Game Studies Books

25%: review of early days of videogames. including a lengthy foreword by ralph baer where he greedily stakes out his portion of the 'inventor of videogames' title. this part is largely dismissable and you can get better info off of a few google searches

5%: talking about status of videogame as art, and trying to legitimize videogame theory as academic pursuit. also worthless

10%: basic technical talk about how games work. useful information, for the uninitiated

60%: good solid talk about games. including a crazy taxonomization of games based on space/time/narrative/genre, 4 separate analyses each of which errs on presenting *too* many categories, which i found to really stretch the mind even if some of them are a little implausable. it is original and interesting. tho this was written a few years ago, it still contains gems that haven't entered the mainstream dialogue, so well worth reading. also a nice essay on the psychology of archetypes in games.

it is interesting too because it is somewhat out of date. you can feel how different the world of gamethought is today than it was in 2001. they use a lot of examples of old games, which is good grounding for younger gamers. curious that the author uses the same examples over and over again (such as the Spy vs Spy game, which is repeatedly mentioned -- why this game?)

The Medium of the Video Game is an anthology edited by Mark J. P. Wolf. However, to say that Wolf is only the editor is really an understatement, Medium of the Video Game is really his baby. Of the nine essays in this book, five of them are his.

Wolf is coming from a film theory perspective. Hence he is emphasizing the video part of the term videogame (a notion I disagree with. I feel the fact that they are games is more important than the fact that they are video).
More than this, however, Wolf is concerned with categorization. He lists eleven different types of spacial structures and forty-two different videogame genres. One of the problems with this is that some of his categories are questionable. Amongst his genres he lists diagnostics, demos and utilities. While it may be argued that demos are a distinct genre as they are trying to make you buy the full game (an argument I do not buy), I fail to see how diagnostics or utilities can be classified as genres of games of any sort. His rational seems to be that they come in cartridges or CD-ROM's like games and some game collectors collect them too, so they are the same as games. If you do a web search for his name and the book title you will find this chapter online, so you can make up your own mind about this issue.

There is one section that I do think deserves praise, the appendix. In the appendix, Wolf has has collected a fairly large listing of resources for video game research. He lists websites, books, and periodical articles as well as emulators. It is a valuable resource. However, I did not find the rest of the book as usefull and cannot really recommend buying it.

Mark Wolf presents a ground breaking and thorough examination of the video game as artistic medium, cultural phenomena, and a meaningful portal for understanding the context of what has become our new digital lifestyle.

A "Popular Electronics" January 1975 cover picture of the Altair computer kit prompted the founding of the Homebrew Computer Club, another milestone in history as we know it, which preceded the surge of features and utilities that characterized personal computers with recordable cassette tape drives in the late '70s and early '80s such as Atari, Apple and Commodore. Thus making it relatively easier for individuals to expand creative boundaries, soon to be seen as an inescapable irony allowing some early dark shadows such as "Custer's Revenge" and "FireBug", beginning a long list of collateral, ghastly underworld currents there are now. While we can trust our emerging philosophical inquiries will, in good conscience, examine the pressure to balance those freedoms with responsibility, our generation may so far have not completely charted moral consequences for a healthy society. Obviously video games are not just a fantasy theater, as some might fear, for the furious expression of male adolescent rage fueling new ideologies of terror, misogyny and brutalization throughout the modern world. "First person shooters" can visually and mentally exercise ethnic biases and assorted prejudices that assault human sensibilities and continually challenge the boundaries of those creative freedoms. And we cannot ignore some underground travesties that mimic other "unthinkables" like Columbine, Oklahoma City and Ground Zero.

Now, some groundbreaking museum venues are beginning to provide a quiet, safe harbor for contemplating and celebrating the best of this new American media, even while acknowledging the fears emanating from among its dark shadows that can be millions of times more [exponentially] powerful than the limitations we've known of the Gutenberg effect. For example, the chapter "Hot Circuits: A Video Arcade" by Rochelle Slovin, longtime creative spirit and Director of the American Museum of the Moving Image, presents insightful path markers while continuing in celebrating the best in American media history. AMMI's brilliant series begins with "Hot Circuits: A Video Arcade" 1989, distinguished by its marvelous gallery (and online, ammi.org) presentations continuing through "Expanded Entertainment" 1996, "Computer Space" 1998, and " Digital Media" 2002, marking a significant place on an historic trail of kinetic luminism preceded by other remarkable mile markers such as Wilfred's "Lumia Suite" at MOMA in the '60s, and Nam June Paik's debut at NYC's New School in the early '60s (foretelling his magnificent AMMI installation today). The history of man's cultural kinetic lightworks and precursors harkens back even to the to the magic lantern Phantasmagoria of the Renaissance and the Shadow Puppetry Theatre in Bali 1000 years earlier. As signaled in the AMMI companion essay here by poet and critic Charles Bernstein "video games are the purest manifestation of our computer consciousness", and with their engagingly playful and peculiar allure, "We've started using them as culture" observes Ms. Slovin.

The reader may find additional perspectives by looking at "Video Games: A popular Culture Phenomenon" by Berger, 2002 for a social context of sexuality, and at the "Ultimate History of Video Games" by Kent, 2001 for putting David Grossman's fiery challenge to video game violence (Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill) into an expanded context.

So, "what-if" my new digital appliance today is one thousand times more powerful, at the same price, than my PC ten years ago -- and then my next digital tool ten years from now is again one thousand times more powerful than today, at the same price ...will that million times more powerful tool routinely do things not previously thought of? What-if kids were to spend more time on their computers than watching TV? What-if "...the first primitive versions of the next PC interface have already been delivered ...and they're called video games." What-if we "put more computing power in a video game at the finger tips of a 9-year-old kid than NASA used to put a man on the moon"? What-if that 9-year-old kid in 20 years, comfortably uses a personal digital tool that is yet again a million times more...? Our new digital lifestyle is no more unnatural or less humanistic than book reading of the "Gutenberg Effect" has been. As presented here in "The Medium of the Video Game", AMMI's "Hot Circuits" and sequels elegantly mark a new path for those of us whose lifetime understanding of present reality would have more nearly fitted a society of thirty, forty or fifty years ago. Our historic environmedia landscape and our culture have shifted beneath our feet.

Mensa Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 3 (Mensa)

I like to think of myself as a sudoku whiz and this book has me humbled. It's difficult but not impossible. It's a matter of patience and logic that will win the day against these absolutely nasty puzzles.

I finally found some really difficult sudoku - they take time! But from the write-up I was expecting to get some explanations on how to solve using the more complicated techniques. It would also be nice if the answers included reference to which of the more difficult techniques were used to solve them.

I finally found a sudoku puzzle that can't be done in an hour. An awesome book.

This is the first deck with which I learned to do readings - and it is still my deck of choice. The meanings and illustrations provide more room for intuition and personal interpretation than traditional decks. It also gives Native American views, teachings, and history. If you feel drawn to the Native American way of life (Shamanism, animal teachings, etc) or are looking for other interpretations for traditional tarot cards, this is the deck for you. The companion book will offer even more information and insight.

I've used this deck for years and love its multi-tribal themes, its colorful artwork, and the intuition with which it was designed. Better balance of feminine and masculine images than the Rider-Waite.

This deck is good once a person has some experience. I collect Tarot decks and books, and do professional readings. This deck is better left for those with more background kowledge. The artwork and colors are terrific and true to the Native American themes of the various tribes.

Painting the Digital River takes a view of art by comparing digital art and classic art. Author James Faure Walker makes many points as he gives value to both art forms, discarding neither as less legitimate than the other. Himself an artist, Walker knows that many artists are confused as to what it means to be an artist and expert at what they do. He says that artists must know about painting, its past and its present, and possess some knowledge of the digital form.

Walker discusses the classical way of learning to draw and paint, and then looks at the tools available for artists today. Just as canvas, brush and pigment all come in many qualities; the digital world offers a variety of hardware and software to enhance the finished product of the artist's vision.

He describes a variety of activities illustrating different forms of digital art and tries to answer many of the questions faced by artists of today, lovers of art, and the museums and galleries that display the new art forms. The author covers some of the work - both classical and modern that he has viewed - finding some of it a waste of time and others breathtaking.

Where the author finally reconciles the different forms of art is in the mind of the painter, the inspiration, the idea from which his work flows. Whether with brush on canvas or printmaking using computer graphics, the painter's talent most affects the quality of the art. Still, he adds, "that for all its faults, digital art has a life of its own."

This book starts and ends with the metaphor of the river (Walker works overlooking the Thames); the river changes, it flows this way and that. Painting, like the river, follows a winding course and has quirky ways.

This book is timely as many people are confused by all of the digital art and are trying to put it in perspective - is it art? Is it the only art (from now on)? The author tries to sort out and help understand what painting is and that there is good and bad art in the new digital world just as there always has been with ink and paint. He does a good job reviewing art history and providing technical insight. Painters, art historians, those who appreciate what they see, as well as those interested in the technology that produces digital paintings should find the book worth exploring.

This book is not just about painting, although painting is probably the most visible and best example of the world James Faure Walker explores: a world where all too often traditional artists, confronted by new technologies, either embrace the new completely or shun it totally. Faure Walker admits he fell in love with computers, but he understands the criticism from the more reactionary camp and this book goes a long way to creating a much-needed dialogue between the two opinions.

I will not repeat what other reviewers have said (Meryl Evans' review on this page is a particularly good summary), but I will try to add a personal opinion. This is not about a journey "From Traditional to Digital Painting". This book is about finding a place between the two where the artist can be happy, and hopefully this book will also help carve them out a niche in which they can be accepted for doing what they love. It is also a call to artists everywhere to push the boundaries, to stop creating second-rate digital art and finally do something extraordinary with it.

As a student of animation I've read a great deal about computer graphics and their relation to art, but this book is the best I've found. Faure Walker comprehensively grapples with the question of why digital or analogue matters artistically, and his conclusions are important to both artists and digital developers. If you have ever tried to wrap your head around any kind of digital art, if you care about where painting is going, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

James Faure Walker's PAINTING THE DIGITAL RIVER is also a top pick for art libraries, coming from an artist's viewpoint and exploring James walker's personal journey from traditional to digital painting. Walker learned to paint with the computer only after overcoming software problems and misunderstandings: he's now both an artist and a computer enthusiast and here provides both a memoir of his transition to the digital realm and back and a survey of tools, models, and designs. His outstanding coverage will appeal to both artists and computer users who would blend art with digital processing.

Probably better for large crowds & ways to enliven training seminars - you could add a little twist & make the activities "educational." This probably wouldn't go over well with a small crowd.

This book helps you organize, plan and execute a function while keeping it fun for yourself as well as your guests. It is a well thought out plan of action that encourages you to just plain have fun.

Entertaining is an art that, once learned, will make your parties a hit and the subject of your friend's conversations for weeks. An experienced hostess, Andrea Campbell knows the ins and outs of what it takes to plan a successful party. She shares all of her insider's tips and secrets in her latest book, "Perfect Party Games".

A successful party appears to come off effortlessly. Campbell shows you how to plan everything from invitations to a graceful way to bid lingering guests "Goodnight". Games create a relaxed atmosphere. Campbell offers a variety of choices from "Icebreakers" like "Who Am I Tonight" to help people relax and get to know each other to more challenging games like "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute" to bring out the competitive spirit amongst teams.

This well organized party tool includes a party planner by age and a guide for choosing games by type, number of players, time requirements and age as well as a preparation and budget list. Campbell literally tutors her readers on the art of party entertaining.

Campbell's earlier book, "Great Games For Great Parties" has helped people worldwide plan their parties for years. "Perfect Party Games" continues with this tradition, offering new tips and plenty of new games.

This is an extremely handy book for making super quick predictions on the skies. Shows all sorts of different cloud formations and what they're bringing with them. Also nice photos of thunderstorms, lightning, etc. Good one to pick up just because.

This book is a great beginners book. The text is easy to read and the pictures are beautiful. It came in particularly handy for my cloud physics class in which I had to keep a cloud journal.

This is a nice, simple, easy to read book on different types of clouds and weather conditions. Fast reference when you need 'em!

"Play Cribbage to Win" is a fine introductory text, perhaps best thought of as a sampling of the concepts of skilful play that Barlow has written about in his previous books and articles. Barlow covers some important aspects of pegging and endgame play, and gives many interesting examples. His writings on Fourth Street tactics have made him perhaps the game's leading endgame theoretician, and the chapters on endgames are particularly strong here.

The book is an enjoyable read, and there are quizzes every few pages, making it a lot of fun to work through. The typesetting and layout are reasonably good, but I personally would have preferred a smaller font and larger margins (leaving more room for notes). A few typos and outright errors have crept into the book, perhaps the inevitable result of commercial publishing nowadays. But one of the things I've appreciated about Barlow's self-published books is their lack of gaffes.

The primary downside to Play Cribbage to Win is its scope. It is not a comprehensive treatment of the game. Missing are statistical tables, a discussion of averages and odds, and coverage of psychology and cheating. The chapter on discarding is weak, and certain pegging tactics, such as jack traps, are not covered at all. There is also no mention of board strategy, except as it applies to the endgame. Considering that most of today's top players regard board strategy as the centerpiece of modern play, this is a significant omission.

If you're a novice or an intermediate player, I think you would do well to read "Play Cribbage to Win" in conjunction with DeLynn Colvert's "Play Winning Cribbage" (still the best single book on cribbage) and John Chambers's "Cribbage: A New Concept". Together, these three books will give you all the essential knowledge you need to move to the next level.

If you're an expert player, or if you've already read Barlow's other books, you'll find yourself going over familiar territory. Nevertheless, it's always worthwhile to review important concepts, particularly when they're presented through new illustrative hands and examples (as far as I can tell, none of the material in Play Cribbage to Win is recycled). You may disagree with the text from time to time, but perhaps you'll also pick up some new ideas -- I know I did.

Whatever your level of play, this book is well worth having, and well worth reading...

This book concentrates on strategies that will help players gain extra holes here and there, holes that could make the difference between winning and losing. The discarding section is thorough and well organized, explaining each of the situations in which one should not necessarily save the most points. The sections on pegging include many ideas I had never thought of, and which were not mentioned in the other books. And anytime Barlow is discussing a complicated idea, he gives easily-followed examples. Some of the "expert tips" in this book may seldom come up, but they're interesting to think about, and when they DO come up, it's worth being prepared. The book is especially strong in describing strategy at the end of the game, when anything you do can cost you a win. When I saw that the book included basics such as the history and rules of cribbage, I didn't expect it to reach a high level of strategy, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I've purchased two other cribbage books online, but found one of them to be more detailed than any sane person would want to read, and the other to be lacking in sound strategy tips. Both seemed to devote huge amounts of space to the principle that one should play completely differently depending on whether he had first deal or not, because over time, both players would have about the same points in their hands and cribs. This is somewhat unsound: hands don't even out in one short game. Maybe if a game lasted 4 hours....

I'm particularly pleased that the author makes no claim that you'll start winning all the time after reading his book. He admits that luck is a major factor, and simply tries to give the reader a slight edge. I would recommend this book to someone who wanted to learn cribbage, as well as to someone who wanted to improve his skill level.

Just learning to play cribbage can be a real challenge when it comes to counting scores. I was extremely pleased with this book and what a difference it made. Plainly written.

I enjoy it, the book has some good ideas... if money is an issue you can wait on buying his one... good book though!

When I purchased this book, I thought it was going to be a workbook that my kids could actually work in. It turns out the layout is more of a teacher's aid. However, if this is the type of book you're looking for, it has very good ideas and wonderful learning tips for the kids. It also tells you how to incorporate the activities into things you might already be doing. It's a great resource.

A wonderful step by step resource to have little children engaging in math in ways that really teach them the concepts.

if you like sudoku puzzles and a challenge...this book is for you! the only downfall is that with so many puzzles, the binding does not last very long, which makes it more difficult to take with you when you travel.

I am addicted, and now regular Sudoku does nothing for me, but the Samurai is challenging and fun! Keeps me thinking and keeps me sharp! I love it! And the quality of the paper used it great too, very important if you need to erase a lot!

A samurai sudoku puzzle consists of five standard sudoku 9x9 grids that overlap at the four 3x3 corner grids of the center puzzle. Thus, each of the four corner puzzles share one grid of nine numbers with the center puzzle, which has a total of 36 of its 81 squares that must in effect be consistently used in two of the five interconnected puzzles at the same time.

This collection includes an explanatory introduction and sample puzzle for individuals who have no previous exposure to this form of sudoku. However, it does assume a familiarity and problem solving experience with the basic 9x9 format. It consists of 77 puzzles (and with solutions in the back of the book) which the publisher has attempted to arrange in an increased order of difficulty. This does generally appears to be the case although as any sudoku fan is aware, the difficulty of any specific puzzle is always a function of the interaction of the particular puzzle and your various methodologies for solving the puzzles (I have several techniques among which I alternate depending on several factors), with luck occasionally playing a role as well.

These puzzles vary tremendously in their construction, although with a few exceptions the one common feature which they generally share is that the four shared corner blocks are originally devoid of any numbers. Thus, regardless of how you approach the puzzles, you are faced with the unusual feature that one puzzle contains four totally blank grids and the other four each contain one. Sometimes you have to complete the center puzzle in order to accumulate enough information to finish the four other puzzles, which then in effect just becomes an instance of sequentially completing four other puzzles. But often, you have to go back and forth between the center and the various individual puzzles. On a few occasions, one specific number is frequently enough shown that it falls into place in several of the puzzles very quickly, while another number is almost completely absent initially from all puzzles (In one extreme case, the whole center puzzle only contains 12 numbers originally, these provided just enough additional information to gradually complete the corner puzzles.)

THE KEY IS TO REMEMBER THAT NO PUZZLE CAN BE SOLVED INDEPENDENTLY, THE OTHER PUZZLES ALWAYS CONTAIN SOME OF THE NECSSARY INFORMATION. In fact, at times the key information will indirectly come from a puzzle that is not even interconnected to the puzzle on which you are working, e.g., the row or column location of a number in one corner puzzle may combine with additional data in the center puzzle to effectively determine a specific placement in one of the opposing corner puzzles.

I enjoyed these puzzles a lot, although except in the instances when I had a fairly substantial block of time I found them hard to complete in an uninterrupted manner, especially the more difficult ones. This could be frustrating, although occasionally it actually helped to take a break and then return with a fresh approach. While the puzzles as a whole rate five stars, I deducted half a star because the binding did not stand up to my continued use under a variety of conditions. I frequently put it in my briefcase and in order do them while on the train or in various other venues (while I do not consider myself particularly harsh on it, it certainly got more stress than if it just sat on a coffee table when not being used), the binding quickly split and several pages came loose - which is a major inconvenience. I adapted by copying the puzzles and then just solving them on my individual sheets of paper, which also leaves the original pages blank for someone else to solve. It also makes reference to the solutions easy if necessary. If you do this, I suggest that you also enlarge the puzzles slightly since it is then easier to make any notations that you might find necessary, although one very nice feature of the book is that the publisher has printed the puzzles in a larger format than many sudoku books, whose pocket size is convenient for carrying around but which often provide a frustrating small area to work on your solution.

ENJOY!

Tucker Andersen

Robert Whtiing, the author of two classic books on Japanese baseball, writes on the cover blurb that Reaves' book is "an important, groundbreaking work of reserach. It will be the sourcebookon the subject for years to come."

I couldn't agree more. This is an awesome book.

I am a Taiwanese PhD student doing research on Taiwanese amateur baseball in Warwick University, England. I have just received the book yesterday. It is very informative, but the part on Taiwan there are a lot of misconceptions by the author and misinformation provided by Taiwanese authority, who is trying to cover up the dark side of Taiwanese amateur baseball. For instance, Hungyeh played the 'World Champion' Wakayama little leaguers. Acutally they were not the 1967 'world champion' squad that most people believed they were (p141). The Taichung Golden Dragons was no way near Taitung Hungyeh, you have to cross a big mountain to reach Taitung from Taichung. Those two counties were not even connected. Moreover, Golden Dragons only contained two aborigine players. (p142) From the outset the Taiwanese LLB squads has been plagued by irregularities that violated LLB rules every year. Obviously one reporter of New York Times tried to defend Taiwan's wrongdoing by claiming 'Taiwan authorities has the stricest household registrations'. This is not true. From my research, government always turned a blind eye to under-the-table recruitment and even gave a helping hand through which schools could easily lure players from other counties. LLB officials could not discover the wrongdoings because they were not in Taiwan, nor could they speak or understand Mandarin Chinese. (p144-145) Tan Shin-ming was firstly signed by a Japanese professional team and went to SF Giants on an exchange player scheme. (p147) On the same page, the decline of Taiwanese amateur baseball is not the result of charges of cheating from the US. I will argue because of the sedentary culture of Chinese Confucianism, it prompted parents not to send their kids to take up exercise, not only in baseball, but other kinds of sport. On page 150, Sadaharu Oh is not a Taiwanese-born player, actually he was born in Japan and can not speak a word of Mandarin. The only connection with Taiwan is he is still holding a passport of Republic of China, because his Mainland Chinese father was a Chinese and hoped his son could continue holding Chinese passport.

As stated above, I am writing a thesis about Taiwanese amateur baseball under which many appalling conditions occurred, including over-training, fabrication scandals, vicious under-the-table recruitment, lack of education, just to name a few, all of which will subvert the beautifil images held by common people. Some Taiwanese people already accused me of unethical because you do not turn back on your country. But my intention is to expose the dark sides of Taiwanese amateur baseball and let people know it is not right to train and use student players in this way....

I do not have a wonderous,nor knowledgeable background about baseball. But I am learning the sport and I am visiting foreign lands,...This book is very fascinating for me.

...With their closer pitcher, Kim, coming to Arizona from Korea, I became interested in learning how other countries reacted to baseball. This book was very easy reading and I didn't feel left out because of my meager background in baseball.

Any one who wants to learn more about other cultures needs to read this book because sports is very much a part of culture and baseball, the all American sport, is no longer just that.

Thanks for a great, entertaining, yet highly factual and informative book!