Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games

If you're the least bit interested in "Eurogames", then there is a lot to love and a lot to learn from this book. If you're interested in the psychology of play and the culture of gamers, then the last third of this book would be great to dig in to. I'm very interested in boardgames and gaming in general and the first half of this book covers (briefly) the history of boardgames and spends a healthy amount of time on the development and arrival of Eurogames. From this history, I've got a new list of games to check out and from the thorough research, great notes and bibliography at the end of the book, much more reading to do.The last third of the book is a great look at the culture of gamers, why they do what they do in a game, what they look for in a game, how they play together. I was very intrigued by the section on self-handicapping and the reasons for doing so.While most of the book is very dry and "textbook", as a player I feel like I have a new set of eyes, or at least a vocabulary to apply during my next design or gaming session.

This is an interesting look at the world of eurogaming, from the games to the gamers. A bit on the dry side, which isn't surprising given that it originated as a doctoral dissertation. But lots of interesting stuff for game afficionados. This will not teach you how to design a game -- at least it's not intended for that purpose. But if you are a eurogamer, or you want to understand your family/friends who are eurogamers, this will go a long way. I am a eurogamer myself, and I really enjoyed reading more about one of my favorite hobbies.

The book starts off well an excellent theory of why Eurogames are the way they are and a nice section of the analysis of common mechanics but the book drifts off topic about halfway through where it feels like the author is attempting to fill space the the results if a survey about how players play games and how they feel about concepts like cheating and king making. Missing from the book is a list/summery of influential/important Eurogames. This information is in the book but must be sifted through from many references and chapter notes. This book does contain one of the best bibliographies to learn readers to more books on the topic. Worth reading, but a tad disappointing.

Posits credible theories as to the cultural background & memetic forces behind the emergence of Eurogames/German-style board-games, where they're finding other audiences and why those other audiences are embracing them.A bit erudite at times, but when you put the book down, you'll be able to explain to friends and acquaintances why Settlers of Catan isn't Monopoly-on-an-Island and why games like Catan can be played amicably with the Family on Thanksgiving (have you ever tried to play Risk or Monopoly at a Family get-together after there are a couple empty beer-cased piled up?)

I was really hoping for more analysis of changes in the games themselves, but this is a more historical recap of the last 50 years and a look at the sociology behind euro-boardgames in America, primarily. It focuses quite a bit on american wargames and collectible cardgames despite the title of this piece.

A cogent and insightful retelling of the history of gaming over the last 60 years, the book is an enjoyable read - more like a reliving - for anyone who lived with or in the culture. The author draws heavily upon well-sourced other works to examine commonalities of theme and mechanics within the hobby.

Fantastic book. Truly a book that had to be written. Excellent scholarly approach to the current revolution in tabletop gaming culture.

Great book about boardgames.

Mi aspettavo un manuale sui boardgames di tipo German, ho trovato una lezione di storia, fin troppo accademica purtroppo.Il libro in sè non è brutto, ma non aggiunge niente di davvero utile alla mia conoscenza come game designer, e non ha trucchi aneddoti particolari o un registro di scrittura leggero e adatto ad un semplice appassionato.Non mi sento di consigliare l'acquisto.

Even though it's a thesis, this book is really interesting and accessible for anybody who want to know a little more about a specific type of game from it's history through it's core concepts and the people playing it. Also, great book for student (and teacher) in game studies.

An often overlooked area of study gets its due

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