Book Review: Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

 I just finished this book by Jason Schreier and I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the process of how video games get made. The book consists of ten chapters each of which is a story of how a different game got made. The book is fun to read because Schreier sets up a nice narrative flow for each game with dramatic twists and turns. But at the same time everything is documented with quotes from people who worked on the projects from developers to higher up executives.

One thing I really liked about the book is that although all the games have major problems and mistakes were made, Schreier approaches each game and team with respect. He presents things so that there is context to what happened. This is another thing that made the book enjoyable to read. I would describe it as a positive and respectful tone. On the other hand, he doesn't shy away from showing just how much of a mess this process is. But he makes a point in the preface that although these games may seem like exceptions, it is in fact the rule that game development is this messy and has this many major problems.

One of the more controversial aspects of the book might be how it portrays crunch. In the context of game development, crunch means everybody working huge overtime, nights and weekends, to try to meet some deadline. This crunch can last months. It also happens multiple times on a project for different deadlines. It has been called out many times as something that is wrong with the games industry. Although Schreier does describe crunch as problematic he also seems to romanticize it. In this book it comes across as this heroic effort that saves the day. He also makes arguments that basically there is no other way given how complicated video games are to make. 

I guess the main downside to the book is that it is kind of a fanboy account of the games industry. In a lot of ways he seems to be very much rooting for the people he is writing about. And he does make some interesting points about the industry along the way. But I think the book might have been a bit better if he had approached the industry with a bit more of a critical eye and perhaps if he had more of point to make about the process.

Overall, I quite enjoyed it but in the end I feel I also didn't walk away with a whole lot. He spins a good narrative and it is nice to see someone praising the people who makes games (as opposed to a lot of user comments or reviews that can be super toxic). If you are looking for an extended series of magazine pieces about the games industry that are fun to read this is a really great pick.