Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts

Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time Review

Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time
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Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time ReviewGames Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time by Michael Kane is the best inside look at the competitive videogaming industry I have read to date. He peels back the layers of this very complex subculture and lays it all out there for anyone to read - from the gamers themselves to the parents who try to understand. Game Boys has it all - the celebratory victories, the heartbreaking losses, the passion of its supports and accompanies it all with backroom dirty laundry. This book is an informative, exciting read. Author Michael Kane has managed to translate the excitement of competition into his words, and sometimes I found myself reading faster through the competition gameplay to get to the moment of victory - even though I already knew the results of many of the matches he wrote about.
As a participant full of passion for the videogame industry, there were so many times I found myself identifying with CompLexity GM Jason Lake and harbouring feelings of resentment towards Craig Levine. Like Jason Lake, I believe in the grassroots foundation of this wonderful industry, and even though Craig Levine has done much to get competitive videogaming out there into the main stream of today's world, I often felt that Levine's tactics were less than honourable, and I am of the generation when honour was at the forefront of how you conducted your life. These are elements which make for a great book - eliciting emotion and appreciation from the reader, making the reader care about the characters in the story.
Michael Kane has artfully included every aspect of our advancing technological world - global friendships and rivalries, heroes and villains, supportive families and families who feel the gamer is wasting his or her time. Corporations who only look at the biggest and the best for exposure, instead of looking at and supporting the grassroots events and players who keep the industry churning forward on a daily basis. Event promoters who are in it for the dollar, and to heck with the injury they do to our industry by scamming the players who have poured their heart, soul and often their last dollar into feeding their passion for gaming in hopes of making it to the winner's circle.
I commend Michael for the honesty of his words, even the ones which cast a less than idyllic light on the e-sports industry, because the end result shows that our cyberathletes truly are no different from the mainstream sports athletes. They train, they play, they do things they shouldn't, but when it comes right down to the final seconds it's all about the game and the opponent in front of them. Game Boys shows how far we as a competitive market have come, but also shows how far we have yet to go. Michael touched very briefly on the girls in gaming, and while some things have changed since Game Boys went to print, much has stayed the same, from the disdain which meets many girl gamers head on, to the insults and unwelcome photos hurled at them on XBL. While the industry is still very much a boys' club, the girls are rapidly gaining ground - perhaps in the future we can look forward to a book on Gamer Girls to compliment Gamer Boys - what do you say, Michael?Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time Overview

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Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up Review

Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up
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Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up ReviewI read this book over the course of several flights while traveling and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a cartoonist who likes cupcakes and wearing superhero t-shirts, there should be no surprise why the book peaked my interest. But I was delighted to find that the book was neither an unstructured permission slip for irresponsible behavior, nor a "Harrumphing Codger" treatise on abolishing all forms of fun from life. Rather, it was a well-organized, even-handed, thoughtful and interesting approach on the phenomenon itself. I enjoyed the historical research, and although sometimes overly thourough, offered a lot of interesting background for the rest of the book. I also enjoyed the profiles of the people throughout the book. At times I found myself mentally cheering them on, while with others, I tended to react to with frustration (and sometimes even disgust). So ultimately, the book connected with me on an emotional level, and it made me think. Something all good books do.Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up Overview

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Plunkett's Entertainment & Media Industry Almanac 2009: Entertainment & Media Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends & Leading Companies Review

Plunkett's Entertainment and Media Industry Almanac 2009: Entertainment and Media Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends and Leading Companies
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Plunkett's Entertainment & Media Industry Almanac 2009: Entertainment & Media Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends & Leading Companies ReviewPlunkett's Entertainment & Media Industry Almanac 2009 has been extremely helpful to me as I begin to search for jobs in the entertainment industry. The book not only covers industry trends and statistics but also contains a list of several hundred of the top companies in media and entertainment. This is a great resource for recent college graduates who are looking to enter the work force.
Plunkett's Entertainment & Media Industry Almanac 2009: Entertainment & Media Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends & Leading CompaniesPlunkett's Entertainment & Media Industry Almanac 2009: Entertainment & Media Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends & Leading Companies OverviewThe electronic age is bringing sweeping changes to entertainment and media of all kinds, including publishing, broadcasting and film. Multimedia, the Internet and other digital media outlets for entertainment and information are being refined at a rapid rate. Media giants are merging and making big acquisitions. This book covers these exciting developments and provides profiles on hundreds of leading firms in film, radio, television, cable, new media, and publishing of all types including books, magazines and newspapers. It contains thousands of contacts for business and industry leaders, industry associations, Internet sites and other resources. You'll get in-depth profiles of nearly 400 of the world's top Entertainment & Media firms: our own unique list of companies that are the leaders in this field. Here you'll find complete profiles of the hot companies that are making news today, the largest, most successful corporations in all facets of the Entertainment and Media Business, from broadcasters to film production companies, casino operators to theme park companies, publishers of books and magazines to video game designers, and much more. Our corporate profiles include executive contacts, growth plans, financial records, address, phone, fax and much more. This innovative book offers unique information, all indexed and cross-indexed more for each firm! Our industry analysis section provides an exceptional discussion of business and market trends. The book includes statistical tables covering revenues for several industry sectors. Purchasers of either the book or PDF version can receive a free copy of the company profiles database on CD-ROM, enabling key word search and export of key data.

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Newsgames: Journalism at Play Review

Newsgames: Journalism at Play
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Newsgames: Journalism at Play ReviewNewsgames is a better, clearer, and more cohesive argument for why videogames matter than Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. Newsgames lacks the experiential, personal perspective so prevalent in Extra Lives, a perspective that I think harms many discussions about the potential of videogames. Lacking this perspective, Newsgames executes a specific argument without falling into revelry, making for greater clarity. (I think Gee's What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy is a rarity in that personal experience does not get in the way of the larger argument about the particular value(s) of gaming.) By using Wired's Cutthroat Capitalism as an introductory example of how videogames "can do good journalism, both as an independent medium for news and as a supplement to traditional forms of coverage" (5), the authors lay appropriate groundwork for a more in-depth discussion, one sustained through each subsequent chapter of the book.
Other games discussed include September 12th, Budget Hero, JFK Reloaded, Crickler, and World Without Oil, and the authors describe each as a particular kind of newsgame with unique aims and goals. They also discuss the importance of literacy as well as platforms for designing and executing future games. In fact, the former may be an appropriate entry point for some as not only it offers up better-known videogames as examples but it also discusses "teaching the practice" (115) of journalism.
Some might take Bogost, Ferrari and Schweizer to task for privileging example over theory in their discussion of "journalism at play." While mentioning Roger Caillois, Alexander Galloway, James Paul Gee, Johan Huizinga, Raph Koster, Jane McGonigal, Janet Murray, Miguel Sicart, and Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman as well as others whose work is important and/or influential to game studies, the authors do not allow theory to dominate. This is to Newsgames' benefit. Going lean on theory and heavy on examples is a smart move, making for a more effective argument. The authors show that there's much more out there being done than what a given audience, be it academic, general, or journalistic, might think. I thought I was up on a good amount of what's happening with such games, but Bogost, Ferrari, and Schweizer showed me otherwise. I appreciate that.
Others might express concern over the length of the book, but I'm all for digestible work. A close read of Newsgames will allow one to see potential areas of expansion, but it's worth mentioning that the Newsgames blog has done well so far in fulfilling those areas.
The care, interest, and knowledge the authors have in both videogames and journalism is evident, even inspiring. Here's an early question they pose: "What if the dynamics of New York City racketeering laws could be operationalized in Grand Theft Auto?" If such a question doesn't hold immediate intrigue for you, it will the more you read Newsgames.Newsgames: Journalism at Play OverviewHow videogames offer a new way to do journalism.

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Ronaldinho: Football's Flamboyant Maestro Review

Ronaldinho: Football's Flamboyant Maestro
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Ronaldinho: Football's Flamboyant Maestro ReviewMy nephew loved this book! He's a real soccer fan and this was a great addition to his collection!Ronaldinho: Football's Flamboyant Maestro OverviewRonaldinho's is a classic rags-to-riches tale of an outrageously talented boy from the Brazilian back streets who, despite his humble origins, conquers the soccer world. Ronaldinho's early years were hard, coping with a family tragedy at a tender age before making his name as the star of local team Gremio, whose youth club he joined when he was just six. His decision in 2001 to leave familiar ground andtransfer to Paris St. Germain proved controversial and unpopular locally, with those same Gremio fans who had hero-worshipped him now turning against him. Ronaldinho's time in France yielded little success on the pitch and turned a spotlight on his personal life, provoking accusations of a rather too rampant nightlife. Yet, Ronaldinho has always thrived in the yellow shirt of the national team, playing a key role in Brazil's 2002 World Cup victory. When he switched to Barcelona in 2003, the club was in crisis; but his dazzling and inspiring play helped guide the Catalans to the league title, with the Champions League the next target. Ronaldinho's style of play is spectacular, combining dazzling dribbles with audacious strikes at goal, but as this inspiring and meticulously researched book shows, he always plays with a smile and handles himself with modesty. It is not surprising that this unique combination of skill, charm, and generosity has conquered the hearts of soccer fans the world over—who will welcome the publication of this definitive biography and the full story of Ronaldinho's World Cup appearances.

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