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A review by yellowbinge
Everything to Play For: An Insider's Guide to How Video Games are Changing Our World by Marijam Did
3.0
Publishing date: 17.09.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Verso Books for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
This book has me feeling a little mixed ...
I picked this up because I have been gaming since the early 2000's and still going strong to this day. Learning more about my other favorite hobby is always fun. Except ... I didn't learn anything new.
The biggest problem for this book is who it caters to. Gamers like myself who have been here for years already know most if not all that this book is talking about. It doesn't bring anything new to the table, and what it brings feels more targeted at people who might not play videogames.
This group of people, those who don't play, might find this book either too hard to read or not for them at all. It is filled with terminology you might require a bit of knowledge about to understand. Thankfully, the author has an index and definitions/explanations of the words on almost every page. But this makes the book a lot heavier to read (at least for me)
I did enjoy the talk of how the gaming environment is both extremely toxic (to people and the planet), but also grounds for a great hobby and community, and artform that will and has ravaged the world. These, in my opinion, are the themes that the book would have benefitted even more to talk about. Although, I did enjoy the chapter on videogame history.
Final ranking and star rating?
3 stars, C tier. As mentioned, I am very mixed. This book will have a hard time finding the right audience. Some interesting talking points. Some themes that more people need to talk about and confront.
A very middle of the street kind of book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Verso Books for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
This book has me feeling a little mixed ...
I picked this up because I have been gaming since the early 2000's and still going strong to this day. Learning more about my other favorite hobby is always fun. Except ... I didn't learn anything new.
The biggest problem for this book is who it caters to. Gamers like myself who have been here for years already know most if not all that this book is talking about. It doesn't bring anything new to the table, and what it brings feels more targeted at people who might not play videogames.
This group of people, those who don't play, might find this book either too hard to read or not for them at all. It is filled with terminology you might require a bit of knowledge about to understand. Thankfully, the author has an index and definitions/explanations of the words on almost every page. But this makes the book a lot heavier to read (at least for me)
I did enjoy the talk of how the gaming environment is both extremely toxic (to people and the planet), but also grounds for a great hobby and community, and artform that will and has ravaged the world. These, in my opinion, are the themes that the book would have benefitted even more to talk about. Although, I did enjoy the chapter on videogame history.
Final ranking and star rating?
3 stars, C tier. As mentioned, I am very mixed. This book will have a hard time finding the right audience. Some interesting talking points. Some themes that more people need to talk about and confront.
A very middle of the street kind of book.