This month’s BBS Book Club pick was Jason Schreier’s, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels – a collection of stories on the behind the scenes development process from some of the most popular video games. Each of the 10 chapters could be read on its own – each chapter unveils the curtain on how some of your favorite video games actually come to be.
While there are chapters that felt a little rushed, others evoke a lot of different emotions; as a software developer myself, I was able to relate a lot to many of the issues the game developers faced during their development cycles. My favorite chapter was how Stardew Valley came to be. The struggle of looking for jobs, maintaining a side project, imposter syndrome, depression, etc.
Each chapter talks about the struggles between working alone, working in teams of hundreds, collaborating with writers, designers, developers, bosses as well as the politics involved when developer “the biggest game of the year”.
Overall, great book! Really interesting and highly encourage anyone interested in video game design or even software development to take a look at this book! Or, if you simply want to know the real cost of your favorite game (blood, sweat, and pixels), give it a read!
Solid 4/5!