Rules of Play : Game Design Fundamentals

This has become one of the most important books in the study of games at American Universities and Colleges. Doesn't say all that much about quality though, as there isn't much to choose from yet. Still, interesting piece of work, and useful.

I've already read many chapters from this foundational textbook. The best strategy for going through this book is reading all of the chapter summaries and only going back into the chapters if I come across an idea that doesn't make sense intuitively. There are many insights here on game design, play, and fun; I hope to mine them all.