Social Games

In this fascinating and entertaining look at games throughout history, Tim Clare explores the legal highs of a good dice roll, the thrills of a predatory race game, and the tactile pleasures of the games that age with us through our lives. Drawing on Roman anti-cheating devices, organised crime card games, and dice contests that link Chaucer to Warren G, The Game Changers will show you why games are more popular now than ever, and how playing them helps us win more often, become better losers and stay one step ahead - on and off the board. Through play, we become fully ourselves.

Whether it’s playing through blockbuster-esque adventures, diving deep into hidden bits of story and lore, or building relationships that change the fate of the world itself, video games are bringing stories to life in ways that are immediate, interactive, and immersive. Focusing on some of the best and most memorable experiences in gaming, The Greatest Stories Ever Played examines the relationship between gaming and storytelling in a new way.

Stevie is in for a big surprise while building his treehouse: He's first attacked by a creeper, and then must take on a group of zombies! The near miss has him feeling like the worst mob fighter in Minecraft, so when he finds a portal into a brand-new world, he's willing to take his chances. He steps out of a computer screen and into the room of a sixth-grade girl Maison, who's a talented Minecraft builder.

Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw comics, host D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck. Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His art is being published. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he wins a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he can use to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school.

The annual Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) Awards are like the Oscars of the tabletop. Acclaimed British author and games expert James Wallis investigates the winners and losers of each year’s contest to track the incredible explosion in amazing new board games. From modern classics like CATAN, Ticket to Ride, and Dixit to once-lauded games that have now been forgotten (not to mention several popular hits that somehow missed a nomination), this is a comprehensive yet hugely enjoyable study of the best board games ever made, penned by one of the most knowledgeable commentators on the hobby.

The goal of playing the great game of business has always been to find a way to teach the have-nots how the haves make it. It’s about creating and distributing wealth equitably as a way to close those gaps in wealth that plague our society. It’s about changing the game. We authored Change the Game for those of you who continue to seek a brighter side of capitalism - one that truly transforms lives for the better. This book is about hope: No matter how grim things look, you can make them better.

Valentina loves playing video games, and she’s really good at them. When a local esports team asks her to join them for an upcoming tournament, she’s thrilled. There’s just one problem—Valentina has great skills in first-person action games, but winning Kings and Castles relies on teamwork and strategy.

Unlock the hidden art of influence with this simplified guide to dark seduction and persuasion. Discover how charisma, intelligence, and covert tactics shape decisions, create attraction, and control outcomes—all while learning how to protect yourself from manipulation.

When Chloe Dalton was eight years old, she would practise her goal kicks in the half-time break of her brothers' rugby matches, all the while telling impressed onlookers: 'Girls don't play rugby.' Sixteen years later, Chloe Dalton won Olympic gold playing rugby sevens for Australia and is now a fixture in the AFLW. In 2020, she started her own news platform, The [Female] Athlete Project, because while she was surrounded by women achieving incredible things in sport, nobody was hearing about them.

A provocative look at the new, digital landscape of childhood and how to navigate it. In The New Childhood, Jordan Shapiro provides a hopeful counterpoint to the fearful hand-wringing that has come to define our narrative around children and technology. Drawing on groundbreaking research in...

With 174 million gamers in the United States alone, we now live in a world where every generation will be a gamer generation. But why, Jane McGonigal asks, should games be used for escapist entertainment alone? In this groundbreaking book, she shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the real world—from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change—and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds.

Life is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call fun. But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In Play Anything, visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games.

Tabletop games are ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary because they're everywhere: played in bars and cafés, churches and casinos, through sunless winters in polar research stations and in the sweltering summer heat of Tanzanian villages and streamed live over Twitch to millions of viewers. And they're extraordinary for precisely the same reason: they're everywhere, in every civilization, everywhere in the world across all recorded human history. In Across the Board, tabletop game aficionado Tim Clare takes us through that history and across those civilizations.

A Olaf, el adorable muñeco de nieve de Arendelle, le encanta leer. Un día, un inesperado mensaje lleva a Olaf y a sus amigos Anna, Kristoff y Sven a emprender una misión a un lugar desconocido llamado Haus Biblio, descrito como "un mar de historias". Este Audible Original nos cuenta el viaje del grupo hasta Haus Biblio mientras cruzan montañas, buscan a monstruos debajo de puentes y tienen conversaciones con simpáticas ovejas. Durante su aventura, Olaf hace nuevos amigos y escucha un montón de emocionantes historias por el camino.

Discover the science behind the most popular sci-fi franchise of all time. Capturing the imagination and hearts of crowds worldwide, Star Wars is a fantastic feat of science fiction and fantasy. We marvel at the variety of creatures and technology and the mystery behind the force. But how much of the Star Wars world is rooted in reality? Could we see some of the extraordinary inventions materialize in our world?

The third audiobook in a new series set in both a Minecraft-style video game world and the real world of elementary school where friendships will be tested, courage will be discovered, and teamwork will always win!

Every day, someone is trying to influence you—and not always for your benefit. At work, at home, in relationships, and even in everyday encounters with strangers, manipulation is everywhere. It’s in the friendly coworker who makes you feel guilty for saying no, the partner who keeps shifting the rules, the relative who plays the victim to get their way, and the salesperson who creates false urgency to push you into a decision. Most people don’t see it happening until it’s too late. By then, they’ve already given away their time, their trust, their resources—or their power.

One fateful day Lucy is invited to study at the prestigious Overworld Academy. The academy offers her the opportunity to learn all of the secrets of the Overworld - and it's an opportunity she can't miss. She's sad to leave behind her friends, Henry and Max, but it's time for her to have an adventure on her own. At Overworld Academy she meets two new friends, Jane and Phoebe. Jane is an expert fighter, and Phoebe is a talented alchemist. With Lucy's own knack for treasure hunting, the trio makes an incredible team.

A new town, a new school, a new start. That's what 14-year-old Gray Wilton believes as he chants, "It's gonna be better, gonna be better here." But it doesn't take long for Gray to realize that nothing's going to change--there are bullies in every school, and he's always their punching bag. Gray feels trapped in a world where he has no control and no way out--until the day he enters the halls with his father's semiautomatic in hand.

Harriet, Jack, and Toby are treasure hunters, searching the Minecraft world for its most valuable hidden secrets. In an abandoned mineshaft, they discover what they hope is an enchanted book. But what they've found turns out to be much more valuable. William is one of Minecraft's most renowned explorers. He's a legend in the world of Minecraft, but, under suspicious circumstances, he's gone missing.