Trigger Happy (book)
Encyclopedia
Trigger Happy is a book by Steven Poole
, examining videogames in terms of their aesthetic appeal - what makes certain games more fun
to play than others. It covers aspects such as the effective use of space
and perspective
in videogames, rewards and progression through games, the design
of an appealing video game character
and the debate over violence in games.
In different editions (published by Fourth Estate
(ISBN 1-84115-121-1) and Arcade Publishing
(ISBN 1-55970-598-1), it has had the subtitle
s The Inner Life of Videogames and Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution.
Trigger Happy was released for free in pdf format under a Creative Commons
license in 2007. The book may be downloaded from the author's website.
Steven Poole
-Biography:Poole studied English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and has subsequently written for publications including The Independent, The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, The Sunday Times, and the New Statesman...
, examining videogames in terms of their aesthetic appeal - what makes certain games more fun
Fun
Fun is the enjoyment of pleasure and, according to Johan Huizinga, "an absolutely primary category of life, familiar to everybody at a glance right down to the animal level." Fun may be encountered in many human activities during work, social functions, recreation and play, and even seemingly...
to play than others. It covers aspects such as the effective use of space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
and perspective
Perspective (graphical)
Perspective in the graphic arts, such as drawing, is an approximate representation, on a flat surface , of an image as it is seen by the eye...
in videogames, rewards and progression through games, the design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
of an appealing video game character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the debate over violence in games.
In different editions (published by Fourth Estate
Fourth Estate
The concept of the Fourth Estate is a societal or political force or institution whose influence is not consistently or officially recognized. The Fourth Estate now most commonly refers to the news media; especially print journalism, referred to hereon as "The Press"...
(ISBN 1-84115-121-1) and Arcade Publishing
Arcade Publishing
Arcade Publishing is an independent trade publishing company that started in 1988 in New York, USA. They are publishers of American and world fiction and non-fiction...
(ISBN 1-55970-598-1), it has had the subtitle
Subtitle (titling)
In books and other works, a subtitle is an explanatory or alternate title. For example, Mary Shelley used a subtitle to give her most famous novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, an alternate title to give a hint of the theme. In library cataloging the subtitle does not include an...
s The Inner Life of Videogames and Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution.
Trigger Happy was released for free in pdf format under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
license in 2007. The book may be downloaded from the author's website.