When I sat down to write this book, I wanted to do something similar with games.  I won’t claim to match Forster’s wit or insight, but hopefully the book provides thought provoking analysis of game mechanics.  It’s all about playing games and then thinking about them–why they work, why they don’t.  Hopefully people will find it useful.  I know I found writing it enlightening–I got to spend months playing games and thinking about them, talking with other designers about games.  And really, there’s no better practice for a game designer than playing games and thinking about them.