"Understanding video games: the essential introduction"
Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Jonas Heide Smith & Susana Pajares Tosca, S.l., Routledge, 2008,
304 p., ISBN 978-0-415-97721-0

From Pong to PlayStation 3 and beyond Understanding Video Games is the first general introduction to the new field of video game studies. This text-book traces the history of video games, introduces the major theories used to analyze games such as ludology and narratology, reviews the economics of the game industry, examines the aesthetics of game design, surveys the broad range of game genres, explores player culture, and addresses the major debates surrounding the medium, from educational benefits to the effects of violence.

http://www.nordicom.gu.se/common/publ_pdf/264_new% 20literature.pdf