Cass 🇵🇸6d ago
Mike Cook

I've written a book! Next Level: Making Games That Make Themselves is the story of procedural generation - the tech behind games like Minecraft and Dwarf Fortress. It's about how it works, the games that use it, and the art and magic behind it.

Out May 7th, in bookshops: https://linktr.ee/next_level 🎲🔮

Mar 16 at 7:35pmWeb
Show threadMike Cook6d ago
There are chapters on Minecraft, Rogue, Elite, Spelunky, Caves of Qud, as well as noise functions, machine learning, academia and more - but you don't need to be a programmer, a game developer or a hardcore gamer. If you've ever rolled some dice or shuffled a deck of cards, you'll enjoy reading it!
Show threadMike Cook6d ago
This is a celebration of a creative field that stretches back decades, before videogames even. It's my tribute to the best people I know and the beautiful things they've made. If you want to know why procedural generation matters today - and why it isn't generative AI - this is the book for you.
Show threadMike Cook6d ago
I'm eager to talk more about the book - please invite me to your universities, events, podcasts, family dinners so I can talk about the book, about the magic of procedural generation, or about the cursed nature of 'generative' tech! (Or tell your favourite podcasters/lecturers/family members)
Show threadClaus5d ago

@mtrc I'll talk to the guys organizing IEEE-COG to reserve you a spot :)

Also what about an online talk?

Show threadMike Cook5d ago
@wrench I'd love to do online talks! i saw also the pico-pico cafe allows for an online speaker, i was thinking of asking to talk about magpie there sometime haha
Show threadClaus5d ago

@mtrc Lets make it happen!
For picopico cafe, I'll let you know when the next one happens, I can help host the online part.

Also for the more academic one, maybe we can organize one for Tsukuba on the second half of April, to catch the new students? How is your calendar looking like?

Show threadMike Cook5d ago
@wrench I'd love that! For both things! Second half of April might be doable - might need to delay a bit more but we can chat via email or something. Thank you so much Claus :)
Show threadClaus5d ago
@mtrc I'll send you an e-mail later today! (lemme know if you prefer to organize over mail, or here, or discord or something)
Show threadbleeptrack6d ago
@mtrc woa aweeeeesoooome!
Show threadMike Cook6d ago
@bleeptrack haha thank you! so excited.
Show threadCube Drone6d ago

@mtrc oh, I'm definitely going to buy that.

I really liked Procedural Generation in Game Design, a collection of essays on the topic edited by Tanya Short and Tarn Adams (of Dwarf Fortress) but so little is written on the topic that I'm excited to see a new take.

Show threadCube Drone6d ago

@mtrc boom, pre-ordered

you had better be an engaging writer or I'm going to feel like a real chump

Show threadMike Cook6d ago

@cube_drone Haha, I'll await your review! :) I've been told kind things in the past.

The book is a more personal account than the book you mentioned (just by the nature of it being a single author instead of an edited collection) but I hope you enjoy it. There's a lot of personal/philosophical stuff in the back half too.

Show threadferunando6d ago

@mtrc that's nice ^_^

yeah, we definitely need more of *both* approaches, and what you've been doing these past years is inspiring. thanks ^_^

Show threadxorox6d ago
@mtrc This looks interesting!
Show threadMike Cook6d ago
@xorgrox thank you! there's not enough writing about this stuff haha
Show threadxorox6d ago
@mtrc True. Will get my copy hopefully soonish.
Show threadClaus5d ago
@mtrc Pre-ordered it! 🙂
Show threadMike Cook5d ago
@wrench Ahh thank you Claus 🥺
Show threadSasha5d ago
@mtrc pre ordered. Sounds very cool.
Show threadMike Cook5d ago
@sashabilton Thanks so much! :)
Show threadTom Lowe2d ago
@mtrc that sounds awesome. Procedural generation is one of my favourite parts of 3D games. Starting with Elite. Minecraft does it very nicely I think.
Show threadMike Cook2d ago
@TomL Both featured in the book haha. Minecraft is a beautiful example yeah.
Show threadSteffen Voß2d ago
@mtrc /cc @influjensbahr
Show threadEdward Loveall2d ago
@mtrc Wow, this looks right up my alley. The description mentions AI, but does that mean 2026 “AI” like genAI/LLMs/agents, or “AI” like the game programmed to play against you?
Show threadMike Cook2d ago
@edward Haha a fantastic question! In a sense, neither? It's AI because I consider this research to all be inside the umbrella field of AI, since it involves a lot of search, optimisation, constraint solving etc. So closer to the latter example you give. However there is a chapter on machine learning that touches on generative AI and the gap (in my opinion) between it and procedural techniques. But it's not a book about LLMs.
Show threadEdward Loveall2d ago
@mtrc Ah thank you. Yeah, it’s a difficult question to ask because AI is so many things today. I’m trying to avoid generative AI stuff, especially from openai, anthropic, et al, but it’s hard to separate that out from anything that might be called “AI”. Sounds like you’re not really using that stuff, so great! Looking forward to the book and thanks for the response.
Show threadMike Cook2d ago
@edward Of course, my pleasure! Yes, as an AI researcher from pre-2015 describing my job and the area is tricky, and leads to a lot of name clashes, but I'm very firmly in the "old-fashioned" camp of traditional AI and applying it to do weird things. Thanks for asking! :)