Complexification, by John Casti
This book on the science of complexity written by mathematician John Casti is a non-technical but nevertheless sophisticated approach to the topic. The wide-ranging subject matter, including everything from fractals and emergence to strange attractors and the Turing Test offers a strong introduction to the study of complex systems.
Recommended:
Chapter 1: The Simple and the Complex
Chapter 6: The Emergent
Emergence: From Chaos to Order, by John Holland
Known as the "father of genetic algorithms," John Holland is a mathematician and computer scientist. Although the later chapters become somewhat technical, the earlier ones provide a solid introduction to game theory and cellular autonoma. Many of the problems presented in the book relate specifically to game rules and game AI.
Recommended:
Chapter 2: Games and Numbers
Chapter 3: Maps, Game Theory, and Computer-Based Modeling
Emergence, by Stephen Johnson
A popular introduction to emergent systems and complexity, in Emergence,digital culture maven Stephen Johnson reports on a variety of emergent phenomena, from ant colonies to urban planning to computer games.
Recommended:
Chapter 1: The Myth of the Ant Queen
Chapter 5: Control Artist
Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell
Grammatical Man is a wide-ranging, journalistic account of the development of complexity theory, systems theory, information theory, game theory, genetics, and related developments in science and engineering. As a general introduction to the way that these diverse fields integrate, it is a valuable resource.
Recommended:
Part One: Establishing the Theory of Information
Part Two: Nature as an Information Process
Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams, by Mitchel Resnick
A student of Seymour Papert, Mitchel Resnick is a faculty member at the MIT Media Lab, and his research group is responsible for, among other things, LEGO Mindstorms. Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams is a highly accessible book about decentralized systems.The volume includes both a general introduction to the subject as well as detailed accounts of Resnick's own work in the field with StarLogo.
Recommended:
Chapter 1: Foundations