Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Simon, Jonas Heide Smith, and Susana Pajares Tosca. Understanding video games: The essential introduction. Routledge, 2015.
As denoted by the title of this text, the basic principles for understanding the culture of video gaming especially. It discusses the ground rules for being able to recognize and digest modern video games, with the boundaries of the discourse being implemented. However, it also discusses the reach that videogames can have; the lexical industry that has been created around the. Furthermore, it investigates the social implications that the discourse might have, both positive and negative. Though lengthy, it is a solid foundation for getting into the basic foundations of gaming and video gaming culture in general.
