{"title":"10s \u0026 20s","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"shovel-knight-by-david-l-craddock","title":"Shovel Knight by David L. Craddock","description":"\u003cp\u003eRelease Date: October 16, 2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e224 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 13: 978-1-940535-19-7\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2014, Yacht Club Games released its very first game, \u003cem\u003eShovel Knight\u003c\/em\u003e, a joyful 2D platformer that wears its NES influences on its sleeve. This unlikely pastiche of 8-bit inspirations manages to emulate the look, feel, and even the technical limitations of nostalgic titles like \u003cem\u003eMega Man\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eZelda II\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eCastlevania III\u003c\/em\u003e—imbued with a contemporary sense of humor and self-awareness. But how is a fundamentally retro game created in the modern era? And what do the games of the past have to teach today's game designers? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on extensive original interviews with the Yacht Club Games team, writer David L. Craddock unearths the story of a fledgling group of game developers who worked so well together at WayForward Games that they decided to start their own studio. From the high highs of Shovel Knight's groundbreaking Kickstarter to the low lows of its unexpectedly lengthy development, Boss Fight presents a new master class in how a great game gets made. Get ready to steel your shovel and dig into this fascinating oral history. For Shovelry!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/davidlcraddock.com\/\" data-external=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDavid L. Craddock\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003elives with his wife and business partner in Ohio. He is the author of Stay Awhile and Listen, a three-part series that chronicles the history of World of WarCraft developer Blizzard Entertainment and Diablo\/Diablo II developer Blizzard North; Break Out: How the Apple II Launched the PC Gaming Revolution by Schiffer Publishing; and HERITAGE, a young adult fantasy novel\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eConnect with David on\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidlcraddock\" data-external=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eTwitter\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003eor\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/davidlcraddock\" data-external=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFacebook\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e*\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Even if you’ve never played the brilliant 2D side-scroller Shovel Knight or you’ve any interest in the hidden workings of game development, you’ll be gripped by the story of how it became one of the most acclaimed indie games of the decade.\" - \u003ca title=\"The Guardian Praises Shovel Knight by David L Craddock\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/games\/2018\/dec\/19\/six-of-2018s-best-new-books-about-video-games\"\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I couldn’t put it down. If you are a fan of Shovel Knight or indie game development you should read it.\" -\u003c\/span\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/indiegamerteam.com\/2018\/10\/22\/shovel-knight-boss-fight-books\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIndie Gamer Team\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Through storytelling and interviews, David Craddock chronicles the ups and downs of development while sharing insight into the developer's approach to design. A compelling read that will satisfy both fans and developers alike.\" - Justin Ma, co-creator, \u003cem\u003eFTL: Faster Than Light\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"In his colorful, well-crafted book, Craddock paints a portrait of a development team that feels more like a family as they progress on their epic quest to design and fund their scrappy retro game—nearly going broke in the process. In the end, we're treated to a riveting portrayal of the challenges facing today's indie developers, brave underdogs like Shovel Knight himself.\" - Alyse Knorr, author, \u003cem\u003eSuper Mario Bros. 3\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExcerpt: \u003ca title=\"Excerpt of Shovel Knight by David L Craddock\" href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/how-shovel-knights-developers-modernized-nes-game-desig-1829767941\"\u003eKotaku\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore Reviews:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca title=\"Goodreads Reviews of Shovel Knight by David L Craddock\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/36597601-shovel-knight\"\u003eGoodreads\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boss Fight Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":40822844240,"sku":"2001","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":40822844304,"sku":"2003","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback + eBook","offer_id":40822844368,"sku":"2004","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Scuffed\/Dented Paperback","offer_id":31336311521393,"sku":"2005","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/4361\/files\/BFB_Covers_with_Color_Background_17.png?v=1721339654"},{"product_id":"untitled-goose-game-by-james-oconnor","title":"Untitled Goose Game by James O'Connor","description":"\u003cp\u003eRelease Date: January 28, 2025\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eISBN: 978-1-940535-36-4\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e200 pages\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a beautiful day in the village, and you are a horrible goose, ready to wreak charming havoc on the weary locals. You'll ruin their gardens, invade their pub, and terrorize their children. \u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eWhat kind of scoundrels would make such a devious game?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore the critical acclaim, the tweets from celebrities, the major awards, the memes, the fan art, and the legion of players, \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eUntitled Goose Game\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/em\u003ewas just the goofy dream of House House, four friends in Melbourne, Australia. What began with a photo of a goose and the joking caption \"Let's make a game about this\" transformed into one of the wittiest and most stylish games of its generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough interviews with the creators and their co-conspirators, journalist and developer James O'Connor tells the story of how this indie megahit came to be, revealing how the team succeeded by evolving their friendship into an art practice, contributing to the wider Australian game development scene, trusting their own good taste, and never, ever naming their game. \u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eHonk!!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Jickle\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bold\"\u003eJames O'Connor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e has been writing about games for most of his adult life. His work has been featured on IGN, GameSpot, Edge, and beloved Australian magazine institutions Hyper and PC PowerPlay. He has also worked as an academic, teacher, game developer, and in a handful of other roles around games. In 2023, he won the Best Game Reviewer award at the Samsung IT Journalism Awards, and he recently served as the narrative lead on mobile game Power Rangers: Mighty Force. He lives in Adelaide with his partner and their two cats. This is his first book.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e*\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eInterview: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/q-and-a\/546855\/untitled-goose-game-book-interview\"\u003ePolygon\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e, \u003ca title=\"At 3rd Phase Stephen Farrelly interviews James O'Connor about his book Untitled Goose Game\" href=\"https:\/\/3rd-phase-boss.com\/blogs\/pop-culture\/untitled-goose-game-book-interview-with-author-james-oconnor\"\u003e3rd Phase\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003ePodcast: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/newbooksnetwork.com\/untitled-goose-game\" title=\"Untitled Goose Game author James O'Connor appears on Game Studies podcast\"\u003eGame Studies\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eReviews: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com\/a-review-of-untitled-goose-game-from-boss-fight-books\/\" title=\"Old School Gamer magazine reviews Untitled Goose Game by James O'Connor\"\u003eOld School Gamer\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/218134902-untitled-goose-game\"\u003eGoodreads\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boss Fight Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46347458511018,"sku":"3801","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":46347458543786,"sku":"3803","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback + eBook","offer_id":46347458576554,"sku":"3804","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/4361\/files\/UGG-Mockup3DCover.png?v=1731350433"},{"product_id":"outer-wilds-by-tommy-wallach","title":"Outer Wilds by Tommy Wallach","description":"\u003cp\u003eRelease Date: May 20, 2025\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-940535-37-1\u003cbr\u003e192 pages\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaybe it's happened to you too. You're talking to a friend about your favorite games, and their voice suddenly drops to a whisper. \"Have you played... \u003cem\u003eOuter Wilds\u003c\/em\u003e?\" When you ask what makes the game so special, their only response is a smile and a promise: \"Go play it. You'll see.\" After enough of these cryptic conversations, you finally try the game—and suddenly you're the one praising \u003cem\u003eOuter Wilds\u003c\/em\u003e to anyone who will listen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this volume, novelist and escape room designer Tommy Wallach explains how a project that began as a USC student's master's thesis ended up winning \"Game of the Year\" from \u003cem\u003eGiant Bomb\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePolygon\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eEurogamer\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e. Along the way, he'll discuss how \u003cem\u003eOuter Wilds\u003c\/em\u003e uses theme to reconcile the age-old battle between narrative and gameplay; how its unique form of knowledge-based gating spurs player curiosity; how it offers up true mystery without resorting to videogame-y puzzles; and how its spectacular DLC, E\u003cem\u003echoes of the Eye\u003c\/em\u003e, remains true to the spirit of the base game while transforming its tone completely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tommywallach.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bold\"\u003eTommy Wallach\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e is the author of five young adult novels, including We All Looked Up, which spent over six months on the New York Times bestseller list. As a screenwriter, he's sold numerous projects, including the thriller Delilah (Screen Gems) and a limited series about the JonBenet Ramsey case (Paramount+). He was signed to Decca\/Universal as a singer-songwriter, and his original musical Vicky \u0026amp; Frank was recently optioned by eight-time Tony Award winning producer Joey Parnes. Tommy is the co-owner of Hatch Escapes, creators of the tabletop game Mother of Frankenstein and the escape rooms Lab Rat, ranked the eighth best room in the world in 2018, and The Ladder, which the LA Times described as \"redefining the medium.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e*\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e\"Highly recommended and enjoyable.\" - Darren Hupke in\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/posts\/book-review-by-135792737\" title=\"Darren Hupke reviews Outer Wilds by Tommy Wallach for Pixels and Polygons\"\u003e Pixels and Polygons\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eReviews: \u003ca title=\"Goodreads page for Outer Wilds by Tommy Wallach\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/219148634-outer-wilds\"\u003eGoodreads\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boss Fight Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46567813382314,"sku":"3901","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":46567813415082,"sku":"3903","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback + eBook","offer_id":46567813447850,"sku":"3904","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/4361\/files\/OuterWilds-Mockup3DCover.png?v=1740010423"},{"product_id":"life-is-strange-by-kaitlin-tremblay","title":"Life is Strange by Kaitlin Tremblay","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003ePaperback and Ebook Available Now\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-940535-40-1\u003cbr\u003e144 pages\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-ef4508af-7fff-b54c-d4f3-5ce8c5b40cec\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eDespite its time travel mechanics, high stakes, and pulpy murder plot, Don’t Nod Entertainment’s 2015 adventure game \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eLife is Strange\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e stood out from most video games with its unapologetic emphasis on queer romance and friendships.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eYet for all the game’s specificity, players around the world found something of themselves in its protagonist, Max Caulfield, a perceptive yet insecure teen photographer who discovers she has the ability to rewind time itself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eNarrative designer Kaitlin Tremblay offers an intimate close reading of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eLife is Strange\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003ethrough the lenses of personal history, YA fantasy, identity formation, grief, and most of all, choice. If Max is “the sum of all the possible choices that she could make,” as Tremblay writes, then every decision we players make says something about who we are—and who we want to be.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKaitlin Tremblay \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer and narrative designer. Currently a narrative director at Soft Rains on Ambrosia Sky, their previous game credits include A Mortician's Tale, Watch Dogs Legion, and Grindstone. They are the author of two other books on video games: Collaborative Worldbuilding for Video Games (CRC Press, 2023) and Ain't No Place for a Hero: Borderlands (ECW Press, 2017). Their full work can be found on their \u003ca title=\"Kaitlin Tremblay's website\" href=\"www.thatmonstergames.com\"\u003ewebsite\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boss Fight Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47990129328298,"sku":"4201","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":47990129361066,"sku":"4203","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/4361\/files\/BFB_Covers_with_Color_Background_1_e7da0c37-9827-4234-97a3-544706d70517.png?v=1752540453"}],"url":"https:\/\/bossfightbooks.com\/collections\/10s-20s.oembed","provider":"Boss Fight Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}