The Game Developers' Library
Episodes
Tynan Sylvester - Designing Games: A Guide to Engineering Experiences
21 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we read Rimworld creator Tynan Sylvester's design textbook.00:00 introOVERVIEW01:34 situating the book in our collection07:55 signpost...
ep06 - Scott McCloud - Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we attempt to verbally describe a comic book. But not just any comic book. Scott McCloud's 1993 "Understanding Comics" is a comic abou...
ep05 - Kim Nordström - UP DOWN UP: Why some game companies succeed, while others fail
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Other Sources DiscussedFailing to Fail: The Spiderweb Software Way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stxVBJem3Rs&t=2794sRadical Candor: https://en....
ep04 - Jason Schreier - Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discuss Jason Schreier's journalistic account of the creation of a bunch of different games, ranging from huge AAA games like Drago...
ep03 - Jesse Schell - The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we cover this weighty game design textbook, discussing its stronger and weaker areas, how it can help new developers to understand des...
ep02 - Raph Koster - A Theory of Fun For Game Design
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I discuss Raph Koster's game design classic from 2004. Is this a book about craft, or about ethics?The reading list of GDL is here on Bookshop.org htt...
ep01 - Derek Yu - Spelunky
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss Spelunky by Derek Yu, which was published by Boss Fight Books in 2016. This episode is hosted by Joe Baxter-Webb (game design educator and ...