Review and Confession: Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell

My name is Chelle, and I’m a gamer. I’ve been known to scream out loud in panic and jam my fingers on all available buttons when caught off guard. Those of you who know what I’m talking about will sympathize (or laugh), those of you who do not… you’re missing out!

If you want to get to the review and skip my nostalgia, scroll down to the asterisks.

There is a secret I’ve kept hidden from you, my book blogging friends. I play video games. It all started at an early age with the Atari – with Frogger, River Raid and the most primitive version of Donkey Kong I’ve ever seen. I progressed to PC games and grew fond of Wolfenstein (it was years before I realized those were swastikas on the walls and that I was killing Nazis!), Duke Nukem, Keen and a little known game called Colonize. Doom I and II scared me to death but I still loved it. Myst was very difficult for me but I enjoyed spending hours each evening with my Dad trying to solve the puzzles in its beautiful yet creepy world. I’ve built skyscrapers and entire cities as well as managed huge farms all brought to me by SIM. I’ve wandered fantastic worlds wielding huge weapons in Fantasy Star on my Dream Cast as well as mastered the bow and arrow and “sneak” in Oblivion for my PS3. I’ve eaten numerous eggs as Yoshi. I’m working on my kill-death ration in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. My Donkey Kong Country skills on the Super Nintendo are off the charts. My favorite game ever is Grandia II. I even own the soundtrack. I’m in love with Sackboy from Little Big Planet, enjoy creating my own levels (5 I’ve published), and will be first among those who buys LBP2.

**************************************

In Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter, Tom Bissell explores how video game narrative structure differs from that of movies and literature. He broaches the subject of video games as art and discusses the obstacles they face in the artistic community (i.e. most game developers are NOT writers so their stories are often on the lame side). All throughout, Bissell discusses what video games mean to him and why he spends hours of his life playing them.

Ultimately, this book left me unsatisfied. It started out well but the bigger concepts were not followed up on. For instance, I wanted to know more about this “shock of the new” and why new things are so attractive in video games (nay, addictive when you first buy a game) (Bissell 26). Also, there were way too many spoilers! He mentions several times how these games takes 40 hours or more to finish the story-line but several times he reveals how certain scenes go down at critical game play moments! A spoiler alert would have been nice.

The beginning was intriguing, the middle boring and the end felt way off course as Bissell describes his addiction to cocaine. I suspect that he fell victim to this addiction after he began writing and needed to simply end the book so he could deal with real life. He has my sympathy and best wishes towards staying clean… but his personal addiction to drugs had little to do with this book’s initial subject: why video games matter.

I’m going to leave you with my favorite quotes from the text. Despite its many detractors, this book makes some interesting arguments that any gamer will appreciate. Non-gamers? I fear you’ll get lost in long game descriptions.

“…video games favor a form of storytelling that is, in many ways, completely unprecedented” (13).

“More than any other form of entertainment, video games tend to divide rooms into Us and Them. We are, in effect, admitting that we like to spend our time shooting monsters, and They are, not unreasonably, failing to find the value in that” (35).

“…no one is sure what purpose 'story' actually servers in video games” (36).

Unlike books or movies which largely control you, in video games… “You get control and are controlled” (39). I think this is a huge part of video games’ appeal.

“…modern game design is too complex and collaborative for any individual to feel propriety about his or her own ideas” (62). How different from writers who are highly territorial about their work!

“…the industry, which began as an engineering culture, transformed into a business, and now, like a bright millionaire turning to poetry, had confident but uncertain aspirations toward art” (87).

“So what have games given me? Experiences. Not surrogate experiences, but actual experiences, many of which are as important to me as any real memories” (182). I don’t doubt that he’s had a certain type of experience. But there is no replacement for real life adventures spent with real life, ever unpredictable, people. How can memories in real life be equal to those made with make-believe characters? This is a question for book fiends as well.

I love video games. I’ve clocked what might seem like an outrageous amount of time playing them – up to 12 hours a day on Christmas break when I got Oblivion. But while the world of Oblivion is incredible with its colors and people (truly it’s remarkable), there’s no replacement for the real Sun and Moon outside my window. We gamers (and book lovers!) must make time for people and the real world lest we lose touch with things that are important. Now, I can’t wait to get home to play some Call of Duty.
Publisher: Pantheon, 2010     Pages: 218 (183 to additional information)
Rating: 2.5 Stars     Source: U of Iowa Libraries

Northanger Abbey Update #2 – Chapters 10-15

This post is part of a readalong and will likely contain many plot references.

This part of the novel was so good! It actually made me feel frustrated and even angry. I don’t know about you guys but this Thorpe character had me fuming! I could not believe how in chapter 11 he deceived Catherine about seeing the Tilneys drive off, making Catherine believe she wouldn’t be going on a walk with them. I was happy Catherine called him out about lying to her. But Thorpe more or less abducts Catherine for the day… the creep.

If you remember, Thorpe makes a wild promise to drive out to the ruins of a castle much to Catherine’s interest. Now, this seemed normal enough especially since Catherine likes reading gothic novels. But remember N.A. is a gothic parody. Thanks to the footnotes in my Broadview edition (I love Broadview texts!) this episode became quite funny: “Thorpe either lies or is ignorant of the fact that Blaize Castle was actually a sham built in 1766…” and not a real castle – ha! (101).

The drama continues as Thorpe yet again thwarts Catherine’s attempt to walk with the Tilneys in chapter 13. He actually goes to Miss Tilney and tells her Catherine won’t be coming! Wow. Austen is great at creating douchey characters! Poor Catherine has to flee Thorpe’s presence and insist Miss Tilney see her so she can explain. I loved how Catherine stuck to her guns about not going with Thorpe and barged into the Tilney’s house to set the record straight. Finally, she’s getting some gumption.

But what about Henry Tilney? Is he a good guy? He strikes me as a fast talker and flatterer so it’s hard to get a read on him. I think he likes Catherine – she obviously likes him. But he does make some disagreeable statements about women at times. Is he being funny? Miss Tilney tries to make Catherine think so. I’m not sure about Henry yet. Catherine has her rosy colored glasses on when she sees H. which could be dangerous for her. I’m waiting to see how their relationship plays out.

I felt bad for Catherine when she found out her brother and Isabella got engaged. How sad that he did not tell Catherine about his intentions and let her share in his happiness. He seems to cut her out at every opportunity. He certainly isn’t looking out for Catherine at all. And neither are the Allen’s, her supposed chaperones. I think Catherine’s beginning to realize that she’s going to have to be the one to look out for herself. There’s no one coming to this damsel-in-distress’ aid.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for chapters 16-23 next week!
If you like N.A. or Austen in general, check out readalong participants’ posts like mine, links to which can be found here. It’s fun reading everyone’s take on this classic!

Let's Talk Authors at The Hop and a Few Links of Interest

This week's Book Blogger Hop question is: "Who is your favorite new-to-you author so far this year?" That's tough. I've read so many new authors this year, particularly a lot of YA authors, and there have been some gems (like Markus Zusak and Carrie Ryan). But my favorite new-to-me author from this year is Kathryn Stockett who wrote The Help. Wow, what amazing voices she gives her characters! It's phenomenal. Check out my review and pictures of me getting my  book signed here.

I'm almost done reading Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter so expect a review sometime this weekend. I'm hoping all you non-gamers out there will still find my review interesting. And I'll be posting an update on Northanger Abbey soon - Friday eveningish. Not sure why I'm telling you my schedule. I think it's me thinking out loud...but in my head and onto the keyboard. OK, stopping now!

One last thing! Here are some interesting links I've found in the past couple weeks:

Man of La Book reads and reviews a variety of texts including non-fiction and historical fiction among others. He and I share a reading goal: to read through American Presidents' biographies in chronological order. On his about page he says, "I consciously decided to renew my reading habits" and out of that grew his blog. Hip-hip, hooray!

"Beyond Jane Austen and the Bronte Sisters: Classics Written by Women" - a fun post with a lot of book recommendations of classic women authors.

Jane Austen Fight Club: Austen meets Palahniuk in a very funny video posted on Carin's blog.

"Reading Critically" - a post in which Chelsea discusses whether or not learning to read critically has made reading more fun or drained the magic of the experience for her. It has some great comments.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Five Revealed!

So what if I'm 25? I love Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series which largely targets "reluctant readers." Book five, The Ugly Truth, comes out November 9th, 2010 by Amulet Books. Read my reviews of books 1-4 here. I can't wait to see what mischief Greg gets into this fall!

Read Kinney's thoughts on book five at USA Today here.

I've still got to watch the first Wimpy Kid movie but I guess they're already working on a second. Any other Wimpy Kid fans out there? Have you seen the first movie?

Review and Giveaway: Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique is the sequel to Incarceron (my review), an epic fantasy by Catherine Fisher. I read Incarceron a couple months ago and really enjoyed it and couldn’t wait to read more about Finn the cell-born, Claudia the proud aristocrat, Jared the wise, Keiro the “oath brother,” and Attia the “dog-slave” girl not to mention the plotting Warden and the conniving Queen of the Realm.

Things don’t look good for those trapped in the heinous intestines of the world’s largest prison. Will the Queen win and obliterate Incarceron, damning its inhabitant? Or will Incarceron triumph and take total control. Where is the Warden? Where are the Keys? Does Escape exist? Who is this legendary hero, Sapphique? Does Finn even know who he is? Will Keiro’s bravado help or make things worse? If you’ve read Incarceron you’re probably dying to know the answers.

The characters are well developed and I enjoyed getting to know them more. Without his oath-brother’s presence, Finn is given the chance to step-up and prove himself. It was interesting to watch his development from tortured soul to commanding heir.

Claudia matures as she learns to see life through others’ eyes. She understands more fully that ending Protocol, the enforced low-tech aristocratic society, will mean her fall from luxury.

A new figure makes an appearance in the prison, the Enchanter. His role threw me a little and here’s why: I enjoyed the rational, “scientific” explanations for how the prison works and for how the Realm is run. As with most science fiction, there are devices that do amazing things – time travel, space travel, etc. – and the reader just accepts that they work, ya know? And I could accept how gadgets work in Fisher’s books, too. But the Enchanter brings the element of magic. Is it real, are we supposed to believe it’s real?

Mild Spoiler Alert: The asterisks below signal a spoiler-free zone.

Especially at the end, the explanations and loose ends were tied up with magic. I felt this was a cop-out and wanted what I had come to expect, a more “scientific” explanation if you will, for all the answers.

****************************************************

Ultimately, Sapphique was entertaining and a must read if you’ve read the first book. It did take awhile for me to become interested in the story again. But about half way through I began tearing up the pages to find out what the heck was going to happen! There are enough twists to keep things interesting. If you liked Graceling or enjoy fantasy with a sci-fi feel to it you might like these books, too.

Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books, 2008 (UK version)     Pages: 470     Source: I won this book!

Rating: 3.5 Stars     Recommended Age: 12 and up

 

I'm giving Sapphique away to one lucky winner in the U.S. Click HERE to fill out an entry form!

Create-A-Cover: Summer Break Reading Challenge Activity #10

I almost forgot to do this challenge! We were supposed to create a random "name" for the author, a random verb for the title and use the first picture in flickr that was a person when we searched with the verb. After assembling the name, title and photo we are to create a summary to go along. I did the picture a few days ago and got stuck on the story. Well real quick, here goes - my create-a-cover!

Eleanor Dowd has lived in her entire life in New York City, feeling safe and secure in her established routines. When she gets a letter in the mail announcing her estranged father's death she is filled with mixed emotions. A Mr. Lumbardi, identifying himself as her father's personal secretary, writes to ask Eleanor to travel to Morocco and accompany her father's remains back to the United States. Eleanor flies to Rabat expecting to leave the same day with her father's remains. But Mr. Lumbardi makes it clear that Eleanor has much to learn about her father and herself before she can return home.

Two Intriguing Reads and The Book Blogger Hop

For the Book Blogger Hop this week Jen says, "TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING!"

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher is the sequel to Incarceron. I loved Incarceron (my review here) and can't wait to see how things will play out in the sequel. I like how Fisher creates legend within a fantasy by starting chapters with "quotes" from a long lost hero. I'm giving away Sapphique to U.S. residents so check out my giveaway!

I'm also reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen as part of a readalong. I'm through chapter 9 right now. As usual, Austen is witty and perceptive of her culture. There are several passages that address reading - reading people, reading novels and reading situations. I loved in chapter 7 how Catherine learns to read the obnoxious and exaggerating Mr. Thorpe. She gets confused by his contradictions and realizes that maybe this guy is more than annoying, his word is untrustworthy. Austen is rather bold about her thoughts on the merits of novel reading and about women reading and writing in particular. Her sarcasm is kicked in high gear as she discusses women writers and readers. Austen's crticical and  feminist attitudes towards writing may have attributed to the fact that her "publisher" who bought the manuscript and advertised the book never actually printed the book, much to Austen's dismay, and Jane had to buy the manuscript back several years later so she could have the right to publish it somewhere else. What a fool that publisher was (p.s. he published Udolpho, so conflict of interest?)! Austen never did see Northanger Abbey published. Her brother, Henry, had it published after Jane died. How sad! Stay tuned for more thoughts on this gothic paradoy next week!

If you're stopping by from the Hop leave a comment and I'll visit your blog this weekend! Happy Hopping!

Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by J.K. Jemisin

Looking for a page turner? Look no further. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin is a fantasy novel that pulled me in to its strange world and had me returning as often as I could spare a minute to pick up the book.

Summary from Shelfari:
Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with a pair of cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate - and gods and mortals - are bound inseparably together.

The title of the book is somewhat misleading, in my opinion. I thought this story would be an epic, a story that traversed a vast kingdom. But the majority of the action takes place in the castle-city of Sky. So, I was disappointed in this respect.

The beginning was set up well. The politics and intrigues of the royal family are quickly reveled as are the gods trapped in mortal bodies who are at odds with the royalty. I thought that this conflict between the royalty and the gods was the main point to the story. While it is important, the plot actually turned into a romance between Yeine and the dark lord, Nahadoth. I don’t mind political intrigues with a little romance but this story was a romance with a little political intrigue. The romance between Yeine and Nahadoth was interesting with his split personality, but the romance was overdone for my taste, particularly because I wanted more of the original plot and kept waiting for the epic to begin.

The story is told in first person by Yeine and it is Yeine’s personality, strong and inquisitive, along with Jemisin’s writing ability, which kept me turning pages. I wanted to see Yeine solve the mystery about her family and was never sure how things were going to play out. I appreciated the humor which offered the right amount of comic relief.

The relationships between the gods were more than a little weird. Jemisin draws from many myths about gods to bring hers into creation. While most of the gods’ back story was interesting there are some parts about their sexuality that the reader is supposed to accept as normal for the immortals that was just disgusting. This is not a focus of the novel but I don’t understand what purpose mentioning these relationships served. I think mentioning the sexual relationships between family members could have been left out. It certainly didn’t make me want to see Yeine hook up with one of them.

While reading I kept making comparison to Stephanie Meyer’s sci-fi novel The Host. Both novels explore the idea of having two personalities within oneself or being inhabited by another entity or personality. They explore the ideas of one’s conscious and subconscious and what makes a person’s identity. They look at how we go about choosing what kind of person we want to be. I wasn’t a big fan of The Host and think Jemisin’s writing is way better but, if you liked The Host, you may appreciate The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

If you’re looking for a fast read, a romance or a new look at mythology this novel might be for you. I enjoyed the pacing that kept things escalating right up to the end. Some of the answers I saw coming, some I didn’t. While this is the first book of a trilogy I felt The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms stands well on its own. Overall, I liked this book but could have done with less romance and more action and adventure.
Publisher: Orbit, 2010     Pages: 228     Source: IC Public Library
Rating: 3 Stars     Recommended Age: adult

A Book in Pictures: Summer Break Reading Activity #9

For this activity we are to select pictures that represent a story we recently read. I chose The Stuff of Legend: Into the Dark which is sort of ironic since it's a graphic novel.

Once upon a time, there was a little boy...

who the Bogeyman snatched from his bed.

His toys were very distraught. But the Colonel marshaled their forces and marched....

into The Dark unknown world of the Bogeyman to rescue the boy.

The toys fought bravely against the The Dark's forces,

playing the Bogeyman's games,

learning to get along and work together.

But where the  boy is... nobody knows.

The Stuff of Legend: Into the Dark is written my Mike Raicht and Brian Smith, Illustrated by Charles and Paul Wilson III. Here's my review.