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Loading... This Gaming Life: Travels in Three Citiesby Jim Rossignol
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Great idea, good points, mediocre execution. I never actually managed to finish this book, not because it was bad, but rather because I just found it . . . boring? Dry? I plan to try again one of these days, since I liked the idea well enough, but it just didn't capture my interest. My reaction may have been affected by the extreme delay in delivery, FWIW. When I try it again, if my opinion changes, I will adjust accordingly. (  ) Kplatypus | Nov 18, 2009 |  I am a relatively casual gamer but I am very glad I read this book. I found it to be a compelling mix of memoir, gaming culture and tech, and intellectual exposition. The author demonstrates an entertaining knowledge of international gaming. Informative yet friendly tone. Excellent illustrative examples from author's personal experience and from other research. Well reasoned arguments, good survey of other viewpoints. A defense of gaming. Fair and convincing. Productive treatise on boredom and gaming. (  )1  the_blue_danube | Nov 8, 2009 | This Gaming Life provides insight into the lives of gamers as well as the history of gaming around the world. Like all books about subcultures worth reading, it is actually a book about humanity. Recommended. (  ) undeadgoat | Oct 2, 2009 | I started reading, but it was difficult to get into the story since I was distracted by packing to move. (To bad it was only to the next town over, not real travel like this book.) And now, the book is lost or in a poorly marked box. When I come across it I will post a proper book review. akrissy | Sep 2, 2009 | As a high school teacher in an inner city school, I requested this book from early reviewers because I felt my students might be interested in it and even though I am a math teacher, I will do anything to encourage them to read. Unfortunately, the reading level proved higher/ less engaging than was acceptable. This is definitely a niche book and one that I do not recommend unless you are positive it will interest you. lis.lueninghoener | Jul 13, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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| Book description |
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“In May 2000 I was fired from my job as a reporter on a finance newsletter because of an obsession with a video game.
It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
So begins this story of personal redemption through the unlikely medium of electronic games. Quake, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, and other online games not only offered author Jim Rossignol an excellent escape from the tedium of office life. They also provided him with a diverse global community and a job—as a games journalist.
Part personal history, part travel narrative, part philosophical reflection on the meaning of play, This Gaming Life describes Rossignol’s encounters in three cities: London, Seoul, and Reykjavik. From his days as a Quake genius in London’s increasingly corporate gaming culture; to Korea, where gaming is a high-stakes televised national sport; to Iceland, the home of his ultimate obsession, the idiosyncratic and beguiling Eve Online, Rossignol introduces us to a vivid and largely undocumented world of gaming lives.
Torn between unabashed optimism about the future of games and lingering doubts about whether they are just a waste of time, This Gaming Life also raises important questions about this new and vital cultural form. Should we celebrate the “serious” educational, social, and cultural value of games, as academics and journalists are beginning to do? Or do these high-minded justifications simply perpetuate the stereotype of games as a lesser form of fun? In this beautifully written, richly detailed, and inspiring book, Rossignol brings these abstract questions to life, immersing us in a vibrant landscape of gaming experiences.
“We need more writers like Jim Rossignol, writers who are intimately familiar with gaming, conversant in the latest research surrounding games, and able to write cogently and interestingly about the experience of playing as well as the deeper significance of games.”
—Chris Baker, Wired
“This Gaming Life is a fascinating and eye-opening look into the real human impact of gaming culture. Traveling the globe and drawing anecdotes from many walks of life, Rossignol takes us beyond the media hype and into the lives of real people whose lives have been changed by gaming. The results may surprise you.”
—Raph Koster, game designer and author of A Theory of Fun
“Is obsessive video gaming a character flaw? In This Gaming Life, Jim Rossignol answers with an emphatic ‘no,’ and offers a passionate and engaging defense of what is too often considered a ‘bad habit’ or ‘guilty pleasure.’”
—Joshua Davis, author of The Underdog
“This is a wonderfully literate look at gaming cultures, which you don't have to be a gamer to enjoy. The Korea section blew my mind.”
—John Seabrook, New Yorker staff writer and author of Flash of Genius and Other True Stories of Invention
DIGITALCULTUREBOOKS is a collaborative imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the University of Michigan Library. Visit the website at www.digitalculture.org.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:11 -0400)
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