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The Dream Architects: Adventures in the Video Game Industry
The inside story of the booming video game industry from the late 1990s to the present, as told by the Managing Director of Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment (The Division, Far Cry 3, Assassin's Revelations).At Massive Entertainment, a Ubisoft studio, a key division of one of the largest, most influential companies in gaming, Managing Director Polfeldt has had a hand in some of the biggest video game franchises of today, from Assassin's Creed to Far Cry to Tom Clancy's The Division, the fastest-selling new series this generation which revitalized the Clancy brand in gaming.In The Dream Architects, Polfeldt charts his course through a charmed, idiosyncratic career which began at the dawn of the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox era -- from successfully pitching an Avatar game to James Cameron that will digitally create all of Pandora to enduring a week-long survivalist camp in the Scandinavian forest to better understand the post-apocalyptic future of The Division.Along the way, Polfeldt ruminates on how the video game industry has grown and changed, how and when games became art, and the medium's expanding artistic and storytelling potential. He shares what it's like to manage a creative process that has ballooned from a low-six-figure expense with a team of a half dozen people to a transatlantic production of five hundred employees on a single project with a production budget of over a hundred million dollars.A rare firsthand account of the golden age of game development told in vivid detail, The Dream Architects is a seminal work about the biggest entertainment medium of today.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2020
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1387 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 21, 2021
Not really for me.
Some of it reads like a very long LinkedIn inspirational quote.
Has a postcard from Kojima which he doesn't expand upon
Some of it reads like a very long LinkedIn inspirational quote.
Has a postcard from Kojima which he doesn't expand upon
January 10, 2022
I’d just finished another industry novel by Shreier before starting this, and so Polfeldt’s artistic and long winded autobiography was refreshing and surprisingly easy to read.
Though decently written and fun to read (even if meandering at times), I did feel that Polfeldt was more in love with his own story than anything else, which I think caused some problems. There was surprisingly little introspection besides ‘I worked hard, and I sacrificed everything, but it wasn’t luck, it was grit’. I would have hoped for more honesty about what he lost, especially after numerous remarks about Swedish bluntness. Skimming over his flaws and hardships often led to points of crisis, most clearly the one at the end, seeming trivial since Polfeldt never explained how he’d messed up, why people were pissed at him, and why this was any different than previous problems.
My last gripe was that I really didn’t feel like Polfeldt as an agent in his own story, if anything he felt like a narrator flying over scenes of his life just long enough for you to see who he was talking to before moving on. This was one of the biggest contributors to giving the impression that he’s just in love with the mythic he was building around himself—the book reads like a series of pictures with captions underneath, too short to give any substance, just long enough to build a giant in your head.
Though decently written and fun to read (even if meandering at times), I did feel that Polfeldt was more in love with his own story than anything else, which I think caused some problems. There was surprisingly little introspection besides ‘I worked hard, and I sacrificed everything, but it wasn’t luck, it was grit’. I would have hoped for more honesty about what he lost, especially after numerous remarks about Swedish bluntness. Skimming over his flaws and hardships often led to points of crisis, most clearly the one at the end, seeming trivial since Polfeldt never explained how he’d messed up, why people were pissed at him, and why this was any different than previous problems.
My last gripe was that I really didn’t feel like Polfeldt as an agent in his own story, if anything he felt like a narrator flying over scenes of his life just long enough for you to see who he was talking to before moving on. This was one of the biggest contributors to giving the impression that he’s just in love with the mythic he was building around himself—the book reads like a series of pictures with captions underneath, too short to give any substance, just long enough to build a giant in your head.
August 21, 2020
More books on the video game industry are appearing, to my relief, but it's not every day that we get a more personal story. David Polfeldt is the managing director of Massive Entertainment (a Ubisoft subsidiary), and takes the reader through his experiences in a curious industry that has gotten increasingly difficult to enter; something Polfeldt addresses, though I can't help but wonder if he realizes just how lucky he got by being in the right place at the right time—even with the initial struggles at the start.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Polfeldt's memoir picks up when he starts seeing more successes; in other words, when you get around to the halfway point. There's some irony that at some point in his memoir, he aptly stated that making video games is a marathon that requires careful pacing, because it felt as though there were moments when he failed to do so himself while writing this. It's a double-edged sword, though, where on the one one hand, pacing means considering work-life balance and actually talking about the "life" part—which he most certainly does. On the other hand, the memoir is being marketed to focus a bit more on the "work" part, and a lot of the mundane memories that he shares may lose his readers. Admittedly, that's what made it difficult for me to get into the book because of its awkward pacing. Polfeldt's writing has a charm, though, and he makes sure that readers can get a sense of what his colleagues and friends are like with details on their personalities.
This book feels right for any diehard fans of Massive Entertainment who want to get even more than what's already out there. Polfeldt shares everything from the mundane to the exciting. And for anyone who's particularly intrigued by the industry, having a veteran's close perspective is always invaluable. As a gamer and a game scholar myself, I certainly appreciated his insights and found many points illuminating. However, I wish there was some more balance in his storytelling.
I received this collection of poems from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an honest review.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Polfeldt's memoir picks up when he starts seeing more successes; in other words, when you get around to the halfway point. There's some irony that at some point in his memoir, he aptly stated that making video games is a marathon that requires careful pacing, because it felt as though there were moments when he failed to do so himself while writing this. It's a double-edged sword, though, where on the one one hand, pacing means considering work-life balance and actually talking about the "life" part—which he most certainly does. On the other hand, the memoir is being marketed to focus a bit more on the "work" part, and a lot of the mundane memories that he shares may lose his readers. Admittedly, that's what made it difficult for me to get into the book because of its awkward pacing. Polfeldt's writing has a charm, though, and he makes sure that readers can get a sense of what his colleagues and friends are like with details on their personalities.
This book feels right for any diehard fans of Massive Entertainment who want to get even more than what's already out there. Polfeldt shares everything from the mundane to the exciting. And for anyone who's particularly intrigued by the industry, having a veteran's close perspective is always invaluable. As a gamer and a game scholar myself, I certainly appreciated his insights and found many points illuminating. However, I wish there was some more balance in his storytelling.
I received this collection of poems from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an honest review.
March 22, 2021
Could be a 3 or 4 star read for the right audience (and based on other Goodreads reviews, it is), but I'm not that audience.
The pros: It's interesting, and very well written. It provides history and insight behind the curtain in an industry that (I suspect), most people are 'familiar' with, but about which they have very little actual knowledge.
The cons (for me): It's a memoir - plain & simple, it's one man's story of one man's journey. That topic and that journey will either be interesting to you, or it won't. For me, not so much. While I had no idea what I was cracking the cover on (free ARC from Goodreads) I think I would have preferred a more comprehensive work on gaming and the development of the video game/gaming industry: from Pong, to Atari, to PC and console gaming, to today's open-world engines.
That said, my review is heavily influenced by personal preference on the topic, not the writing, the writer or his story.
The pros: It's interesting, and very well written. It provides history and insight behind the curtain in an industry that (I suspect), most people are 'familiar' with, but about which they have very little actual knowledge.
The cons (for me): It's a memoir - plain & simple, it's one man's story of one man's journey. That topic and that journey will either be interesting to you, or it won't. For me, not so much. While I had no idea what I was cracking the cover on (free ARC from Goodreads) I think I would have preferred a more comprehensive work on gaming and the development of the video game/gaming industry: from Pong, to Atari, to PC and console gaming, to today's open-world engines.
That said, my review is heavily influenced by personal preference on the topic, not the writing, the writer or his story.
August 10, 2022
What if someone not involved in making of the actual games wrote a book about making games? Turns out you'd get a lot of excruciatingly boring analysis of their personal mental issues, stories of office politics, junkets and other marketing nonsense. There is nothing here about the art of making games, the guy could be managing a bull-semen selling company and could probably tell the same story.
This book is literally the opposite of an inspiring story of a creative genius going through hardship to create the game of his dreams. Guy breezes through life being given seemingly infinite chances after fucking up repeatedly and yet plays the victim time after time. Unless you want to know how to wow the executives with lies and the press will bullshots there is nothing here.
This book is literally the opposite of an inspiring story of a creative genius going through hardship to create the game of his dreams. Guy breezes through life being given seemingly infinite chances after fucking up repeatedly and yet plays the victim time after time. Unless you want to know how to wow the executives with lies and the press will bullshots there is nothing here.
January 6, 2021
Polfeldt's memoir is well-written and remarkably light on corporate self-justification. And as Triple-A game studios go, Massive Entertainment looks like a pretty nice place to work. That said, the descriptions of company politics and corporate inertia just reinforce my desire to stick with small teams and independent projects.
November 4, 2025
Well written, but not what you will expect. The Dream Architects: Adventures in the Video Game Industry
Wandering through the thoughts and writings of a game developer, can sometimes feel very linear without an artistic edge. As if something is missing in the words recording their life accomplishments and thoughts on the future. The books on the gaming industry read less like a memoir, and sometimes more like a self-help or business motivational reading with a an over focused idea of comprehensive gaming development. David Polfeldt's "The Dream Architects" (or as I am going to shorten to TDA) - does not feel this way. The words in TDA feel personal and the emotion behind them are real to the reader. The work takes the reader through Polfeldt's emotional experience of challenge, triumph, and to ultimately artistic expression. While the work is well written and enhances upon what is missing in many game industry biopics, it is also greatly lacking in other areas that could alienate the audience.
The pros are apparent from the beginning of the book to the end. It is a well-written and very good expression of Polfeldt's experience. You can feel his emotions through a relatable perspective. It is a crafted story, not simply a record. I believe this is a story with humanity woven into the fabrics foundation in producing a top tier game with a slight peak behind the curtains of game production.
The cons speak directly pour out of the pros of the work. This is a story of a man that grew a company from his garage to being part of the giant gaming company "Ubisoft". "Massive Games", a small start-up that grew into something substantial. That is the story - but it is missed in the storytelling chosen. Polfeldt is certainly a giant in the industry and was involved in the creation of the "The Division" (a fantastic game), "Far Cry 3", and "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora". He was also involved in a game engine development known as "Snowdrop". His involvement here is what I reference to being missed in the story telling. We feel his emotions, the roller coaster of gaming development, and the payoff it can give you - which is likely the point. But it left me with a big question "what exactly did you do in these developments, David?" I wanted to know more, of which TDA did not deliver. I give him as much benefit as I can that he was involved deeply in the production. Of how though? I could not tell.
I think that this easily could have been a four-star rating for me - if the work were slightly more comprehensive. I needed to feel those emotions and explore the feelings Polfeldt dealt with in his challenges. It was fantastic in that aspect. Where it was not fantastic, well - as I wrote above, tell me more of your involvement. Give me the gritty thoughts and details of coding and the challenges that these great games brought to your team. I want to know more.
My review is a personal preference on this style of writing which I love to read...it is not to be cruel to the writer or the story. Given, give it a read! I am certain that although I want to know more and it influences the final results...maybe that was the point?
Wandering through the thoughts and writings of a game developer, can sometimes feel very linear without an artistic edge. As if something is missing in the words recording their life accomplishments and thoughts on the future. The books on the gaming industry read less like a memoir, and sometimes more like a self-help or business motivational reading with a an over focused idea of comprehensive gaming development. David Polfeldt's "The Dream Architects" (or as I am going to shorten to TDA) - does not feel this way. The words in TDA feel personal and the emotion behind them are real to the reader. The work takes the reader through Polfeldt's emotional experience of challenge, triumph, and to ultimately artistic expression. While the work is well written and enhances upon what is missing in many game industry biopics, it is also greatly lacking in other areas that could alienate the audience.
The pros are apparent from the beginning of the book to the end. It is a well-written and very good expression of Polfeldt's experience. You can feel his emotions through a relatable perspective. It is a crafted story, not simply a record. I believe this is a story with humanity woven into the fabrics foundation in producing a top tier game with a slight peak behind the curtains of game production.
The cons speak directly pour out of the pros of the work. This is a story of a man that grew a company from his garage to being part of the giant gaming company "Ubisoft". "Massive Games", a small start-up that grew into something substantial. That is the story - but it is missed in the storytelling chosen. Polfeldt is certainly a giant in the industry and was involved in the creation of the "The Division" (a fantastic game), "Far Cry 3", and "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora". He was also involved in a game engine development known as "Snowdrop". His involvement here is what I reference to being missed in the story telling. We feel his emotions, the roller coaster of gaming development, and the payoff it can give you - which is likely the point. But it left me with a big question "what exactly did you do in these developments, David?" I wanted to know more, of which TDA did not deliver. I give him as much benefit as I can that he was involved deeply in the production. Of how though? I could not tell.
I think that this easily could have been a four-star rating for me - if the work were slightly more comprehensive. I needed to feel those emotions and explore the feelings Polfeldt dealt with in his challenges. It was fantastic in that aspect. Where it was not fantastic, well - as I wrote above, tell me more of your involvement. Give me the gritty thoughts and details of coding and the challenges that these great games brought to your team. I want to know more.
My review is a personal preference on this style of writing which I love to read...it is not to be cruel to the writer or the story. Given, give it a read! I am certain that although I want to know more and it influences the final results...maybe that was the point?
August 28, 2021
This was a very human story told from a relatable perspective. David layers in his emotions and feelings of events that I feel should hold the attention of someone who isn't part of the game industry.
On a more personal level, as someone who is in the game industry, and more so, had the great privilege of working along side Massive for a short period of time on World in Conflict, David's words brought back some of my own memories of those events. His descriptions of the people fired up my brain as he captured their personalities and the environments so well.
I still think our industry to be this small thing in the world and it's surprising to me that a book like this exists, which I know is silly really. I expect to read books on people from the movies, music, or sports, so why not games? I hope that David's work inspires others to write. I know first hand that there are many, many stories that should be told, ups and downs that cannot be captured in some short news article or tweet. I think it would help the world better understand how this industry works on a more human level and perhaps help us better understand each other within the industry too.
On a more personal level, as someone who is in the game industry, and more so, had the great privilege of working along side Massive for a short period of time on World in Conflict, David's words brought back some of my own memories of those events. His descriptions of the people fired up my brain as he captured their personalities and the environments so well.
I still think our industry to be this small thing in the world and it's surprising to me that a book like this exists, which I know is silly really. I expect to read books on people from the movies, music, or sports, so why not games? I hope that David's work inspires others to write. I know first hand that there are many, many stories that should be told, ups and downs that cannot be captured in some short news article or tweet. I think it would help the world better understand how this industry works on a more human level and perhaps help us better understand each other within the industry too.
July 31, 2022
This is a surprisingly well written memoir about one man's career in the video game industry. The book follows Polfeldt's career from his struggling indie artist days until he becomes the General Manager of a large Swedish video game studio called Massive Entertainment. Eventually Massive matures into a sturdy Ubisoft workhorse churning out profitable sequels to old video game franchises. Although Polfeldt occasionally alludes to his fractured personal life, he keeps mostly silent making this memoir read more like a rather mundane business case study. In 2020, several important figures in this book resigned from Ubisoft under a heavy veil of wide-sweeping allegations of abuse, harassment, and workplace toxicity. Sadly, this cheerful book, published in 2021, has nothing to say about any of that.
April 15, 2022
This book is misleading. The author hasn't really shipped that many successful games, even though he positions the narrative as if he has. Far Cry and Assassin's Creed were industry-changing franchises, but his involvement in their production was tangential. His studio's magnum opus, The Division, is a decent series which has undergone a slow growth process over the years, but so far it cannot be said to be as influential as other Ubisoft properties. There are interesting insights here and there, but the tone in which the book is written is not very helpful, coming out as standoffish and with too many moments where he discusses his tormented artist's soul and so on. It's an okay read, but not essential in the least.
November 18, 2020
To me this was an eye-opener to a behind the scenes of an industry
thus has been thrust front and centre in the entertainment spotlight.
Though I am not personally into video games, my knowledge was limited.
The Dream Architects offered much insight into the workings and struggles
of the industry itself. The development process is followed through as normal
but the financial being an unknown quantity to be flushed out to enact a result
of the final product. I found the highlights of the author's personal journey within
the industry brought the book to life. The video game industry seems like a crazy
industry but is one that has prospered and entertains. Great book
thus has been thrust front and centre in the entertainment spotlight.
Though I am not personally into video games, my knowledge was limited.
The Dream Architects offered much insight into the workings and struggles
of the industry itself. The development process is followed through as normal
but the financial being an unknown quantity to be flushed out to enact a result
of the final product. I found the highlights of the author's personal journey within
the industry brought the book to life. The video game industry seems like a crazy
industry but is one that has prospered and entertains. Great book
October 28, 2021
This book is more about the game industry from a production side, I was expecting something more technical, the author's side stories about his personal experiences and how they related to his experiences in the game industry were too long.
It was interesting to see a career go from contracting small web games to leading one of the biggest triple a games.
It was interesting to see a career go from contracting small web games to leading one of the biggest triple a games.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2020
Subject Appeal: 4/5.
Research Depth: 4/5.
Research Breadth: 4/5.
Narrative Flow: 5/5.
Verdict: 4/5. Intimate in its look at Ubisoft Massive, Polfeldt's memoir daunts and compels the reader to fight for their dreams.
Research Depth: 4/5.
Research Breadth: 4/5.
Narrative Flow: 5/5.
Verdict: 4/5. Intimate in its look at Ubisoft Massive, Polfeldt's memoir daunts and compels the reader to fight for their dreams.
January 19, 2021
I’m not a gamer and have very little insight into the gaming industry. However I live in Malmö and admire the work of Massive. David tells an honest and existing story of the ups and downs of the game creation process.
March 31, 2025
I thought his made for a good read, especially if you’re interested in knowing more about how games get made from a business perspective. And it includes a lot of interesting stories about how things evolved within Ubisoft at various times.
December 28, 2020
Excellent. A great look at what it takes to be the best of the best in the games industry.
January 9, 2021
Hearing David Polfeldt's experience as head of a game studio that was acquired by a publisher, I learned a lot about the dynamics in this type of relationship within the gaming industry.
May 21, 2022
Fantastic book
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews