Get the Summary of Iain M. Banks's The Player of Games in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game. . . a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life — and very possibly his death.