Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter is written by Tom Bissel who is, according to the inside sleeve, a prize winning author who published three widely acclaimed books before the. See more of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell on Facebook At the beginning of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter, Tom Bissell lists a few reasons why videogames have mostly eluded critical analysis. Games take forever to finish (if. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell In Extra Lives, acclaimed writer and lifelong video game enthusiast Tom Bissell takes the reader on an insightful and entertaining tour of the art and meaning of video games. Tom Bissell, in his essay, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter has described video games and how they are unique and different from movies, books, or even interactive films. Tom Bissell is a prizewinning writer who published three widely acclaimed books before the age of 34. 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 Oblivion for, literally, days. Author and video game aficionado Tom Bissell is just one of millions of kids who grew up with console games and never abandoned the hobby. In his new book, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter, he. Professor Yates English 101 12 May 2013 Summary and Response Tom Bissell, in his essay, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter has described video games and how they are unique and different from movies, books, or even interactive films. Despite all the time hes spent with a controller in handand despite the fact that Extra Lives carries the subtitle Why Video Games Matter Bissell seems unsure that games do matter. Whats the psychology of video games? Do video games make you violent? When do they help us and how do we know if theyre causing us problems. Extra lives: why video games matter. [Tom Bissell Synopsis: Tom Bissell is a prizewinning writer who published three widely acclaimed books before the age of thirtyfour. He is also an obsessive gamer who has spent untold hours in front of his. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter is, among other things, a wonderful example of how and why this imbalance might be fixed. Rather than a history of video games or a consumer guide (buy this. In Extra Lives, acclaimed writer and lifelong video game enthusiast Tom Bissell takes the reader on an insightful and entertaining tour of the art and meaning of video games. In just a few decades, video games have grown increasingly complex and sophisticated, and the companies that produce them are now among the most profitable in the entertainment industry. Like me, my 14yearold son has technogeeky tendencies. Unlike me, he is a highly accomplished video gamer. So much so that hes attended four years worth of summer tech camps focusing on videogame creation, design, and development. He has a passion for it, loves the. Extra Lives: Tom Bissell on Why Video Games Matter By Chad Are video games a worthy way to spend my time? Tom Bissells journalistic, slightly nerdish quest to discover what is great and notsogreat about videogames and videogame culture, is a fascinating book in many respects. Games become a kind of inside baseball, only discussed by those already submerged in video games and gaming culture. Furthermore, it's worth considering that trying out new forms of leisurein particular technologically mediated forms of leisureis difficult. Video games have created what must be the biggest generation gap since rock n roll. Sure, a generational rift of sorts emerged when the World Wide. Grand Theft Auto IV is both a waste of time and the most colossal creative achievement of the last 25 years, according to this scintillating meditation on the promise and discontents of video games. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter is a 2010 nonfiction book by journalist and critic Tom Bissell discussing the social relevance and importance of video games as well as defending the medium against detractors. Bissell takes a slightly ambivalent stance towards the cultural relevance of the medium, describing the conflict between gameplay. 7: Cosmos And Culture For some people, video game doesn't conjure up images of anything considered worthwhile. But some games, like The Last of Us, belong to a time. Bissell doesn't actually discuss 'why video games matter' or go indepth about design or development of games like I was hoping, he talks more about some games he's liked throughout his life and why. His writing isn't great he seems like the kind of guy who really likes the sound of his own voice. Join me as I attempt to defend the honor of the games we hold near and dear to our hearts. I believe that understanding how and why video games engage our students is knowledge that can be directly transferred to the classroom and to motivating our learners. From gamertalk to increased productivity, meaningful failure to communal affinity, it's time we embrace why video games matter. The second is built into the title: Why Video Games Matter. My instantaneous and perhaps selfrighteous answer is: they dont. I never got into console games, but I did have a 5 year addiction to the MMORPG Runescape and while I look on those lost years very fondly, I dont consider them to be of any inherent value. Extra Lives is an impassioned defense of this assailed and misunderstood art form. Bissell argues that we are in a golden age of gamingbut 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. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter [Tom Bissell on Amazon. FREE shipping on qualifying offers. In Extra Lives, acclaimed writer and lifelong video game enthusiast Tom Bissell takes the reader on an insightful and entertaining tour of the art and meaning of video games. In just a few decades Are video games mindlessly violent and hopelessly juvenile or a creative medium with unbelievable potential for immersive storytelling? An attempt to explain why video games matter should acknowledge these pickupandplay experiences, even if hardcore gamers like Tom Bissell find them to be mere distractions from the. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter Pathos Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response Personal story about the Election Day in America The pleasures of the openworld game are ample, complicated, and intensely It is staggering to think that one game can make so much money and indeed go on to influence how and why we play video games. However, I want to look at why this matters to us. 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 Lives is required reading. Book Genres: Non Fiction, Games, Video Games, Sports And Games, Gaming, Science, Technology, Culture, Game Design, Sociology, Autobiography, Memoir, Pop Culture This video is a little meaty and might take a second watch to digest it all. However there is a lot of ground to cover and some aspects contained are only gi What is especially wonderful is that the book constructs a compelling argument that video games are art (Ebert is wrong etc. ) without ever dealing with that particular question head. In this book I risk a similar sort of beleagueredness to explain why I believe video games matterand why they do not matter more. It grew out of the last three years of my life, during which I spent quite a bitpossibly even mostof my time playing video games, marveling at the unique ways they affected me and growing frustrated by the ways. A while back I was chatting with an acquaintance when my job came up. Researching the history of the video game industry for this months issue was a special treat for me. It made me realize that, being born in the early 80s, I had the good fortune of growing up while the game industry was still in its infancy. If you love video games, take a look at Extra Lives. Even for somebody like me, video games do matter, and Bissell does a fine job of capturing why. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter was. Despite all the time he's spent with a controller in handand despite the fact that Extra Lives carries the subtitle Why Video Games Matter Bissell seems unsure that games do matter. The title of this book is Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. I normally wouldnt begin a review with such a mundane sentence, but it is vital to understanding my reaction to the book. I normally wouldnt begin a review with such a mundane sentence, but it is vital to understanding my reaction to the book. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter is a critique on how games matter not only in the industry but also in society. Bissell spends each chapter talking about a single games impact and their mechanics. Includes index Fallout Headshots The unbearable lightness of games The grammar of fun Littlebigproblems Braided Mass effects Far cries Grand thefts A personal assessment of the author's addiction to video games explores his favorites, their roles as modern forms of popular art, and their habitforming appeal while considering how he has neglected his professional and. In April, legendary film critic Roger Ebert doubleddown on an assertion he first leveled in 2005: Video games can never be art. His unflinching blogpost dismissal stung gamers the world over. In this book I risk a similar sort of beleagueredness to explain why I believe video games matterand why they do not matter more. It grew out of the last three years of my life, during which I spent quite a bitpossibly even most of my time playing video games, marveling at the unique ways they affected me and growing frustrated by the. Tom Bissell is the author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter, one of Amazon. coms 10 best nonfiction books of 2010. Since my gameplay tends to skew towards older games, rereleases, and games sold in red Greatest Hits packaging, I asked him via email for his 10 favorite games from 2010. Tom Bissell is the author of Chasing the Sea, God Lives in St. Petersburg, The Father of All Things, Why Video Games Matter, Magic Hours: Essays On Creators and Creation (2012) and Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve (2016). Why firstparty video games matter Microsoft is planning to acquire game developer BigPark to bolster its lineup of exclusive games. Exclusivity is a contributing factor to console maker success. Tom Bissell, the prodigiously talented author, has crafted a new work called Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter perhaps the first good generalinterest book of its. 15 quotes from Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter: More than any other form of entertainment, video games tend to divide rooms into Us and Them. We are.