7/6/2023 0 Comments Book of travels game review![]() However, if you have already done any in-depth reading in the field, you probably will not find anything here that you haven't already run across. Those who are interested in the shifting nature of videogames, of the ideas behind player-driven games, and the weird politics of online gaming, will enjoy this book. He tries to describe the density and intrigue of EVE Online, and the politics of this and other online, multiplayer games. Rossignol explores the world of people who mod games like Quake, in effect creating entirely new games based off of the platform of the original. The cities he travels to are Seoul, London, and Reyjkavik, but the only time his actual location really matters is in Seoul, where gaming culture is like nothing US or Europe has ever seen. Out of this came this book, a "tour guide" of three different gaming communities. Rossignol was lucky, though through his connections in the gaming world, he eventually landed a job working for a videogame magazine and writing about his travels in the world of gaming. When someone opens a book with a description of how they lost their job because they spent all their time playing Quake instead, it doesn't quite win my sympathy or admiration. Visit the website at I was all set not to like Jim Rossignol. John Seabrook, New Yorker staff writer and author of Flash of Genius and Other True Stories of Inventionĭigitalculturebooks is an imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the Scholarly Publishing Office of the University of Michigan Library dedicated to publishing innovative and accessible work exploring new media and their impact on society, culture, and scholarly communication. “This is a wonderfully literate look at gaming cultures, which you don't have to be a gamer to enjoy. “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.’” Raph Koster, game designer and author of A Theory of Fun for Game Design 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. “ This Gaming Life is a fascinating and eye-opening look into the real human impact of gaming culture. “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.” 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. 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. 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. 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. They also provided him with a diverse global community and a job-as a games journalist. 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. So begins this story of personal redemption through the unlikely medium of electronic games. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” " In May 2000 I was fired from my job as a reporter on a finance newsletter because of an obsession with a video game.
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