Extra Lives

Why Video Games Matter

By: Tom Bissell

Narrated by: Tom Bissell

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. If you are reading this copy, the same thing can probably be said of you, or of someone you know.

Until recently, Bissell was somewhat reluctant to admit to his passion for games. In this, he is not alone. Millions of adults spend hours every week playing video games, and the industry itself now reliably outearns Hollywood. But the wider culture seems to regard video games as, at best, well-designed if mindless entertainment.

Extra Lives is an impassioned defense of this assailed and misunderstood art form. Bissell argues that we are in a golden age of gaming - but 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. Along the way, we get firsthand portraits of some of the best minds (Jonathan Blow, Clint Hocking, Cliff Bleszinski, Peter Molyneux) at work in video game design today, as well as a shattering and deeply moving final chapter that describes, in searing detail, Bissell’s descent into the world of Grand Theft Auto IV, a game whose themes mirror his own increasingly self-destructive compulsions.

Blending memoir, criticism, and first-rate reportage, Extra Lives is like no other work on the subject ever published. 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 listening.

©2010 Tom Bissell (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"A scintillating meditation on the promise and discontents of video games....Bissell excels both at intellectual commentary and evocative reportage on the experience of playing games...If anyone can bridge the aesthetic chasm between readers and gamers, he can." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Bissell explores not just his own affection for video games but also the games themselves. What separates good games from bad? Where do video games fit on the sliding scale of art?....Not just for gamers, the book should also appeal to readers who have some serious questions about the nature and impact of video games." ( Booklist)

“Bissell successfully dissects key aspects of the medium with razor-sharp sense and artfully crafted analysis. A thought-provoking, thorough, and ultimately personal study of the industry and its denizens.”(Cliff Bleszinski, design director, Epic Games)

Video Gaming - Far more than just virtual bullets

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.

Personal and Critical look at Video Games

Excellently written. Passionately read by the author. An intellectual look at video games. personal stories of both gaming and drug addiction. Gives me a greater appreciation of some older games. Gifted a copies two family members. Personally listen to it from beginning to end more times than I can count.

Perspective and pessimism

Absolutely fantastic perspective on what games have been and will become, if not at times pessimistic, I appreciated most of this read.

Great piece of writing.

Cocaine and video games. What more could you want. Great book. Entertaining and interesting. Loved it.

different

what can I say, he talks about why games matter to him (the author).

that's about it

A great look at modern gaming

Would you listen to Extra Lives again? Why?

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

What about Tom Bissell’s performance did you like?

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

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

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

Any additional comments?

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

Nostalgia for Gamers

I really loved how his words related to my experience in playing the featured games.

This book is well done

This book took me by the guts, it delved deep into something big. From "artsy-fartsy" to real talk about addictions, this book had good, real POV:s

Insightful and at times intensely personal

For anyone interested in videogames, this is a must listen. The author shares his considerable insight into what makes a game good, while spicing his narrative with personal details. This is a naked look at what makes a game both good and bad. I also found the author's knack for images to be particularly enjoyable.

This audiobook is narrated by the author himself, something I feel gave it extra depth and pathos.

Like games? Get this.

Preaching to the Converted

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.