I’ve been a bookworm since the day I was born. I’m pretty sure one of my first words was “read.” I’ve also had a passion for video games from a very young age. I even have a friend who loves to read too, and she’ll keep a book open on her lap while playing games. So what could be better than bringing my two loves together? Getting to share it with all of you, of course!
This is why I’ve decided to start a Bitmob Book Club. I have a list of gaming related books, both fiction and non-fiction, that I would love to read and discuss with all of you. But before I jump right in, I would like to gain some feedback from the community.
In the comments below, let me know what you’re interested in reading and how much time you’d like to spend on each book. Anyone who has thoughts, ideas, or would like to help out can email me at games.as.lit@gmail.com. Look for more information about my new project next Monday!
You can also follow me on Twitter: @Fomhar
Well, I'm currently reading "The Computer Game Design Course" by Jim Thompson -- it's probably the fifth or sixth design book I've picked up.
I've got Game Sound by Karen Collins, Writing for Video Game Genres, Grand Theft Childhood, and [some book I can't find] all sitting unread on the shelf.
One book I read recently that I'd also recommend is Masters of Doom by David Kushnell.
Whatever you pick, I'd be interested -- assuming I can find the book chosen. I'm soon to be on holidays from university for six weeks, so I should have plenty of time to read.
I'd like to recommend Game Boys by Michael Kane. It looks at the professional Counter-Strike scene during the lead-up to the Championship Gaming Series' start-up. It's pretty fascinating to see the players' personalities and egos, as well as the adults with either strong or delusional hopes in making CS a bonified competitive sport. Kane also makes a play-by-play of a CS match into a very compelling read akin to a sports feature, something I previously never thought possible.
Currently reading A Casual Revolution by Jesper Juul, who looked at the trends of casual vs. hardcore gaming to find that a lot of people weren't playing according to the general consensus. People are playing casual games in hardcore ways! Looking at the millions of hours now lost to Farmville and its derivatives, it doesn't sound like a stretch these days, but it's a good thing to see the old archetypes suitably blasted by research.
Looking forward to Extra Lives by Tom Bissell, who wrote a profile of CliffyB for the New Yorker a few years ago. Here's a book excerpt, describing his joint addictions for GTA4 and cocaine:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2010/mar/21/tom-bissell-video-game-cocaine-addiction
Game Boys was a good read. The author makes a few factual mistakes concerning video game history, but the story he tells is a good one.
Awesome idea! Agreeing with your article's picture, Smartbomb is probably as good a place to start as any (especially since it's sitting on my shelf.)
Steven Johnson's Everything Bad Is Good For You, while not completely about games, is an excellent read and discusses games heavily in the first few chapters.
Even though I enjoyed them, it might be best to avoid books such as the Halo or Mass Effect novels. If someone has no interest in the original game, I doubt they'd want to particpate in reading a book about it.
As for time, I get distracted easily and don't finish books all that quickly, so the longer the deadline, the better in my case. Maybe 2-3 weeks?
I'll definitely do my best to participate when a book is chosen. Again, great idea!
@Chase That's about the length I was thinking too. And Johnson's book is very interesting, but I'll probably hold off on it since I just read it! And no game tie-ins, like the Halo novels.
Thanks for the other recommendations guys! I might put up a poll with a couple choices, but I'll check how available they are first.
I'd definitely be interested in this. Smartbomb's a great book, even if it may be a little dated now.
@Jonathan: I'm eagerly awaiting that Tom Bissell book. I read much of his previous work, and the bit of game-related journalism I read in Kill Screen by him only whetted my appetite.
I have never read anything on computers, games, or the like. Mainly because I don;t know where to start or what is considered gospel. I would love to be a part of this!
How about something like Diablo, Halo or some other game turned to book fiction? :)
I think this has a lot of potential.
Smart bomb has been sitting on my bed side table for months... I'll get through it... eventually.
I don't have any specific recommendations at the moment, but I fully support this idea, and I'd love to participate.
Stephen Poole's 'Trigger Happy' is a must-read for anyone, regardless of whether they're into games or not.
It's a little out of date now, but still very interesting.
@Jonathan and Brett: I just went to Borders yesterday to get Extra Lives, but it wasn't in store. Very excited to see a favorite writer tackle a favorite subject. The piece you link to, Jonathan, is fantastic and sad and exactly the sort of writing I want to see on games going into the future.
@Jon: I agree, Trigger Happy is worth reading, almost because of its dated-ness. It's fascinating to see predictions and analysis from years ago, to see what was high-tech and if they correctly identified what would now be taking place. Dramatic irony of the highest order.
@Melissa: Another recommendation -- Game Over by David Sheff. Another dated, but incredibly researched and compelling look at Nintendo's history and the industry's recovery after 'the crash of '83. More entertaining than it sounds. I'm sure many here have read it already.
I could get into this. My suggestions are jpod and grand theft childhood. They are two very different books, but I own them both and haven't read them yet.
I'm in!
Based on this excerpt, I'd also recommend Replay: The History of Video Games by Tristan Donovan.