Now in full color, the 10th anniversary edition of this classic book takes you deep into the influences that underlie modern video games, and examines the elements they share with traditional games such as checkers. At the heart of his exploration, veteran game designer Raph Koster takes a close look at the concept of fun and why it's the most vital element in any game.Why do some games become boring quickly, while others remain fun for years? How do games serve as fundamental and powerful learning tools? Whether you're a game developer, dedicated gamer, or curious observer, this illustrated, fully updated edition helps you understand what drives this major cultural force, and inspires you to take it further.You'll discover that:Games play into our innate ability to seek patterns and solve puzzlesMost successful games are built upon the same elementsSlightly more females than males now play gamesMany games still teach primitive survival skillsFictional dressing for modern games is more developed than the conceptual elementsTruly creative designers seldom use other games for inspirationGames are beginning to evolve beyond their prehistoric origins