Nonfiction

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made

  • Downloads：9491
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-09 09:56:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jason Schreier
  • ISBN：0062651234
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand？ The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves， often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss。 In Blood， Sweat， and Pixels， Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development， where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius。 Exploring the artistic challenges， technical impossibilities， marketplace demands， and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate， Blood， Sweat， and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous。

Taking some of the most popular， bestselling recent games， Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process， whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny， a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart。

Documenting the round-the-clock crunches， buggy-eyed burnout， and last-minute saves， Blood， Sweat， and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable。

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Reviews

Sumukh ，

Blood， Sweat， and Pixels perfectly summarizes what it means to be a video game developer in every scale， from a 1-man indie dev to a large AAA team with 500+ employees。 These were all stories worth telling and ones which many might find themselves being able to relate to。

Chad Hopkins ，

I thought this book was extremely interesting。 I haven’t played most of the video games discussed here， but Schreier successfully describes the development story behind each game in a way that makes me want to play them all。 I’m looking forward to read Schreier’s next book ‘Press Reset’ when I get the chance。

Chris Robison ，

A fascinating and sobering behind the scenes look at several major video games that became big hits or not so much or didn’t even make it out。

James Chiang ，

A collection of stories regarding the development of several recent video games and the outcomes。 Some of the outcomes are still playing out to this day while others give some finality and/or some relevant details to tie things up。 If you enjoy behind-the-scenes type tales and you are a fan of video games， I would say give this a shot。

Lauren ，

I have a dozen other things I’m supposed to be reading right now but GIVE ME ALL THE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM BOOKS。

Hugo ，

Though filled with really cool anecdotes about different games and their development history， I couldn't help but feel that at the same time it acknowledged it， it also glorified the culture of crunch and employee abuse at some of the more intense chapters。 Hoping his next book will be more honest and more up to date with how crunch is perceived。 Though filled with really cool anecdotes about different games and their development history， I couldn't help but feel that at the same time it acknowledged it， it also glorified the culture of crunch and employee abuse at some of the more intense chapters。 Hoping his next book will be more honest and more up to date with how crunch is perceived。 。。。more

Anthony Wolf ，

Anger。 Awe。 Relief。 This and more I felt as I was flicking through Jason's brilliant recount of the video games industry and its struggles， following the tales of some of the most successful and fascinating games in the past decade。 To a gamer who loves certain developers just as much as the games they craft， this book is a heart-shattering experience。 It features a detailed account of many hopes， dreams and abuses from either management or power， which sometimes are annoyingly shrugged off and Anger。 Awe。 Relief。 This and more I felt as I was flicking through Jason's brilliant recount of the video games industry and its struggles， following the tales of some of the most successful and fascinating games in the past decade。 To a gamer who loves certain developers just as much as the games they craft， this book is a heart-shattering experience。 It features a detailed account of many hopes， dreams and abuses from either management or power， which sometimes are annoyingly shrugged off and dismissed as "the norm" in the video game industry。In Jason's defence， I know where it all comes from。 As a game reporter， his only self-proclaimed role in this book was to – well – report the stories of the people he interviewed。 In doing so， however， Jason somehow allowed a dangerous undertone to sit throughout the entire book: that crunch is somehow justifiable， that abuse from publishers and holding companies is just how the industry works， and that you should be expected to give up your social life and/or relationships if you are working on a hit game。 I doubt this happens anywhere else in the entertainment world。Yet， from Pillars of Eternity to the disastrous story of Star Wars 1313 （really， Disney？）， Jason goes a long way to ensure his book is not filled with unexplained jargon and is perfectly readable by anyone who is or isn't an avid gamer with an interest in the industry。 The whole book is a love letter to the stories and games that Jason himself loved， it feels personal in some places， and incredibly charming throughout。I am eager to read Jason's new book， Press Reset， soon。 However， following the backlash of Cyberpunk 2077 and the resurfacing of the issue of crunch in the mainstream game press， I can't help but wonder if his recount will be less conceding， next time around。 。。。more

Mark Gibbons ，

Very enjoyable and enlightening inside view of video game development which is definitely not as organised as one might think and a lot more stressful。 One point to take away: never believe what you see in an E3 demo 。。。。。。

Josh Flowers ，

Blood， Sweat， and Pixels is one of those good nonfiction books that takes a bunch of individual stories and structures them into their own unique stories with their own arcs， twists， and morals。 The story of each videogame covered is both very different and very similar to others， with similar pitfalls and almost all suffering from crunch in some shape or form。 I really enjoyed this， but also I am really into video games。 I feel like a big part of the mileage with this comes from how closely one Blood， Sweat， and Pixels is one of those good nonfiction books that takes a bunch of individual stories and structures them into their own unique stories with their own arcs， twists， and morals。 The story of each videogame covered is both very different and very similar to others， with similar pitfalls and almost all suffering from crunch in some shape or form。 I really enjoyed this， but also I am really into video games。 I feel like a big part of the mileage with this comes from how closely one follows video game news like developer departures and delays。 The kind of stuff that goes beyond marketing。 I'd say take a look at the full list of games covered in this， and if you any of them on it are some of your favorites， this might be a good book to go through。 It could give you a better appreciation for the insanity that went into making them。 。。。more

Milagros ，

COMPREN INDIES FORROS

T。J。 Beckham ，

Great book on the highs and lows of game development！

Dodo ，

Even as the most well informed person in video games， this book will have a few stories and facts even you never heard before。 Even more recommended for anyone who actually does not yet know under which circumstances games are made！

Chekhov27 ，

Blood， Sweat， and Pixels is genuinely fantastic。 As someone who avidly plays and critiques video games， I feel that I should try to gather as much knowledge about video game development as possible。 This book delivers on that by providing excellent insight into the development of major video games and taking a deep dive into the struggles， failures， and triumphs in game development。 A must read for anyone with any interest in the video game industry。

OgLankyBoi ，

I got this book because I had just finished and released my own small game， and I was interested in how other games were made and their failures and successes。 The only game I’d played from this book was Stardew Valley， and that chapter was amazing。 I had no idea how long Eric Barone worked on that game and how incredible it was that he could keep his concentration on a singular project。 I enjoyed most of the chapters although there were 2 or 3 that had fairly similar stories that felt like I re I got this book because I had just finished and released my own small game， and I was interested in how other games were made and their failures and successes。 The only game I’d played from this book was Stardew Valley， and that chapter was amazing。 I had no idea how long Eric Barone worked on that game and how incredible it was that he could keep his concentration on a singular project。 I enjoyed most of the chapters although there were 2 or 3 that had fairly similar stories that felt like I read the same chapter multiple times， but that isn’t supposed to be mean I still enjoyed them。 Jason Schreier did a great job for his first book。 。。。more

Andrew ，

Just a bunch of interviews

Levi Porto ，

glorifies crunch time and other atrocious industrial practices

Sam ，

I don’t play video games and I loved this book！ This book is impossible to put down - it’s packed full of real-life adventures in the video game industry。 The sheer numbers involved in everything are breathtaking， but what holds you to the book is the portrayal of the humans involved in each game’s development。 Excellent storytelling — a great book from a great writer。

Denis Sikorsky ，

Terrific book that tells you how the video games development works

Joni Baboci ，

A fun eclectic compilation of artists and engineers collaborating at the edge of chaos。

Sayan B ，

This book provides a much needed peek behind the curtain of game development and the industry that it is。 The amount of hard-work， love and appreciation for the ideas that have gone into the 10 games， each with its own chapters， is presented poignantly with due diligence and truth。 This book made me appreciate the hours and work that goes into creating these works of art。 As well as allowing me to appreciate the video games that I love in a completely new manner。 It is a must read for anyone wit This book provides a much needed peek behind the curtain of game development and the industry that it is。 The amount of hard-work， love and appreciation for the ideas that have gone into the 10 games， each with its own chapters， is presented poignantly with due diligence and truth。 This book made me appreciate the hours and work that goes into creating these works of art。 As well as allowing me to appreciate the video games that I love in a completely new manner。 It is a must read for anyone with a love of video games and all that it represents。 。。。more

Ilya ，

Интересно было прочитать о создании очень разных игр очень разными студиями， действительно видно， из каких элементов собрана индустрия。 Правда， ничего особенно нового （кроме бонуса студии за балл на роттентоматос/метакритике）， и перевод такой， что я удивился присутствию литературного редактора в выходных данных。

Kes ，

This is a compilation of stories about 9 games that were released and 1 that wasn't。Each chapter talks about the story behind making the game， and "crunch" or "long hours" often cover it。Briefly， making a game has many elements。 There's art， there's story / narrative， there are the quests， there are mechanics， and so on and so forth。 Most of these are larger companies - two chapters focus on Stardew Valley （sole person） and Shovel Knight （small team）。One of the dominant threads is the importance This is a compilation of stories about 9 games that were released and 1 that wasn't。Each chapter talks about the story behind making the game， and "crunch" or "long hours" often cover it。Briefly， making a game has many elements。 There's art， there's story / narrative， there are the quests， there are mechanics， and so on and so forth。 Most of these are larger companies - two chapters focus on Stardew Valley （sole person） and Shovel Knight （small team）。One of the dominant threads is the importance of financing: we start with the use of kickstarter， and how prototypes were used to sell a game。 Based on the amount of money raised， there is a "burn rate" - i。e。 how much it costs to employ someone。 Studios upsize and downsize depending on this。Because of that， some studios look for funding。 But to do that means that you're / the art of games are beholden to executive direction and what they think will sell （sequels， for example）。 There's less creative direction。And then there is "crunch" - the studio has a deadline， and even though people plan for this， there's a period where the idea starts coming together， and work needs to be done on a tight timeline to meet the release date。 The release date can get pushed back （after negotiations）， but people try not to do it。 For Stardew Valley - that was financed by Amber Hageman， who was the girlfriend of the game creator。 That kind of unquestioned funding is amazing。 And then there's burn out。 We have people quitting because of burnout， the long weeks， etc。 There's the uncertainty of where the studio is going （people get fired if funding is pulled）。 I do feel the human toil involved is alluded to be not explored in the industry - but this book is about the effort that goes into it， mostly told from the higher-ranking managers （creative directors） creating the game。 5/5 stars - this is a book that has a narrow question it seeks to answer， and does it well。 。。。more

Vladimir Lar’kin ，

Книга рассказывает интересные истории из закулисья игровой индустрии и обращает внимание на проблемы， о которых среднестатистический игрок даже не задумывается。

Bjorn ，

These are my first thoughts about the book， but a more deeper review will follow when I read it a second time。 A good general account of the videogame industry in America and parts of Europe based on some thorough case studies。 Schreier has an excellent flair to write succinctly and engaging to the reader， to the point where you never feel it's a drag to read it。 However， the sources he consults and the cases he selects are sorely lacking in diversity。 On top of that， although he highlights the These are my first thoughts about the book， but a more deeper review will follow when I read it a second time。 A good general account of the videogame industry in America and parts of Europe based on some thorough case studies。 Schreier has an excellent flair to write succinctly and engaging to the reader， to the point where you never feel it's a drag to read it。 However， the sources he consults and the cases he selects are sorely lacking in diversity。 On top of that， although he highlights the deplorable working conditions of the game industry （such as the necessity for 'crunch'， long periods of unpaid overtime） are only descriptive。 In fact， I sometimes got the impression that Schreier considers it a necessary evil and that there's nothing we can do about it， which is awful for those game developers who had to give up their lives just to make a project succeed; often without pay！It's still a worthwhile read， though if you already know a bit about the industry behind games it can get a little superficial。 。。。more

Dave Ghidiu ，

One of the best non-fiction books I've read this year！Even if you don't play video games， this book well help you appreciate the work and sacrifice behind the scenes of every game。 Wonderful and terrifying stories about some if the most popular games。 Jason's writing is playful and purposeful。 A must read for any aspiring developer。 One of the best non-fiction books I've read this year！Even if you don't play video games， this book well help you appreciate the work and sacrifice behind the scenes of every game。 Wonderful and terrifying stories about some if the most popular games。 Jason's writing is playful and purposeful。 A must read for any aspiring developer。 。。。more

Ville-markus Nevalainen ，

Blood， Sweat， and Pixels is an interesting inside look to the world of video games to everyone who follows the industry， and as someone who spends way too much time following the industry， I found it incredibly interesting。 Schreier is perhaps the only widely-known journalist within the gaming industry and the book shows that， it has a ton of exclusive interviews from dozens of people who help explain how games are made and the struggles they go through。Schreier does his best to explain the diff Blood， Sweat， and Pixels is an interesting inside look to the world of video games to everyone who follows the industry， and as someone who spends way too much time following the industry， I found it incredibly interesting。 Schreier is perhaps the only widely-known journalist within the gaming industry and the book shows that， it has a ton of exclusive interviews from dozens of people who help explain how games are made and the struggles they go through。Schreier does his best to explain the different terms used within the industry， what it means to crunch， what game engines are， and so on， so I would think even those not already invested in the industry may get something out of it。 Still， it is undeniable that the book was written for those who are either part of the industry or just follow it as a fan。The book consists of exclusive stories on wide variety of different games， from small indie stars to big and even the massive。 Many of them go through details that you do not find anywhere else， and for that alone it is intresting to see behind the curtain and try to understand how the things we love are made。One surprising thing， to me， was how positive the book is。 Schreier is well known as someone who reports on crunch （working over time to the point of burn out） and the treatment of workers within the industry， so to me it felt weird how it is mentioned and then。。。 kind of glossed over？ Now looking back， Schreier's interest in how employees are treated might've begun after the book， as his newest book， released in 2021， is primarily about lay offs and the "dark side" of the industry。In any case， Blood， Sweat， and Pixels is a great read to those interested in video games。 What ever one might thing happens behind the scenes， it probably isn't that。 。。。more

Irina ，

So， I played through zero （0） of the games discussed in the book and it was one of the best-page turners I've read recently。 The stories made me very angry， sad， happy， and angry again。 They also hit close to home， as they reminded me a lot on how things are done in the academy。 And now I want just to spend the next month playing Shovel Knight on repeat。 4 stars for the book + 1 star for the topic itself。 So， I played through zero （0） of the games discussed in the book and it was one of the best-page turners I've read recently。 The stories made me very angry， sad， happy， and angry again。 They also hit close to home， as they reminded me a lot on how things are done in the academy。 And now I want just to spend the next month playing Shovel Knight on repeat。 4 stars for the book + 1 star for the topic itself。 。。。more

Anil Gajiev ，

Why after seeing this struggles of game design， instead of being disheartened i fell encouraged to be a part of it？ Odd feelings。。。

Stasya ，

Интересные истории создания различных игр。Я даже пошла и посмотрела трейлеры всех этих игр ））

Bud Winn ，

I loved it - great selection of games。 Book did a great job of highlighting the chaos of game dev

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0