Sports, Games & Hobbies

Video games have never been more popular – or more intricately designed. But we haven't yet developed the vocabulary to analyse a game's impact the way we do a film's, says professor of computational media Katherine Isbister. Here, she chooses five of the best books that explore the art of video game design, and the subcultures that grow up around them.

Sport can offer insights into philosophy and life in general, argues the philosophy professor and sports enthusiast David Papineau. He chooses the best books on philosophy and sport.

Football is about so much more than just football. Veteran sport journalist Rob Hughes recommends some of his favourite football books.

British writer, comedian and broadcaster David Baddiel with his five football must-reads.

The author and journalist makes his selection of the best books on World Football. Features volumes from Simon Kuper and Alex Bellos, as well as a cracking investigation into FIFA corruption

Sport is central to American culture but there are surprisingly few great novels devoted to it. Chad Harbach, author of the bestselling novel, The Art of Fielding, picks his favourite 'novels with sporting themes.'

It’s America’s favourite sport – at its best, a wonderful, thrilling spectacle; at its worst, legitimised violence exacting a terrible price on players. The Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter takes us inside the dark heart of American football.

Sports pundit Michael Carlson says baseball reflects an American ideal which is now an American fantasy. It works well as a metaphor for life, which may be why there have been so many good novels written about it

The 11 times gold medal-winning Paralympian athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson, now a peer in Britain’s House of Lords, tells us about the spirit and legacy of the Olympics. She picks books on "the spirit of sport."

The world championship winning horse rider Mary King, who has represented Great Britain at six Olympics from 1992 to 2012,  tells us what it takes to succeed in her sport