Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The Art of Video Games

From 8-bit to 3D, great coffee table book

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The Art of Video Games launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1
Theory of Fun for Game Design▲67
Thoughts on the most important element of any game's design
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
2
Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter▲64
An insightful & entertaining tour of the art of video games
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
3
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses▲72
Ryan Hoover's fave book on The Twenty Minute VC
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
4
Art of Atari ▲74
The first official collection of Atari's artwork
2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
5
How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design ▲70
A look at how games make us feel
2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
6
The Art of LEGO Scale Modeling▲103
Amazing, fan-built LEGO recreations
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
7
Game Frame▲100
Showcase pixel art and old school video game graphics
2016 · ledseq.com · its alternatives →
8
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works Reprint▲60
‘The best coffee table book about videogames of all time'
2017 · readonlymemory.com · its alternatives →
9
Geek-Art: An anthology▲71
From Mario to Pikachu. Geek art, design, & illustration.
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
10
Pixel Press▲61
Turn drawings in to video games!
2014 · projectpixelpress.com · its alternatives →
11
Sketchfab Collections▲98
Collect and organize the best 3D content
2016 · sketchfab.com · its alternatives →
12
Open Game Art▲74
Free Art, Music (even Code) for Indie Game Devs
2015 · opengameart.org · its alternatives →
13
Sketchfab for Museums▲83
Browse thousands of cultural artifacts in 3D and VR
2016 · sketchfab.com · its alternatives →
14
Pixel Art Academy▲68
Learn to create Pixel Art through gaming
2016 · its alternatives →
15
Game Writing▲73
Narrative Skills for Videogames
2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
16
Oak▲225
Turn your table into an Augmented Reality playground
2016 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →
17
HTML Canvas Deep Dive▲96
Free ebook for game and animation development
2016 · joshondesign.com · its alternatives →
18
Getting Gamers▲58
The psychology of video games
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
19
Drawing Ideas: A Hand-Drawn Approach for Better Design▲64
A guide for drawing to creatively share ideas
2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
20
The Museum of Videogame Ads▲76
Print ads from the golden age of videogames
2016 · its alternatives →
21
Prop/Art▲75
Display your favorite records & comics as art
2016 · jackandbrooklyn.com · its alternatives →
22
The Art of Memes Vol. I▲112
If a coffee table art book and memes had a baby
2019 · its alternatives →
23
21st Century Game Design▲83
Who are we designing games for and how do we do it best?
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
24
Working with Pictures: The Tiny Book!▲85
A tiny book of design exercises
2016 · 5264002956444.gumroad.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →