VIDEOLUDICA 

Steven Poole has released "a free "ebook" version of his first book, Trigger Happy, with no "digital rights management" whatsoever. It'll work on anything that can read a PDF." Originally published in 1999 by Fourth Estate, Trigger Happy is still one of the best book about digital games ever published. Note: The English version, titled Trigger Happy. The Inner Life of Videogames was retitled Trigger Happy. The Future of Entertaintment. We clearly prefer the former...

Steven Poole describes it in these terms: "Trigger Happy is a book about the aesthetics of videogames - what they share with cinema, the history of painting, or literature; and what makes them different, in terms of form, psychology and semiotics. It was first published in 2000; this is the revised edition with the updated Afterword written in 2004. It's offered under a CC license, for a limited time only. I'm not sure how limited that time will be, so grab it while it's hot."

UPDATE: Poole has published the 2004 Afterword as well. Read it here

Link: Trigger Happy. Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution (pdf)

Link: Trigger Happy. Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution (printed)

Link: Steven Poole

Link: Poole's Trigger Happy column for EDGE magazine - entire archive