Books by Chris Solarski

I’ve published two books and multiple articles that focus on my specialisation—exploring the overlap between traditional craft and interaction design. Readers will find a running theme in all my work, that of adapting techniques classical art techniques like structural composition and shape language to better understand how the virtual world can be shaped to affect the player’s physical and emotional experience. In my most recent game design method, Kinaesthetic Time Capsules (TBD), I have also started incorporating the topics of cultural heritage, disability aesthetics and accessibility into my unique, sensory design methodology.

Drawing Basics & Video Game Art has been translated into Japanese and Korean and has a large international following with top ratings on Amazon. Interactive Stories and Video Game Art has received  endorsements from distinguished figures like award-winning Hollywood director Marc Forster, and Assassin’s Creed founding member Stéphane Assadourian, to name a few. 

In whichever field of interaction design you work in (from video games to VR, AR, web design and the metaverse), the concepts featured in my books and design methods are relevant to developers across the entire team including game design, game art, narrative design and UX.

  • The convergence of narrative in film, video games, and virtual reality will fundamentally change the entertainment industry in coming years. Chris Solarski's book gives content creators crucial insights into interactive story composition and how to adapt these concepts for transmedia storytelling.

    MARC FORSTER, Film Director and Producer incl. Monster's Ball, The Kite Runner and World War Z

  • The concepts presented in 'Interactive Stories and Video Game Art' remind me of Joseph Campbell's powerful demonstration of a universal storytelling structure. This book creates that wonderful feeling of learning new letters, which soon prove useful to form new sentences for bringing new poetry to the world.

    STÉPHANE ASSADOURIAN, Veteran Game Production Consultant and Assassin's Creed founding member

  • 'Interactive Stories and Video Game Art' is a great game design resource, as it breaks down shape theory in all aspects of design.

    MAX PEARS, Level Designer incl. Cyberpunk 2077 and The Division

  • The clever thing about this book is that it bridges the worlds of game design and storytelling. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get into game design and understand what's going on beneath the surface. It reminds me of Robert McKee's 'Story,' the classic book on screenwriting. You read it and you think: Aha, this is how storytelling works in film, it really can be explained! And you can see this book as a companion volume that is essentially doing the same thing for games.

    TOM STANDAGE, Deputy Editor and Digital Strategist of The Economist and a New York Times Bestselling Author

  • Chris Solarski's book is extremely ambitious; from the smallest detail to broad concepts that encompass an immense scale, its truly applied methodology serves as a catalyst that enriches the reader's heart and promotes the creation of pure art.

    ERIK ANZI, Producer, Screenwriter, and Concept Artist on films incl. Ridley Scott's Alien and Blade Runner

Storytelling

Game Art