My new book Postmortems is now shipping. If you pre-ordered the Kindle version, it should be there for reading now.
You should be able to get it from pretty much any bookstore. I get a little bit extra if you order it through this link on Amazon:
It’s a hefty 700 pages. Early reviews are pretty flattering, and make me happy; I am looking forward to seeing what readers think! If you read it, please leave a review on Amazon; they matter a lot.
Also, if you are an academic who might be interested in using the book in your classes, reach out to the publisher here to request a review copy.
Here’s a sampling of press reviews, in case you aren’t sold on it yet:
Playing is nice but sinking into a good book is wonderful too, and if that book goes into detail on the history of gaming then that’s even better. There’s so much happening today, all of it moving so quickly, that it’s easy to neglect where it came from and the lessons that the past have for the future… Postmortems is a collection of writing both old and new documenting the evolution of design in multiplayer gaming, from text adventure to cutting-edge tech. The challenges didn’t just come from online gaming growing into a dominant force, but also from increased expectations and the shifting priorities of switching from dedicated fans to a more general audience… [I] have been enjoying its look into a major aspect of gaming history and the many personal stories that illustrate it. This is the first of three volumes and the series is shaping up to be vital reading for anyone with an interest in knowing how games of any sort come about.
Raph Koster has a lot to say about making online games, as he’s been working on them for more than two decades. His new book, Postmortems, debuts on Monday at more than 700 pages… The result is an inspiring historical look back at the development of virtual worlds. He looks at whether our online bonds are real, offers a detailed design breakdown of Ultima Online’s world simulation, examines what went wrong with Star Wars Galaxies, and challenges the game development community to pursue art… Part of his wisdom: You can’t really skip the learning part. You have to get your hands dirty and do it even if other people think that you’re wasting your time.
Presented as an anthology of work, it collects some previously published material and publishes it alongside fresh analysis and introspection into some of the key design decisions made, and why they ultimately succeeded or failed in their goals. The result a book that’s part chronological record, part critical autobiography… there’s also the start of a much longer and wider philosophical battle between player freedom and character immersion on one hand, and player restrictions for character safety on the other. In later chapters this point becomes increasingly complex and multi-faceted, as Koster strives to strike a balance between systems that can support deep or emergent gameplay, and ones which fit into the server storage and support limits of the time… It’s sobering to realise that some of the same sociological and psychological problems being faced by MMOs and their developers today were first identified in MUDs some 25 years ago, and still remain as open challenges… Ultimately, Koster’s Postmortems is a valuable compendium of insight and essays that has significant value for both developers and genre enthusiasts… Intentionally or otherwise, Koster gives form to the unicorn that so many of us have been chasing for a decade or more, and which always seems just out of reach.
..it’s massive, folks: over 700 pages spanning three decades and the majority of the online games Koster’s worked on during his long tenure in the gaming industry… the chapters wind their way through some of the most interesting and significant moments of the game’s development and everything he and his team learned along the way. ..Easily the most amusing – and horrifyingly frustrating – chapters of Koster’s Ultima Online reminiscing revolve around the game’s infamous early PvP mechanics… for every attempt to curb the PKs the devs put in, the reds invented some fresh hell for their victims, exploiting every ruleset change. It’s hard not to chuckle as Koster rattles off each new idea and how the players thwarted it (especially when I remember it happening!).
If you spot any others, let me know!
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