If you have ever spent a weekend surviving on caffeine and the thrill of a level-up, then Matt Barton and Shane Stacks have written the definitive manual for your obsession. The second edition of Dungeons & Desktops is much more than a simple history book; it is a sprawling, high-fidelity journey through the evolution of digital role-playing. By blending the academic rigor of a historian with the genuine excitement of a fan, the authors have created a narrative that feels less like a lecture and more like a late-night session in a crowded LAN party.
A Massive Expansion Pack for History
The leap from the first edition to this version is significant, effectively serving as a content patch that brings the story into the modern era. While the original laid the groundwork by exploring the PLATO mainframe origins and the Golden Age of the 80s, this edition tackles the RPG Renaissance. It provides much-needed context for how we moved from the niche complexity of the 90s into the massive, open-world dominance of titles like The Witcher and Skyrim. The addition of more visual references and screenshots means you aren’t just reading about the archaic user interfaces of the past; you are seeing the literal building blocks of modern game design.
From Dice Rolls to Digital Souls
One of the book’s greatest strengths is how it traces the DNA of tabletop gaming through every era of computing. Barton and Stacks excel at showing how the rigid constraints of Dungeons & Dragons rules were bent, broken, and rebuilt to fit into binary code. They explain the birth of the isometric perspective, the struggle to implement real-time combat, and the eventual rise of the Souls-like genre with a level of detail that makes you appreciate the sheer engineering wizardry behind your favorite saves. It is a deep dive into mechanics and philosophy that treats every technical breakthrough as a major milestone in human creativity.
The Final Save Point
While the sheer volume of information can feel like a 600-page grind, the conversational tone keeps the experience from feeling heavy. You might find yourself disagreeing with their critical takes on certain cult classics, but that subjectivity is exactly what makes the book feel authentic. It is a celebration of innovation, failure, and persistence in one of the most complex genres in gaming. Whether you are a game developer looking for inspiration or a player who wants to know the lineage of their character sheet, this book is an essential piece of gaming loot that earns its spot on any serious enthusiast’s shelf.
You can purchase Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games (2nd Edition) by Matt Barton and Shane Stacks through several major retailers and the primary publisher.
The second edition, published in 2019, is significantly expanded with over 600 pages, color illustrations, and new chapters on the modern age of CRPGs and indie titles.
- Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Buy from Routledge
- Amazon: Dungeons and Desktops on Amazon
- AbeBooks: Find New & Used Copies
- eBooks.com: Digital Edition (ePub/PDF)
- The American Book Center (Europe): Purchase Link
- Medimops (Germany/Europe): Second-hand & New
You can also check out Matt Barton’s YouTube channel here, where he has a massive episode list of exclusive interviews with famous game developers, gameplay videos and much more.
Shane Stacks also hosts a Podcast called “Shane Plays Geek Talk” which you can find here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shane-plays-geek-talk/id1000406569
