{"product_id":"beyond-the-looking-glass-brenden-taylor-9798299039511","title":"Beyond the Looking Glass: The Art of Emergent Gameplay","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeyond the Looking Glass: The Art of Emergent Gameplay\u003c\/b\u003e is the definitive exploration of one of gaming's most daring and elusive genres. From the shadowed corridors of \u003ci\u003eThief\u003c\/i\u003e and the haunted decks of \u003ci\u003eSystem Shock 2\u003c\/i\u003e to the clockwork wonders of \u003ci\u003eDishonored\u003c\/i\u003e and the experimental frontiers of today's indie revival, the immersive sim has always asked a radical question: \u003ci\u003ewhat if the player could truly decide how the gameplay unfolds?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlending historical research, developer insight, and design analysis, this book traces the genre's origins at Looking Glass Studios, its reinvention at Arkane, and its unexpected rebirth in modern experiments like \u003ci\u003eGloomwood\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eShadows of Doubt\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCruelty Squad\u003c\/i\u003e. Along the way, it unpacks the tools and philosophies that make immersive sims unique: systemic AI, emergent gameplay, environmental storytelling, and the architecture of choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFar more than nostalgia, \u003ci\u003eBeyond the Looking Glass\u003c\/i\u003e is also a practical deep dive into game design. Chapters on level construction, player psychology, iteration pipelines, and narrative systems reveal how immersive sims were built, and what future designers can learn from them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt once a history, a design manual, and a philosophical reflection on why games matter, this book argues that immersive sims aren't just a genre, they are a manifesto for what interactive storytelling can be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStep through the looking glass and into the code, and discover how a genre on the margins reshaped the very idea of what games could be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Brenden Taylor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798299039511\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/20\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 198\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.42d","brand":"Brenden Taylor","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48997098782975,"sku":"9798299039511","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/beyond-the-looking-glass-brenden-taylor-9798299039511","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}