While books and action movies can get our hearts racing and our blood boiling, they’re no match for the bursts of adrenalin triggered by video games. Not leisurely Facebook games like Farmville or the kid friendly Super Mario Brothers series. We’re talking intense, hyper real games like “Bio Shock,” and “Call of Duty.” These games drop players into ravaged, post-apocalyptic cityscapes, where they have to evade, kill and destroy in order to win. Are they violent? Yes. Sensory numbing? Unapologetically so. And time-sucking. They inspire hours – and for some, days – of compulsive playing. And not just among teenagers. One eager consumer is author Tom Bissell. His book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter praises the creativity and ingenuity behind some of the new games. It’s also a memoir of the highs and lows of his hours spent exploring virtual worlds.
LINKS
New York Times Review of Bissell's Book