Extra Lives : Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell read online book MOBI, FB2, DJV
9780307378705 English 0307378705 Combining the author's personal experience with interviews of some of the leading game designers at work today, "Extra Lives" is an insightful--and highly entertaining--appraisal of this ubiquitous form of popular art., Like many otherwise functional adults, Tom Bissell is adÂdicted to video games, spending hours a day neglecting work and social engagements in favor ofOblivion, Left 4 Dead, and Grand Theft Auto IV.InExtra Lives, Bissell exÂamines the question that haunts him every time he turns off his consoles: Why on earth does he keep playing? Extra Livesis a shrewd, cutting, spirited, highly perÂsonal, and very funny inquiry into what makes video games so habit-forming and compelling-and how, as creative artifacts, they fall short. He describes the pure plotless joy ofLeft 4 Dead, the mind-bendingly awful dialogue ofResident Evil, the beautiful but heartless chaos ofFar Cry 2, and the peerless cineÂmatic characterization ofGrand Theft Auto IV-a game whose charms escort Bissell to the point of near ruin. Alongside the book's critical project, Bissell candidly examines his own emotional connection to these games, which shifts over time from carefree esÂcapism to bitter and self-destructive compulsion. Combining personal experience with interviews of some of the leading game designers at work today,Extra Livesis an insightful-and highly entertainÂing-appraisal of this ubiquitous form of popular art. Even those who don't play video games will, after reading this book, acknowledge their creative and artistic legitimacy., Tom Bissell is a prizewinning writer who published three widely acclaimed books before the age of thirty-four. He is also an obsessive gamer who has spent untold hours in front of his various video game consoles, playing titles such as Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, BioShock,and Oblivionfor, literally, days. If you are reading this flap copy, the same thing can probably be said of you, or of someone you know. Until recently, Bissell was somewhat reluctant to admit to his passion for games. In this, he is not alone. Millions of adults spend hours every week playing video games, and the industry itself now reliably outearns Hollywood. But the wider culture seems to regard video games as, at best, well designed if mindless entertainment. Extra Livesis an impassioned defense of this assailed and misunderstood art form. Bissell argues that we are in a golden age of gaming-but he also believes games could be even better. He offers a fascinating and often hilarious critique of the ways video games dazzle and, just as often, frustrate. Along the way, we get firsthand portraits of some of the best minds (Jonathan Blow, Clint Hocking, Cliff Bleszinski, Peter Molyneux) at work in video game design today, as well as a shattering and deeply moving final chapter that describes, in searing detail, Bissell's descent into the world of Grand Theft Auto IV, a game whose themes mirror his own increasingly self-destructive compulsions. Blending memoir, criticism, and first-rate reportage, Extra Livesis like no other book on the subject ever published. Whether you love video games, loathe video games, or are merely curious about why they are becoming the dominant popular art form of our time, Extra Livesis required reading. From the Hardcover edition.
9780307378705 English 0307378705 Combining the author's personal experience with interviews of some of the leading game designers at work today, "Extra Lives" is an insightful--and highly entertaining--appraisal of this ubiquitous form of popular art., Like many otherwise functional adults, Tom Bissell is adÂdicted to video games, spending hours a day neglecting work and social engagements in favor ofOblivion, Left 4 Dead, and Grand Theft Auto IV.InExtra Lives, Bissell exÂamines the question that haunts him every time he turns off his consoles: Why on earth does he keep playing? Extra Livesis a shrewd, cutting, spirited, highly perÂsonal, and very funny inquiry into what makes video games so habit-forming and compelling-and how, as creative artifacts, they fall short. He describes the pure plotless joy ofLeft 4 Dead, the mind-bendingly awful dialogue ofResident Evil, the beautiful but heartless chaos ofFar Cry 2, and the peerless cineÂmatic characterization ofGrand Theft Auto IV-a game whose charms escort Bissell to the point of near ruin. Alongside the book's critical project, Bissell candidly examines his own emotional connection to these games, which shifts over time from carefree esÂcapism to bitter and self-destructive compulsion. Combining personal experience with interviews of some of the leading game designers at work today,Extra Livesis an insightful-and highly entertainÂing-appraisal of this ubiquitous form of popular art. Even those who don't play video games will, after reading this book, acknowledge their creative and artistic legitimacy., Tom Bissell is a prizewinning writer who published three widely acclaimed books before the age of thirty-four. He is also an obsessive gamer who has spent untold hours in front of his various video game consoles, playing titles such as Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, BioShock,and Oblivionfor, literally, days. If you are reading this flap copy, the same thing can probably be said of you, or of someone you know. Until recently, Bissell was somewhat reluctant to admit to his passion for games. In this, he is not alone. Millions of adults spend hours every week playing video games, and the industry itself now reliably outearns Hollywood. But the wider culture seems to regard video games as, at best, well designed if mindless entertainment. Extra Livesis an impassioned defense of this assailed and misunderstood art form. Bissell argues that we are in a golden age of gaming-but he also believes games could be even better. He offers a fascinating and often hilarious critique of the ways video games dazzle and, just as often, frustrate. Along the way, we get firsthand portraits of some of the best minds (Jonathan Blow, Clint Hocking, Cliff Bleszinski, Peter Molyneux) at work in video game design today, as well as a shattering and deeply moving final chapter that describes, in searing detail, Bissell's descent into the world of Grand Theft Auto IV, a game whose themes mirror his own increasingly self-destructive compulsions. Blending memoir, criticism, and first-rate reportage, Extra Livesis like no other book on the subject ever published. Whether you love video games, loathe video games, or are merely curious about why they are becoming the dominant popular art form of our time, Extra Livesis required reading. From the Hardcover edition.