My indie-dev reading list

I've been throwing my head into a lot of books over the last year or two, filling my noggin with useful information to do with design, cognitive science, indie-games, etc. They don't all directly relate to games, but the idea is to get a broader range of understanding, and apply that to our craft.

1) Flow - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi : The name is a mouthful, but the book is undoubtedly one of the best I have ever read. It discusses the state of "flow", where a person's interaction with a system is so intimate that it becomes an extension of the self. Sounds a bit over-the-top, but understanding it really opens up a whole new way of looking at game design. Incidentally, Jason Rohrer's game, Passage, is almost a perfect mirror of a passage in the book, discussing family life and choices. Sure, it doesn't sound like it relates to game development, but it really does. I suggest taking notes in the margins, as it's a pretty full on book. Worth having a coffee with and thinking about it.

2) The Design of Everyday Things - Donald Norman : Want to be a better, more thoughtful designer? Read this book. It's fairly easy to process, well written, and almost light-hearted. It looks at design from a usage perspective, and is generally full of great advice. If you want to design anything well, get this book.

3) 250 Indie Games You Must Play - Mike Rose: A really good look into the world of indie games. I started reading, created a folder on my PC, and now it is filled with great games that inspire me a lot. There are some really cool, simple, and inspiring games in there, and as an education, it's fantastic. Each game has a small description with it, and any necessary links to the game. Worth getting if you want to explore the world of indie games.

4) How to Get Ideas - Jack Foster: Great book on how to get into a mindset where ideas come naturally and easily. It's not a long book, well written, lots of cool anecdotes, and generally light-hearted. This was a fantastic help to me when I was stuck in a design rut at LAI.

Those would be my top four picks at the moment. I'm working my way back through The Design of Everyday Things at the moment, making lots of notes on the pages as I go. I found this to be extremely helpful if I went for a few weeks without reading. A simple skim of the key lines I marked got me right back up to date.

All the books are cheap(ish), readily available, and definitely worth your time!

Thanks for reading,
Zac