describes it, and while companies may say they want diversity, they really don't value people like her or anyone who doesn't conform to their ideal worker within the system. And that system is indeed all about profit.
On a completely different note, it would be nice to have an updated version of this book with the latest tools available today - though many are the same (Twine, Ren'Py, Game Maker) Flash has been greatly diminished as websites have moved away from allowing it. But then there is now itch.io where people can go and share their games, which would be nice to mention.
On a completely different note, it would be nice to have an updated version of this book with the latest tools available today - though many are the same (Twine, Ren'Py, Game Maker) Flash has been greatly diminished as websites have moved away from allowing it. But then there is now itch.io where people can go and share their games, which would be nice to mention.
September 9, 2021
A surprisingly detailed look at video game history and culture, exploring everything from the toxicity of AAA game publishing companies (the depths of which we're still finding out about in 2021!) to the power of games to tell unique stories and explore new perspectives. The overwhelming message is that game design should be something available to everyone, to express our identities, share experiences, and tell the stories that no one else is telling. It's a great message and an important counterpoint to the idea that game design is not for everyone.
As a book published in 2012, there are some dated references when reading it in 2021 (Flash, MediaFire, MySpace... ah, nostalgia!), but the principles of just getting in and making games still hold up well. Readers should be aware of some unabashed references to kink culture and relationships that might be a bit jarring, but never vulgar.
One last observation: in a few sections, the author shares the frustration of being a child and not able to make their own games. It made me think of one of the opening scenes of the show, "Infinity Train", in which the main character is working on her own game and looking forward to going to game design camp. Kind of gives me hope that creating games becomes something all generations feel is within their grasp in the future!
As a book published in 2012, there are some dated references when reading it in 2021 (Flash, MediaFire, MySpace... ah, nostalgia!), but the principles of just getting in and making games still hold up well. Readers should be aware of some unabashed references to kink culture and relationships that might be a bit jarring, but never vulgar.
One last observation: in a few sections, the author shares the frustration of being a child and not able to make their own games. It made me think of one of the opening scenes of the show, "Infinity Train", in which the main character is working on her own game and looking forward to going to game design camp. Kind of gives me hope that creating games becomes something all generations feel is within their grasp in the future!
October 18, 2015
I'm not the target audience for this book. I play a lot of games, I've tried making them before, and I read Anna Anthropy's blog regularly. This book is probably for people who aren't so sure about this whole video game business, as it spends a lot of time talking about how games are usually made, and why that's a problem. The book talks about themes in games, and how limited they sometimes are, and how expansive they can be.
For the most part, I knew all this stuff already. But the last chapter alone is a great step-by-step guide to "how to make a game", without any prior programming knowledge. Right now, as I'm writing this, I have the core message of the book in my head - I should stop writing this review, and go make a game. Right now. And even though I've previously opened up some of the tools talked about, I've ended up staring at a blank screen with no idea what to do next. Now I know - open this book again, and follow the instructions. I don't think you can ask much more from a book.
For the most part, I knew all this stuff already. But the last chapter alone is a great step-by-step guide to "how to make a game", without any prior programming knowledge. Right now, as I'm writing this, I have the core message of the book in my head - I should stop writing this review, and go make a game. Right now. And even though I've previously opened up some of the tools talked about, I've ended up staring at a blank screen with no idea what to do next. Now I know - open this book again, and follow the instructions. I don't think you can ask much more from a book.
August 19, 2012
If you're interested in games and game-making, this book does a great job of offering some perspective on possibilities. You can start small, it is easier than ever, their are people you can find that are doing the same. She has some axes to grind that I don't, but I understand where she's coming from and that didn't get in the way of her message coming through clearly. And the appendices and guides to various tools -- sure they will age fast, but are great at pointing you in a direction to make your way through a massive world of softwares and such.
The next generation of this book will be an even better eBook -- putting all the games and the references a click away is one of the only things I'd change about the book (she does a great job of giving links to all the various games, but you'll feel a tension between wanting to stick with the thread of her thoughts vs. hunting down a long URL over on your computer / phone / whatever). I should've spent time with the references as I finished each chapter...
The next generation of this book will be an even better eBook -- putting all the games and the references a click away is one of the only things I'd change about the book (she does a great job of giving links to all the various games, but you'll feel a tension between wanting to stick with the thread of her thoughts vs. hunting down a long URL over on your computer / phone / whatever). I should've spent time with the references as I finished each chapter...
February 17, 2020
I am a big fan of Dys4ia. In fact, I like it so much that in secondary school I remember setting up a play session of the game on multiple monitors for one of our lunchtime Diversity Society meetings. I didn't know much about Anthropy then apart from what I could easily glean from the prose of Dys4ia: that she had clearly experienced a gamut of anxieties and transfigurations that HRT entails. The game, to me, was incandescent, and it helped me to better understand that experience which is so alien to me. The roughcut, Bitsy-like visual style of the game I felt helped to emphasise its thematics: the amorphousness and the indefinite nature of the self in transition. Because I am a fan of Dys4ia, I was excited to read Rise of the Videogame Zinesters, perhaps even to just peer into the mind of a creator who I have respect for.
Maybe it's because of this anticipation that I was mostly disappointed with my experience of this book, and that it even somewhat dulled my reverence for its author's seminal game.
I would like to emphasise, however, that I do not doubt the legitimate intentions of this book... I do not think that Anthropy wrote this sometimes touching, often motivating treatise about democratising game development in bad faith somehow. Rather, it's just that the execution of this book is... lazy, repetitive and oftentimes insensitive.
One particular gripe that I had with this book is that there are several really rather sweeping statements permeating the text that attempt to encapsulate quite complex cultural attitudes and institutions in a kind of philosophical turn of phrase... but instead come across as embarrassingly off-key and culturally insensitive. I'm a fierce note-taker and highlighter in all of my books and many times I've scrawled 'Qualify this!' into this book's margins when Anthropy attempts another galaxy-brain take such as: "the way that film and photography have generally changed the focus of novels and visual art" (p56), "[Half life 2 is] A very clearly cinema inspired game" (p61) or "Both Eastern and Western videogame trends have their roots in Dungeons and Dragons" (p65). My personal favourite has to be, in the context of customisable characters:
"In Japan, a much older country [than America] in which social roles are valued (and connected to uniforms), role-playing might more easily mean playing the role to which you've been assigned" (p67).
It is excerpts like this that undermine any real academic tone that this book carries; Anthropy is too insistent on using conjecture as grist for her arguments. It would also be remiss of me to overlook the horrid example of the turn-based RPG 'Gang Rape' cited on page 59. Anthropy hails this as some sort of experimental meditation on one of the most egregious crimes imaginable (hitting us again with another of her brain-genius pithy observations: "Rape is about control") and an example of the educative power of ludology. I'm sorry, but this is purely crass... and it's moments such as this coupled with the above sophistry which mean that the book's endearing qualities such as its zaniness must be rivalled by its tastelessness.
My second major problem with the book is less to do with the content itself and more to do with what I believe it wilfully ignores, what there's a privation of in the text... which is a mature and necessary appraisal of how you're also creatively restricted using the Bitsy editors and Halo Forges of the game development world, and a weighing of the benefits of creative restriction against the benefits of corporate resource. Granted, I was not so cognisant of the way that corporate videogame world worked at the time of this book's publishing, I was about 12 and didn't yet own my coveted PS3, but I think the way that Anthropy writes of the industry is maybe incommensurately irreverent... There are profoundly moving or cerebral games like, say, Shadow of the Colossus and BioShock developed and published by major corporations which Anthropy neglects to address. I feel as though Anthropy is also too fond of creative and visual limitations in games and conveniently glosses over how mechanical and visual fidelity can enhance the emotional core of personal experiences... it's as if this philosophy does not exist to her. Dys4ia is so beautiful and unique... but I think that it is also beautiful because it is so unique. There are only so many ways you can arrange the constituent parts of a game like that... there is a certain amount of diminishing returns working with such a small digital palette, and vast teams of people with specialised skillsets can serve auteur game development effectively (look at the works of Kojima, Ken Levine etc). The resounding philosophy of Rise of the Videogame Zinesters is that there should be more personal games to help saturate the market with experiences that diverge from the power fantasies of AAA gaming. It is a sensible, necessary philosophy and I would even say that I staunchly adhere to it! But as an entire book exploring this philosophy, the text is dreadfully incomplete and full of glaring oversights. I would have loved an exploration of historical precedents in other media, of the advents of personal cinema and television and so forth... perhaps even a few case studies of government grants funding popular indie games...
For some reason, I come away from Rise of the Videogame Zinesters with a sense that it doesn't want its readers and practitioners to transcend severe technological limitations by expanding or specialising skillsets, to ever view ludology as something other than a slave to the humanities... and that it wants its readers to think that perpetual compromise is not something to overcome but to embrace... and I couldn't disagree more. Ultimately, after reading this book I have to say that, of both games writing as well as indie games themselves, I don't think that we need more... we need *better*.
Maybe it's because of this anticipation that I was mostly disappointed with my experience of this book, and that it even somewhat dulled my reverence for its author's seminal game.
I would like to emphasise, however, that I do not doubt the legitimate intentions of this book... I do not think that Anthropy wrote this sometimes touching, often motivating treatise about democratising game development in bad faith somehow. Rather, it's just that the execution of this book is... lazy, repetitive and oftentimes insensitive.
One particular gripe that I had with this book is that there are several really rather sweeping statements permeating the text that attempt to encapsulate quite complex cultural attitudes and institutions in a kind of philosophical turn of phrase... but instead come across as embarrassingly off-key and culturally insensitive. I'm a fierce note-taker and highlighter in all of my books and many times I've scrawled 'Qualify this!' into this book's margins when Anthropy attempts another galaxy-brain take such as: "the way that film and photography have generally changed the focus of novels and visual art" (p56), "[Half life 2 is] A very clearly cinema inspired game" (p61) or "Both Eastern and Western videogame trends have their roots in Dungeons and Dragons" (p65). My personal favourite has to be, in the context of customisable characters:
"In Japan, a much older country [than America] in which social roles are valued (and connected to uniforms), role-playing might more easily mean playing the role to which you've been assigned" (p67).
It is excerpts like this that undermine any real academic tone that this book carries; Anthropy is too insistent on using conjecture as grist for her arguments. It would also be remiss of me to overlook the horrid example of the turn-based RPG 'Gang Rape' cited on page 59. Anthropy hails this as some sort of experimental meditation on one of the most egregious crimes imaginable (hitting us again with another of her brain-genius pithy observations: "Rape is about control") and an example of the educative power of ludology. I'm sorry, but this is purely crass... and it's moments such as this coupled with the above sophistry which mean that the book's endearing qualities such as its zaniness must be rivalled by its tastelessness.
My second major problem with the book is less to do with the content itself and more to do with what I believe it wilfully ignores, what there's a privation of in the text... which is a mature and necessary appraisal of how you're also creatively restricted using the Bitsy editors and Halo Forges of the game development world, and a weighing of the benefits of creative restriction against the benefits of corporate resource. Granted, I was not so cognisant of the way that corporate videogame world worked at the time of this book's publishing, I was about 12 and didn't yet own my coveted PS3, but I think the way that Anthropy writes of the industry is maybe incommensurately irreverent... There are profoundly moving or cerebral games like, say, Shadow of the Colossus and BioShock developed and published by major corporations which Anthropy neglects to address. I feel as though Anthropy is also too fond of creative and visual limitations in games and conveniently glosses over how mechanical and visual fidelity can enhance the emotional core of personal experiences... it's as if this philosophy does not exist to her. Dys4ia is so beautiful and unique... but I think that it is also beautiful because it is so unique. There are only so many ways you can arrange the constituent parts of a game like that... there is a certain amount of diminishing returns working with such a small digital palette, and vast teams of people with specialised skillsets can serve auteur game development effectively (look at the works of Kojima, Ken Levine etc). The resounding philosophy of Rise of the Videogame Zinesters is that there should be more personal games to help saturate the market with experiences that diverge from the power fantasies of AAA gaming. It is a sensible, necessary philosophy and I would even say that I staunchly adhere to it! But as an entire book exploring this philosophy, the text is dreadfully incomplete and full of glaring oversights. I would have loved an exploration of historical precedents in other media, of the advents of personal cinema and television and so forth... perhaps even a few case studies of government grants funding popular indie games...
For some reason, I come away from Rise of the Videogame Zinesters with a sense that it doesn't want its readers and practitioners to transcend severe technological limitations by expanding or specialising skillsets, to ever view ludology as something other than a slave to the humanities... and that it wants its readers to think that perpetual compromise is not something to overcome but to embrace... and I couldn't disagree more. Ultimately, after reading this book I have to say that, of both games writing as well as indie games themselves, I don't think that we need more... we need *better*.
December 12, 2020
I think this book is half pretty good and half kind of unreadable. I think the early chapters, in laying out an argument for how video games have become a narrow, stagnant medium, the benefits of expanding the scope of who game developers are, and how to go about doing that, are solid, if a little bit less revelatory in 2020, where indie development has really taken off dramatically when compared to the publication date of 2012.
However, I think it's a bit of a misstep that a book which so excellently details how games can be biographical is, unto itself, so biographical. Almost every example, every "case study" of a development idea or of a theme or of a game being a personal work, is from either Anna or one of her friends, which sort of makes it feel less like "anyone can make a game" and more like "me and my friends can make games"
However, I think it's a bit of a misstep that a book which so excellently details how games can be biographical is, unto itself, so biographical. Almost every example, every "case study" of a development idea or of a theme or of a game being a personal work, is from either Anna or one of her friends, which sort of makes it feel less like "anyone can make a game" and more like "me and my friends can make games"
November 28, 2013
This book is okay. I've never loved Anthropy's writing style or her idealization of raw, rough-draft game design (sometimes spending a long time on a thing is not the same as completely gutting its spirit! Sometimes spending a long time on an idea is the only way to make it reach its potential! Game jams are cool but they should not be the future of game design!), but her games are awesome and her creative voice cannot be denied. I think this book would probably work a lot better as a trio of blog posts, but I also can't help but suspect that that's what it started as. Either way, there's probably a valuable little something in here if you like games.
August 4, 2015
if like me you grew up with computers, this book won't have a whole lot to offer, other than a host of links to games to be awed by. something like this was way more enlightening to me: http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle... - not to mention playing the actual games, which is the best way to learn
but i'm glad to have read it and i sure hope its optimism will inspire some people
but i'm glad to have read it and i sure hope its optimism will inspire some people
August 15, 2017
Hezký, i pro lidi co hry moc nehrajou. Manifest/přehled o nezávislých autobiografických hrách, včetně spousty tipů triků a příběhů jak si svou malou hru udělat. Motivační. I když se doba od roku 2012 docela posunula, hlavní výtky vůči hernímu průmyslu, které Anthropy vznáší, platí pořád. Uzavřenost, nediverzita a toxické pracovní prostředí. Díky webům jako itch.io se to naštěstí hodně mění. Tak si to přečtěte a běžte svou hru taky udělat!
November 13, 2012
To echo a common sentiment about this book:
It is indeed essential that a book like this exist, but a shame it was so sloppily written and fact-checked. But it definitely introduced me to a boatload of interesting games and concepts, and got me genuinely excited about the future of gaming.
I also appreciated some of the witty asides.
It is indeed essential that a book like this exist, but a shame it was so sloppily written and fact-checked. But it definitely introduced me to a boatload of interesting games and concepts, and got me genuinely excited about the future of gaming.
I also appreciated some of the witty asides.
January 24, 2018
Read previously.
Probably should’ve been a zine? 😅
Probably should’ve been a zine? 😅
April 19, 2021
I came to Anna Anthropy’s Rise of the Videogame Zinesters not as a videogame designer nor even as a videogame player. I remembered hearing a podcast in which Vincent Baker was interviewed (I no longer remember which podcast or interview it was) and stated that he had read this book and was thinking about games as things that explore experiences as systems. I thought it was a striking idea at the time, and it stayed with me. As I was posting my thoughts on Greg Costikyan’s Uncertainty in Games, I saw that Anthropy had also written a review. The review was impressive and it made me want to read more of her writing, so I instantly connected that desire to Vincent’s interview. I ordered the book through my library, and here we are.
My own personal interest then is in TTRPGs, not videogames, but I believe that TTRPGs need to be understood as games, which means that studying other types of games will always give insight into TTRPGs. So to the extent that Anthropy’s book seeks to inform and inspire you to get out there and make videogames for the betterment of yourself and the art form, I am not the proper audience. But all the same, I came away both informed and inspired about game design and how videogames relate to the larger category of games.
The book is a delightful mix of general how-to and passionate polemic. The basic arguments of the book is that, first, videogames are an art form, and that second, they have suffered atrophied and stunted growth due to their history of having such barriers of entry and production that only a few voices could ever be heard. Published in 2012, the book predicted accurately the popular access to the means of production and distribution that would put making videogames within the reach of anyone who wanted it. The first three chapters lay out Anthropy’s argument, looking at the nature and history of videogames, what they are, what they do, what they have been, and what they can become. For me, these were the three most gripping chapters in the book, but then I was primarily interested in this argumentative material. The remaining chapters look at how videogames were changing in the years preceding the publication of the book and a general guide to seizing those means of production to start making your own games. While those chapters were of less importance to me, they were still interesting, thoughtful, and insightful.
Anthropy has an easy writing style that lets her walk the line between colloquial and academic, which is admittedly one of my favorite lines to see walked. The is simultaneously a call for rebellion and a thoughtful, well-researched argument. It is also powerfully personal, but always with an eye to the applicability of that personal experience, which is another tact I am always happy to find in the non-fiction books I read.
As a student of RPGs, I kept finding myself thinking of the Forge’s birth at the turn of the century in response to the limited means of production and distribution in the field. What Ron Edwards and others were seeing in the possibility of self-publishing and the expansion of what RPGs could do and be, Anthropy is seeing in videogames. Anthropy’s focus is different in that she wants to see non-dominant voices speak out through games that reflect their own experiences—a goal I support with every atom of my being. The Forge suffered from many things that choked off that expansion of voices, viewpoints, and experiences, which is a shame. Videogames were lucky to have voices like Anthropy’s leading the charge.
Anthropy knows that the technical world moves fast and she wrote her book to survive the passage of time by focusing on higher level issues in game design and publication instead of getting mired in specific software and websites. Still, she manages to give specific resources to the aspiring (and inspired) game designer via the appendix, allowing her to have her cake and eat it too. Nearly ten years after its date of publication, this book is still a relevant and powerful resource to have on your bookshelf.
My own personal interest then is in TTRPGs, not videogames, but I believe that TTRPGs need to be understood as games, which means that studying other types of games will always give insight into TTRPGs. So to the extent that Anthropy’s book seeks to inform and inspire you to get out there and make videogames for the betterment of yourself and the art form, I am not the proper audience. But all the same, I came away both informed and inspired about game design and how videogames relate to the larger category of games.
The book is a delightful mix of general how-to and passionate polemic. The basic arguments of the book is that, first, videogames are an art form, and that second, they have suffered atrophied and stunted growth due to their history of having such barriers of entry and production that only a few voices could ever be heard. Published in 2012, the book predicted accurately the popular access to the means of production and distribution that would put making videogames within the reach of anyone who wanted it. The first three chapters lay out Anthropy’s argument, looking at the nature and history of videogames, what they are, what they do, what they have been, and what they can become. For me, these were the three most gripping chapters in the book, but then I was primarily interested in this argumentative material. The remaining chapters look at how videogames were changing in the years preceding the publication of the book and a general guide to seizing those means of production to start making your own games. While those chapters were of less importance to me, they were still interesting, thoughtful, and insightful.
Anthropy has an easy writing style that lets her walk the line between colloquial and academic, which is admittedly one of my favorite lines to see walked. The is simultaneously a call for rebellion and a thoughtful, well-researched argument. It is also powerfully personal, but always with an eye to the applicability of that personal experience, which is another tact I am always happy to find in the non-fiction books I read.
As a student of RPGs, I kept finding myself thinking of the Forge’s birth at the turn of the century in response to the limited means of production and distribution in the field. What Ron Edwards and others were seeing in the possibility of self-publishing and the expansion of what RPGs could do and be, Anthropy is seeing in videogames. Anthropy’s focus is different in that she wants to see non-dominant voices speak out through games that reflect their own experiences—a goal I support with every atom of my being. The Forge suffered from many things that choked off that expansion of voices, viewpoints, and experiences, which is a shame. Videogames were lucky to have voices like Anthropy’s leading the charge.
Anthropy knows that the technical world moves fast and she wrote her book to survive the passage of time by focusing on higher level issues in game design and publication instead of getting mired in specific software and websites. Still, she manages to give specific resources to the aspiring (and inspired) game designer via the appendix, allowing her to have her cake and eat it too. Nearly ten years after its date of publication, this book is still a relevant and powerful resource to have on your bookshelf.
March 17, 2014
The Garage bands of the 60s and the punk bands of the 70s proved that anyone and a few friends can become musicians. Disposable and instant cameras allowed anyone to become a photographer. Camcorders and camera phones turned anyone into a filmmaker. Paper and ink, and later typewriters and computers, made everyone a potential writer. Crayons and fingerpaint...well, you get the point.
Making an art form accessible and its tools widely available does a lot for the art. It demystifies the way things are made and encourages participation, which leads to more and more artists. When someone can create art independently, without needing a large amount of money or having to worry about things like marketability, demographics, and profits, it makes experimentation more possible. Experimentation can lead to innovation, innovation to evolution.
The mass availability of creative tools does something else as well: it helps us appreciate any given medium even more. When you realize just how something is made, you better appreciate its craftsmanship. It isn't until you pick up a camcorder and record a shaky Christmas morning video, or snap a blurry photo, or hear a recording or your own attempt at singing, or try to draw a cat and get something more like this, that you realize there's some actual talent going into the greater works. On the other hand, it may also help you realize a talent you would have never otherwise discovered you had. A young kid drawing his own comic book (as I'm sure we've all tried) learns either one of two things: (a) that comic writing/illustrating isn't for him, or (b) that he really enjoys writing/illustrating comics and might even be half good at it. The latter would then be prone to pursue this idea and may find a lifelong career/interest in it.
What I'm driving at, as if you haven't guessed already, is that Video Games don't quite have this demystification and accessibility yet. Everyone and their mothers know how a novel is written or a movie is made, but most people, even many gamers, know about as much about the what and how of making a game as they do the building of an atomic bomb. They may have some faint, unsure ideas about it, but they'd, unlike with writing or filming, most likely be inept at attempting or even explaining it. Programming languages seem like gibberish and coding seems like a sort of black magic. The entry barriers for Video Game creation are too high. Which is precisely why the medium has been almost exclusively controlled by major corporations for so long.
That's all changing though. It has been for awhile now. Not only are more people learning to program, but programming languages are getting simpler and simpler. The development of games is slowly being demystified and the tools becoming more available. Anyone with a computer can make a video game, even if they have little to no programming knowledge at all. And, even more importantly, they can do it for no cost at all. It's cheaper to do than any other of the mediums because it's the only one that's non-physical. Everything's done on the computer (which everyone has), even distribution. As far as materials go you need even less than you would for a film or band. The tools are there, all that's left is the know-how. I, for one, can foresee the day when people will sit down and make a Video Game just as someone might scribble a doodle, or record a home video, or write a diary entry, or snap a family photo, or hum some made-up tune. It's an exciting prospect; one that seems almost inevitable. It's certainly a thrilling time to be a gamer.
Anna Anthropy's book, Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives, and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form, which I of course bought because I am a freaky yet normal amateur artist who dreams of dropping-out and becoming a queer housewife, attempts to serve as a sort of manifesto to this thought. The philosophy it supports is no doubt a good one, unfortunately its execution is anything but.
I should start by saying that I am a bit of an Anna Anthropy fan--I think her game "dys4ia" is one of the most expressive and compelling things ever created--which only makes this book all the more a letdown.
Don't expect elaboration or serious analysis from this book. It never really explores the main idea it subscribes to. In fact, in the first few paragraphs of this review I discuss the idea of accessibility to art as much as this book does, if not more. I'm not kidding. There's even some things I touched on that the book failed to even mention. All Anna really does in this book is repeat the doctrine of taking the art form away from the rich companies and putting it into the hands of everyday people. You'll hear roughly the same sentence proclaiming this idea numerous times throughout the book. Really the only follow-up to this thought is that Video Games currently have very narrow-minded perspectives (i.e. rich company perspectives) and that Video Games generally fail to offer any worthwhile perspectives; something that of course could be corrected by giving more people the opportunity to express their own view. She's obviously correct in her observation, I just wish the word "observation" could have been plural.
Again, reading this book will make you little more wiser than reading this review will (and having read a few of my reviews, that's not much). The book says essentially all it needs to say in its first chapter. It could have easily been essay length or even published as an internet article. There's no sense of escalation as the book progresses, there's no building upon ideas or any sense of build-up at all. In fact, the title of the book is really all you need to read. It says about as much as the text: Rise--okay so something new is happening--of the Videogame--it has to do with video games--Zinesters--and it implies an independent, D.I.Y. approach--How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives, and People Like You--to how everybody can--Are Taking Back an Art Form--make games now.
It doesn't go much deeper than that. What it does offer are some great recommendations to some games you've probably never heard of. Most of which are available for free online, so you'll definitely end up playing some new games after reading this. Unfortunately Anna's descriptions of gameplay are largely boring (unlike the descriptions in Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter ), so you really are better off just playing the games. She also offers some suggestions in programs to use for people who lack programming knowledge. Some of them you've probably heard of (Game Maker, Games Factory), others probably not (Knytt Stories, ZZT). Unsurprisingly, the two Appendixes, one dealing with software to use to make games and the other dealing with recommended games made using such software, are the most useful parts of the book.
So the book isn't completely worthless. There's some good suggestions and you'll probably find a helpful word of advice here or there. The problem is that, despite it's length, it doesn't really tell me more than a Google search of "free video game making software" or "the best flash games" could have. Its ideas are too few and its execution too boring to get anyone really excited about making games who wasn't already excited. Video Games as a more personal expression, a more individual vision, a more zine-like mentality is something that should happen, something that will happen. But you don't need this book to tell you. Fails as an academic work, fails as a guide, and fails as an account of pop culture. Not worthless, but hardly worthwhile.
Making an art form accessible and its tools widely available does a lot for the art. It demystifies the way things are made and encourages participation, which leads to more and more artists. When someone can create art independently, without needing a large amount of money or having to worry about things like marketability, demographics, and profits, it makes experimentation more possible. Experimentation can lead to innovation, innovation to evolution.
The mass availability of creative tools does something else as well: it helps us appreciate any given medium even more. When you realize just how something is made, you better appreciate its craftsmanship. It isn't until you pick up a camcorder and record a shaky Christmas morning video, or snap a blurry photo, or hear a recording or your own attempt at singing, or try to draw a cat and get something more like this, that you realize there's some actual talent going into the greater works. On the other hand, it may also help you realize a talent you would have never otherwise discovered you had. A young kid drawing his own comic book (as I'm sure we've all tried) learns either one of two things: (a) that comic writing/illustrating isn't for him, or (b) that he really enjoys writing/illustrating comics and might even be half good at it. The latter would then be prone to pursue this idea and may find a lifelong career/interest in it.
What I'm driving at, as if you haven't guessed already, is that Video Games don't quite have this demystification and accessibility yet. Everyone and their mothers know how a novel is written or a movie is made, but most people, even many gamers, know about as much about the what and how of making a game as they do the building of an atomic bomb. They may have some faint, unsure ideas about it, but they'd, unlike with writing or filming, most likely be inept at attempting or even explaining it. Programming languages seem like gibberish and coding seems like a sort of black magic. The entry barriers for Video Game creation are too high. Which is precisely why the medium has been almost exclusively controlled by major corporations for so long.
That's all changing though. It has been for awhile now. Not only are more people learning to program, but programming languages are getting simpler and simpler. The development of games is slowly being demystified and the tools becoming more available. Anyone with a computer can make a video game, even if they have little to no programming knowledge at all. And, even more importantly, they can do it for no cost at all. It's cheaper to do than any other of the mediums because it's the only one that's non-physical. Everything's done on the computer (which everyone has), even distribution. As far as materials go you need even less than you would for a film or band. The tools are there, all that's left is the know-how. I, for one, can foresee the day when people will sit down and make a Video Game just as someone might scribble a doodle, or record a home video, or write a diary entry, or snap a family photo, or hum some made-up tune. It's an exciting prospect; one that seems almost inevitable. It's certainly a thrilling time to be a gamer.
Anna Anthropy's book, Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives, and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form, which I of course bought because I am a freaky yet normal amateur artist who dreams of dropping-out and becoming a queer housewife, attempts to serve as a sort of manifesto to this thought. The philosophy it supports is no doubt a good one, unfortunately its execution is anything but.
I should start by saying that I am a bit of an Anna Anthropy fan--I think her game "dys4ia" is one of the most expressive and compelling things ever created--which only makes this book all the more a letdown.
Don't expect elaboration or serious analysis from this book. It never really explores the main idea it subscribes to. In fact, in the first few paragraphs of this review I discuss the idea of accessibility to art as much as this book does, if not more. I'm not kidding. There's even some things I touched on that the book failed to even mention. All Anna really does in this book is repeat the doctrine of taking the art form away from the rich companies and putting it into the hands of everyday people. You'll hear roughly the same sentence proclaiming this idea numerous times throughout the book. Really the only follow-up to this thought is that Video Games currently have very narrow-minded perspectives (i.e. rich company perspectives) and that Video Games generally fail to offer any worthwhile perspectives; something that of course could be corrected by giving more people the opportunity to express their own view. She's obviously correct in her observation, I just wish the word "observation" could have been plural.
Again, reading this book will make you little more wiser than reading this review will (and having read a few of my reviews, that's not much). The book says essentially all it needs to say in its first chapter. It could have easily been essay length or even published as an internet article. There's no sense of escalation as the book progresses, there's no building upon ideas or any sense of build-up at all. In fact, the title of the book is really all you need to read. It says about as much as the text: Rise--okay so something new is happening--of the Videogame--it has to do with video games--Zinesters--and it implies an independent, D.I.Y. approach--How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives, and People Like You--to how everybody can--Are Taking Back an Art Form--make games now.
It doesn't go much deeper than that. What it does offer are some great recommendations to some games you've probably never heard of. Most of which are available for free online, so you'll definitely end up playing some new games after reading this. Unfortunately Anna's descriptions of gameplay are largely boring (unlike the descriptions in Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter ), so you really are better off just playing the games. She also offers some suggestions in programs to use for people who lack programming knowledge. Some of them you've probably heard of (Game Maker, Games Factory), others probably not (Knytt Stories, ZZT). Unsurprisingly, the two Appendixes, one dealing with software to use to make games and the other dealing with recommended games made using such software, are the most useful parts of the book.
So the book isn't completely worthless. There's some good suggestions and you'll probably find a helpful word of advice here or there. The problem is that, despite it's length, it doesn't really tell me more than a Google search of "free video game making software" or "the best flash games" could have. Its ideas are too few and its execution too boring to get anyone really excited about making games who wasn't already excited. Video Games as a more personal expression, a more individual vision, a more zine-like mentality is something that should happen, something that will happen. But you don't need this book to tell you. Fails as an academic work, fails as a guide, and fails as an account of pop culture. Not worthless, but hardly worthwhile.
January 30, 2021
Ennesimo saggio letto su suggerimento di persone care, ennesima piacevole scoperta.
Mi sono tuffato in queste ultime settimane in un progetto di creazione di un videogioco testuale. E prima ancora che strumenti e conoscenze, il libro di Anna Anthropy mi ha dato coraggio.
Può sembrare una cosa stupida, ma le domande "Perché mai fare un videogioco in due persone, quando Cd Projekt Red ha fatto un mezzo disastro con centinaia di lavoratriciu?" e "Ha davvero senso provare a metterci qualcosa di nostro nelle meccaniche, nelle azioni?" mi hanno frenato un sacco.
Poi arriva Anna che dice: ehi tesoro, da decenni la scrittura viene considerata accessibile a tuttu, così come la pittura, o il cantare. Perché non dovresti decidere tu che gioco creare, e farlo?
Beh, avevo davvero bisogno di te, Anna <3
Oltre a questo, il saggio è un ottimo punto di partenza, uno di quei testi che, se sei già appassionatu di videogiochi, ti aiutano a mettere ordine in testa per cose che bene o male sai già, ma a cui non hai dato un nome.
E se non sei appassionatu, ma vuoi capire, esplorare, ti aiuta a orientarti.
Ed è anche e soprattutto un manifesto: non tanto e non solo sulla creazione di videogiochi ma, in generale, sul diritto di creare per il piacere di creare.
Come facciamo sempre più fatica a ricordarci (io per primo), abbiamo il diritto di esistere a prescindere dalla nostra produttività. Ed è giusto dedicare il nostro tempo alle cose che amiamo e ci fanno star bene, anche se non ci renderanno riccu o famosu o salveranno il mondo.
Mi sono tuffato in queste ultime settimane in un progetto di creazione di un videogioco testuale. E prima ancora che strumenti e conoscenze, il libro di Anna Anthropy mi ha dato coraggio.
Può sembrare una cosa stupida, ma le domande "Perché mai fare un videogioco in due persone, quando Cd Projekt Red ha fatto un mezzo disastro con centinaia di lavoratriciu?" e "Ha davvero senso provare a metterci qualcosa di nostro nelle meccaniche, nelle azioni?" mi hanno frenato un sacco.
Poi arriva Anna che dice: ehi tesoro, da decenni la scrittura viene considerata accessibile a tuttu, così come la pittura, o il cantare. Perché non dovresti decidere tu che gioco creare, e farlo?
Beh, avevo davvero bisogno di te, Anna <3
Oltre a questo, il saggio è un ottimo punto di partenza, uno di quei testi che, se sei già appassionatu di videogiochi, ti aiutano a mettere ordine in testa per cose che bene o male sai già, ma a cui non hai dato un nome.
E se non sei appassionatu, ma vuoi capire, esplorare, ti aiuta a orientarti.
Ed è anche e soprattutto un manifesto: non tanto e non solo sulla creazione di videogiochi ma, in generale, sul diritto di creare per il piacere di creare.
Come facciamo sempre più fatica a ricordarci (io per primo), abbiamo il diritto di esistere a prescindere dalla nostra produttività. Ed è giusto dedicare il nostro tempo alle cose che amiamo e ci fanno star bene, anche se non ci renderanno riccu o famosu o salveranno il mondo.
July 30, 2024
This book is a neat call-to-action for anyone considering making an indie game or anyone that likes to play them. It advocates for games to be more like zines in the way that anyone could make one easily and about anything they'd like, especially perhaps, to the author, personal experience. It also makes a case for games to be defined as "an experience made through rules" so that they are more inclusive to all types of game themes and mechanics. Nowadays one sees a lot more kinds of games about anything in that way; Pressure Washer Simulator, Untitled Goose Game and emily is away come to mind off the top of my head. I'm all for this outlook on games, and I enjoyed the discussion overall. It also offered some apparently good resources to make games and suggested some interesting games to play, and that's pretty cool.
Some reviews here claim that this book has inaccurate information, which is a problem if that's true, though I haven't seen the errors particularly cited. The book felt kind of ranty and dated at times, and a bit run-around, too. But overall I'd say this is a cool, zine-spirited book to encourage you to give new games a try and hear a good case for them, but maybe not a great pick if you're already super familiar with gaming and want to read something thoroughly academic and deeply revised.
Some reviews here claim that this book has inaccurate information, which is a problem if that's true, though I haven't seen the errors particularly cited. The book felt kind of ranty and dated at times, and a bit run-around, too. But overall I'd say this is a cool, zine-spirited book to encourage you to give new games a try and hear a good case for them, but maybe not a great pick if you're already super familiar with gaming and want to read something thoroughly academic and deeply revised.
March 12, 2025
This is an effective and knowledgeable book about amateur videogames viewed through the lens of the zine scene and other DIY art. "Part critical essay, part manifesto, part DIY guide" is accurate, and if any one of these appeals to you, it's well worth reading.
Just be prepared to take the effort to hold it in context. 13 years after the book was published, much of what Anthropy has to say about the industry is unchanged, but the state of indie development is quite different. Think about the huge commercial success of games by small studios (Hades) and solo devs (Balatro), the end of Flash, the start of itch.io. Many of the links in footnotes no longer work, with even an old site of Anna Anthropy's now going to something in Thai. It's still a useful book. The diversity of makers, characters, subjects, styles, and gameplay really has improved, but Anthropy's points remain true; the medium is available to anyone who wants to try, and should be pushed ever further.
I'm a zine maker and regular videogame player, and have a teeny tiny bit of experience making Twine games just for myself. I already had this opinion of games. Anthropy didn't need to convince me, but she did intrigue and enlighten me with examples and experience.
Just be prepared to take the effort to hold it in context. 13 years after the book was published, much of what Anthropy has to say about the industry is unchanged, but the state of indie development is quite different. Think about the huge commercial success of games by small studios (Hades) and solo devs (Balatro), the end of Flash, the start of itch.io. Many of the links in footnotes no longer work, with even an old site of Anna Anthropy's now going to something in Thai. It's still a useful book. The diversity of makers, characters, subjects, styles, and gameplay really has improved, but Anthropy's points remain true; the medium is available to anyone who wants to try, and should be pushed ever further.
I'm a zine maker and regular videogame player, and have a teeny tiny bit of experience making Twine games just for myself. I already had this opinion of games. Anthropy didn't need to convince me, but she did intrigue and enlighten me with examples and experience.
December 17, 2019
À la fois manifeste pour la création de jeux vidéo hors des cadres de l'édition vidéo-ludique traditionnelle (avec des codes complètement différents, d'où l'évocation du zine), à la fois outil pour développer ses propre jeux vidéo zinesque et un peu une mini-réflexion sur ce qu'est l'art, le jeu, le jeu vidéo, le besoin de créer des jeux vidéo.
C'est une lecture qui se consomme un peu comme un zine par endroit, c'est intéressant, ça va dans beaucoup de sens simultanément, c'est à la fois expérientiel (les jeux vidéo que l'autrice a créé, ceux auxquelles elle a joué, son rapport au média), un peu érudit (il y a quand même de la recherche), zinesque en ce sens que c'est court, rempli de conseil, basé sur sa propre expérience, très très libre, aborde frontalement des enjeux d'orientation sexuelle face aux conservateurs américains, etc.
J'avoue que ce court essai donne plutôt envie d'en faire, d'en jouer et d'en distribuer ; je vais probablement jeter un coup d’œil aux jeux qu'elle conseille dans les prochains jours et si jamais je veux me lancer dans la création d'un petit jeu, je vais relire les appendices où elle présente de nombreux outils accessibles pour le faire.
C'est une lecture qui se consomme un peu comme un zine par endroit, c'est intéressant, ça va dans beaucoup de sens simultanément, c'est à la fois expérientiel (les jeux vidéo que l'autrice a créé, ceux auxquelles elle a joué, son rapport au média), un peu érudit (il y a quand même de la recherche), zinesque en ce sens que c'est court, rempli de conseil, basé sur sa propre expérience, très très libre, aborde frontalement des enjeux d'orientation sexuelle face aux conservateurs américains, etc.
J'avoue que ce court essai donne plutôt envie d'en faire, d'en jouer et d'en distribuer ; je vais probablement jeter un coup d’œil aux jeux qu'elle conseille dans les prochains jours et si jamais je veux me lancer dans la création d'un petit jeu, je vais relire les appendices où elle présente de nombreux outils accessibles pour le faire.
April 20, 2019
“It’s possible that your interest in digital game creation is purely academic and doesn’t extend to becoming an author. In that case, I hope what you take away from this book is that the videogame isn’t the creation of a corporation, but if an author, that this form is important, and that people are using it to do exciting things.
What we call a videogame is not a product. It’s the creation of an author and her accomplice, the player; it is handmade by the former and personally distributed to the latter. The videogame is a zine.”
This book is a a kind of relief and grief in its pre-gamergate optimism and hope and sheer toughness. Maybe exactly what we need in a post-gamergate world. Because we can still take back videogames from corporations, we can still build and tweak and love them ourselves and leave them weird or short or strange or intimate. And we should. The parallels between zine culture and indie game culture are very cool when pointed out this way and I wanted - I still want - more.
What we call a videogame is not a product. It’s the creation of an author and her accomplice, the player; it is handmade by the former and personally distributed to the latter. The videogame is a zine.”
This book is a a kind of relief and grief in its pre-gamergate optimism and hope and sheer toughness. Maybe exactly what we need in a post-gamergate world. Because we can still take back videogames from corporations, we can still build and tweak and love them ourselves and leave them weird or short or strange or intimate. And we should. The parallels between zine culture and indie game culture are very cool when pointed out this way and I wanted - I still want - more.
January 19, 2019
Contrary to my expectations, only the first few chapters feature scholarly content. Anthropy gives reasons why most big games resemble one another in many ways and criticizes the videogame industry and its culture of crunch before explaining why there is a need for fresh ideas and individual creators of indie games. The rest of the book is part manifesto, part manual: The author invites everyone to create their own games and discusses first steps and tools for doing so. This can be inspiring and useful to all those with a vague desire to create videogames, but no idea how to start. (Note, however, that it's dated: It came out in 2012.)
December 3, 2024
This book offers unique and insightful perspectives to game making not as an industry, but as a cultural and political movement championed by individuals who pour their hearts and souls into it, going way beyond "how to make space marines kill monsters in better graphics" and actually pushing the boundaries on what games can do and how they connect with players.
A short and straight to the point read, although aimed at people with little experience in making games, I feel like seasoned developers will also benefit a lot from it, challenging their own understandings and perceptions on what it means to make (and play) games.
A short and straight to the point read, although aimed at people with little experience in making games, I feel like seasoned developers will also benefit a lot from it, challenging their own understandings and perceptions on what it means to make (and play) games.
July 24, 2025
I was blown away by this examination (treatise? manifesto?) about video games as art and the need for more diverse voices in video games creation. I don’t agree with all of Anthropy’s points or conclusions, but the past decade plus has shown that this need is greater than ever. I was fascinated to consider how young video games are as an art form and the stages that need to happen for a kind of democratization to occur. I was also inspired by Anthropy’s directive to the reader to just. make. art. Don’t wait. Start creating now and learn from your mistakes. No matter what kind of creator you are, this is good advice.
October 16, 2020
Je crois que la meilleure approche pour ce livre est de le considérer comme étant partiellement un essai et un zine, avec quelques informations générales sur l'histoire de la publication de jeux vidéo et sur la culture populaire.
Overall super intéressant (surtout les parties sur l'expérience personnelle de l'autrice), quoique un peu daté (il y a tout de même 8 ans depuis la première publication).
Overall super intéressant (surtout les parties sur l'expérience personnelle de l'autrice), quoique un peu daté (il y a tout de même 8 ans depuis la première publication).
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