Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

First, I am not a gamer. Second, I try to find books that inform me about subjects unfamiliar. This book will inform and excite those seeking to understand the attraction of games. It will inform people with family members and friends who spend hours, in the dark, competing with others on-line.

The book combines gaming history, psychology of gamers, programming, and the development of gaming as an art form.

The book is wonderfully written and read by Tom Bissel. It will keep the interest of anyone who listens.

With the exception of a handful of hours at Goldeneye and Super Mario Galaxy, I haven't played video games since the days of the SNES. Sometime last year, I saw what kids these days were playing and was quite frankly was scared. Not because of the super violence in them. But because the apparent limitless entertainment possibilities of them seemed to threaten my business - movies - with obsoleteness. I've been looking for a book about video game aesthetics and with this I finally found it. The narration is personal and casual - making me wish that more authors did their own narration instead of hiring "professionals".

This book is a refreshing look at game design from a player's perspective. The author rightly points out that gaming critique now is now solely limited to whether a new game is entertaining enough to be worth spending some money. If you've enjoyed any PC or console game for dozens of hours you've wondered why is this particular form of game play so uniquely fun? The author explores the answers using many major titles (but will invariably miss some of your personal favorites). He confesses a bias for console games (a controller over a keyboard) as an avid PC gamer I found the distinction not pertinent to book's themes. He poses many excellent questions: What is the nature of storytelling in a video game? How much and what impact do good writers have on a story? Should the game's story drive the player or should the game design allow the player to drive the story? What are the possibilities of open-ended story telling? (as opposed to cut scenes/cinematics) which the author and game designers view as limiting at best. He describes major titles, so one can understand the features that were overlooked by above mentioned limited critical perspective. This includes a notorious car jacking series (which I've smugly avoided as trashy) describing the many details of the extraordinarily rich virtual world it creates. Another recent gaming flop, the latest in the an FPS series set in landlocked Africa, instead of its previous tropical setting, (the latest panned by many as poor) is described for its completely unscripted physics and unique character/NPC interaction. He covers the skills to needed to complete the now outdated 2D scrolling games (i.e. why they were so fun in their day) but mainly describes role playing & shooter games as well as few obscure but completely unique and award winning games. If you haven't explored every single last major video game franchise at the very least you'll learn of new unique gaming experiences to be had.

Extra Lives is an incredibly interesting account of the authors personal experience with video games. It's not quite what I expected, but it was incredibly enjoyable.

Yes because the personal side to this book made me think of my own past inner turmoils of being a gamer.

It sounded genuine instead of someone over pronouncing every word like in other audio books I've listen to.

The part about GTA & the comparison to his own life.

I hope he writes another gaming book because I enjoyed this one.

Tom Bissell is engaging and fascinating as he guides you through both the gaming industry in general and his personal experience with gaming. As a gamer who enjoys stories in games, this book was everything I was hoping for and more.

Engaging and fun but light on substance. If you have ever played any of the current run FPS/RPG (First Person Shooter/Role Playing Games) games you might really enjoy it, i.e. Left 4 Dead, Modern Warfare 2, etc. I don't play FPS games but Bissell is an excellent writer and makes some interesting points about how games work/don't work, and their importance in the entertainment industry alongside movies and TV. Noticeably absent from his analysis are the MMORPGS (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games) such as World of Warcraft and Everquest, which are significantly different in scope and would have made an interesting counterpoint.

The end of the book follows a dark turn in Bissels life related to drug use and playing GTA (Grand Theft Auto) and although the title of the book might lead you to believe it's kid friendly let me assure you it's not.

Tom Bissell's many hours on Grand Theft Auto, as well as hanging out with various game celebrities, shows a lot of passion in this production.

I was able to easily grasp at what he's saying, since I'm a gamer. However, I think from the perspective of a non-gaming reader, there is a lot that is lost in translation.