How a Game Lives
How a Game Lives by Jacob Geller, published by HarperCollins Publishers Limited on October 9, 2025, is a thought-provoking exploration of video game culture and its intersection with art, politics, and history. This edition spans 208 pages and presents a collection of Geller’s influential video essays, re-examined and enriched with new commentary. The book positions video games as essential tools for understanding both personal and collective identities, offering readers a unique perspective on the medium.
In How a Game Lives, readers will find a deep dive into ten of Geller’s most iconic essays, each accompanied by insightful afterwords from notable industry writers and original artwork by Kilian Eng and other talented artists. The essays cover a range of topics, including the philosophical implications of games and their artistic value, with titles such as “Who’s Afraid of Modern Art?” and “Every Zelda is the Darkest Zelda.” This edition not only immortalizes Geller’s previous works but also provides fresh analysis and original scripts, making it a valuable resource for those interested in video game art and its historical context.
Official synopsis Publisher
Over his illustrious career, Jacob Geller has written and produced a sprawling collection of video essays. Deftly interweaving video game analysis with complex narratives about art, politics and history, Geller’s work positions games as vital tools for understanding each other and ourselves.
How a Game Lives re-examines ten of Geller’s most iconic essays accompanied by his brand-new commentary, afterwords on each piece by some of the industry’s best writers and stunning original artwork by Kilian Eng and other exceptional artists.
With videos like “Who’s Afraid of Modern Art?”, “Every Zelda is the Darkest Zelda”, and “The Legacy of the Haunted House”, Geller has taught audiences how to think about the art that’s affected them. How a Game Lives immortalises those works and more and provides boundless insight into the construction, philosophy, and afterlife of each essay. Featuring original scripts and new industry analysis of the following works:
Who’s Afraid of Modern Art?
Returnal is a Hell of Our Own Creation
Control, Anatomy, and the Legacy of the Haunted House
Does Call of Duty Believe in Anything?
The Decade-Long Quest for Shadow of the Colossus’ Last Great Secret
Every Zelda is the Darkest Zelda
Art in the Pre-Apocalypse
The Golem and the Jewish Superhero
The Future of Writing about Games
Fear of Cold
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