Extra Lives and Saved Games

[orangerful]

So, I started Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell last week and even before I started the book, I knew there were going to be issues.

First, with a topic so broad a video games and justifying their existence, you'd expect to pick up a tome. But this book barely makes it past 200 pages.

Second, flipping to the table of contents, it was pretty clear that Bissell was only covering PS and Xbox games. No Nintendo. In fact, almost all of the games mentioned were from the last few years (except for the essay on the first Resident Evil game).

Then, I actually tried reading it and pretty much had to put it down by the end of the second essay. Bissell wasn't explaining why video games matter, he was only talking about why they matter to him personally. Plus, in his effort (or maybe his editor's effort?) to make the book readable to non-gamers, he spends pages telling us about certain scenes in games, but I never felt he really explained WHY these scenes were important.

He also makes some snide comments about PC games and when I saw no sign of Nintendo in the table of contents, I knew he was not going to cover the topics I was interested in. I aired my greivances with andy_wolverton while at work last week, ending the conversation with the classic "I could write a better book!" and him telling me I should.

So I typed up some stream-of-consciousness notes and realized that there is no way I could write a single volume. I talked with AD about it today and he pointed out that you could probably write an entire book on the 'Legend of Zelda' series, let alone the entire video game world.

To me, video games are a very personal experience, more so than any other form of entertainment out there. There are so many questions to be answered, so many reasons that one person might say games matter to them. Bissell did a good job in the first two essay telling me why he liked to play video games, and I probably wouldn't have been so perturbed if he had called the book "my adventures in video games" or something like that. But the "Why Games Matter" title just demanded so much more. Here was his chance to talk about the evolution of video games - from the simple pong to the cinematic Heavy Rain. Here was an opportunity to discuss the "are video games art?" question. And the million dollar question - WHY? Why does someone play a video game.

But, see, to me, that question cannot be answered by one single person. Because my answer will differ from your answer. My retired-Navy Dad LOVES World War II games...WHY? My Mom can play Dr Mario into the wee hours of the night - WHY? After so many years, why does destertale still log into World of Warcraft? Why is AD drawn into Starcraft? Why did faeriesfolly and lostacanthus disappear from LJ right after DragonAge was released?? Why were so many people pulled in by the Nintendo Wii?

Yes, we could just say "escape" - but that's too easy. We could say that about fans of books, theater, or movies - but there is always something more underneath.

I'm trying to figure out if I could even pretend to start a book like this. Part of me thinks this would be a great online project - asking gamers to submit their stories about why video games matter to them. I can type up my personal experiences, my hypothesises, my understanding of the history of video games - but there is just no way I could explain the appeal of so many different genres and styles of video-gaming today.

It would be a big project to manage, but maybe it would encourage hardcore gamers, casual gamers, and non-gamers alike to think a bit more about why they pick up the controller/remote/keyboard/DS etc. for a few hours every now and then.

What do you guys think? Would this be something worth persuing? I was thinking of calling it "Saved Games" or "Save Point" or something along those lines...

Comments

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

Bonus Levels. XD

AND WE LEFT BECAUSE DRAGON AGE SUCKED OUR SOULS OUT WITH AWESOME. heehee. I must have more NOW.

Oh and I think I am not only putting together a Splicer outfit, but last night I decided to try to do a little sister as well. lol. I really want to build a ADAM extractor syringe. Although it is definitely going to be more cartoony than the guy who built that portal gun we saw. (he also did that big daddy costume and the syringe the little sister -- same chick who had the portal gun -- was carrying.)

I also may or may not make a sign that says, "Have you seen Mr. Bubbles?"

[lostacanthus.livejournal.com]

AND WE LEFT BECAUSE DRAGON AGE SUCKED OUR SOULS OUT WITH AWESOME.
LOL IT DID. Oh man. I have done nothing all year except play video games XD

But dude, I think this is an awesome idea! You should totally do it!

[ekaterin24.livejournal.com]

You definitely should do the book. I'd suggest getting started and see what shapes up. Also, you could do a few chapters and then talk to an agent or two to see what would sell. If one aspect works well, maybe you could write a whole series!

[andy-wolverton.livejournal.com]

ekaterin24 makes a good point. PItch this to an agent or editor who will know what aspect of the market it should be geared toward. As you said, there are so many facets to this topic, you could take it in any one of several directions. Maybe it's best to let the agent/editor choose that for you, then see what opens up from there.

[marshmallow.livejournal.com]

PURSUE THIS. I would be so fascinated to read it (and participate, if called upon to do so!). There's frustratingly little out there that feels accurate about something that is SO HUGE to so many people. The essays I've seen have been either of the too narrow/too personal slant that you've mentioned, or are composed from a viewpoint that's so far removed from it that it comes across as just a collection of anecdotal (and mostly negative) soundbites. I'm fascinated by the video-games-as-art angle, because I feel like there is so much art and artistry in them, both visual and literary, and it's just dismissed in favor of sensationalistic coverage about how hardcoregamer_04574's life was ruined by playing too much [whatever].

My parents have been cleaning out their attic in preparation for some insulation stuff, and have been sending me random bits and pieces they find that they thought I might want to keep, and in one of the boxes I was going through yesterday, I found the covers of these old gaming boxes that I used to have on my wall, and even though it's been decades since some of them (seriously, my Kings Quest I box cover was in there), I could still vividly recall walking around in those worlds. That kind of impact means something. It's bigger and more important and more meaningful than a simple dismissal of "video games are bad and kids don't get enough sun these days."