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Jim Rossignol
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This Gaming Life: Travels in Three Cities Hardcover – 1 May 2008

by Jim Rossignol (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
This book offers an insider's view of online games and how they change us. "In May 2000 I was fired from my job as a reporter on a finance newsletter because of an obsession with a videogame. It was the best thing that ever happened to me." So begins this story of personal redemption through the unlikely medium of electronic games. Quake, World of Warcraft, Eve Online and other online games not only offered author Jim Rossignol an excellent escape from the tedium of office life. They also provided him with a diverse global community and a job - as a gaming journalist. Part personal history, part travel narrative, part philosophical reflection on the meaning of games, "This Gaming Life" describes Rossignol's encounters with gamers in three unique gaming cities: London, Seoul, and Reyjkavik.From his days as a Quake genius in London's increasingly corporate gaming culture, to his encounters with Korea's high stakes, televised professional gaming culture to his adventures in Iceland, the national home of his ultimate obsession, the idiosyncratic and beguiling Eve Online, Rossignol introduces us to a still emerging and largely undocumented world of gaming lives. Torn between unabashed enthusiasm and optimism about the future of gaming and lingering doubts about whether games are just a waste of time, "This Gaming Life" also raises important questions about this new and vital cultural form.Should we celebrate the "serious" educational, social, and cultural value games, as academics and journalists are beginning to do? Or do these high-minded justifications simply perpetuate the stereotype of games as a lesser form of fun? Could it be that the true value of games lies in their ability to stave off boredom? In this beautifully written, richly detailed, and inspiring book, Rossignol brings these abstract questions to life, immersing us in a vibrant landscape of gaming experiences.
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  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The University of Michigan Press
  4. Publication date
    1 May 2008
  5. Dimensions
    13.97 x 2.54 x 22.23 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0472116355
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0472116355
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Product description

About the Author

Jim Rossignol is a habitual gamer who grew up in a tediously middle-class village in the south of England. He is also a world-renowned games journalist who currently writes for Wired, The BBC, PC Gamer, and many other media outlets. His populist group-blogging project rockpapershotgun.com continues to expand its cult popularity. He lives in Bath, England.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of Michigan Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 May 2008
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0472116355
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0472116355
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 454 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 2.54 x 22.23 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 1,735,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

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Jim Rossignol

Jim Rossignol

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
14 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Themistocles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent and easy to understand. A geographical and analytic journey through modern gaming
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 February 2010
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This is the first book about games and games culture that I have read, and I must say that it was both entertaining and informative. Gaming is becoming one of the main entertainment media of this generation and future generations and I'm surprised by the lack of academic interest in it. Or rather, the lack of coverage that gaming receives in the mainstream that takes it seriously.

    Rossignol structures his book around his travels in Korea, England, and Iceland. In each country he meets gamers and game developers and examines the differences in games and their associated culture. The Korea section is particularly fascinating, with his examination of the effect gaming has had on youth culture in Seoul, where it's more common for youngsters to visit gaming cafes (baangs) than go out and obliterate themselves with booze.

    These travel segments and broken up with short sections about games as propaganda, emergent gameplay, and other topics. These analysis sections serve as palate cleansers between locales and they suit the pacing of the book very well. Rossignol's thoughts about the importance of gaming as a tool to limit boredom were pertinent and made me realise that, as a gamer, this is generally the place they fill in my life. Sometimes entertainment serves for entertainment's sake. Play has been an important learning mechanism for humanity (and indeed much of the animal kingdom) and computer games are an-often elaborate and thrilling-extension of this.

    Rossignol's writing is crisp and comprehensible throughout. The text rarely provides a paragraph with too much information to require more than one reading.

    I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the effect of gaming on society, the motivations of gamers, and some of the reasons why we play games.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Mrs.R
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2015
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Good condition.
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  • Harry Fish
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant - accessible and thought provoking.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2008
    Format: Hardcover
    I was cautiously optimistic about this book; I had heard good things and had read articles on gaming sites that had been written by the author. The book did not disappoint in any way.

    This is an ambitious book that raises such questions as what gaming is, how it meshes with human nature as a whole and how gaming differs in different cultures. The author obviously displays a thorough knowledge of games and gaming but he also conveys relevant and interesting observations about the people he meets and the places he visits on his extensive travels.

    The book is extremely well written. The author subscribes to the philosophy that it is best to present complex ideas in simple terms. It makes the text a pleasant and satisfying read. The author uses plenty of quotes and they are pertinent and excellently sourced, coming from industry luminaries such as Will Wright.

    I would recommend this book to anybody. It is thoughtful, well observed and beautifully written. As an introduction to the subject or as insider reading, it is essential.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Bubbins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Review of"This Gaming Life"
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2008
    Format: Hardcover
    Not a great gamer myself but bought this book as a present for some computer techi friends. Always have a quick browse of a book before giving it and I was hooked. Now I understand why some of my friends rush home from the pub or refuse a night out on the town to join their virtual community on line to organise space trading empires - to be part of a team of international players.

    It's not only that Jim Rossignol has looked how gaming is played and affecting society all over the world but especially London, Seoul and Reykjavik. He has investigated academic research that has sought to ascertain the effects of gaming on ours and different cultures. He puts together his thoughts, arguments and comments, in an engaging and entertaining style. Truly a man of our time, proving that computer and console gaming has become part of world culture.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • S. Rodger
    5.0 out of 5 stars For Gamers and Non-Gamers alike
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 July 2009
    Format: Hardcover
    An incredibly articulate, thought provoking read, whether you are new to games culture or not. The section on Korea was really quite astonishing, and the EVE anecdotes comparably eye-brow raising.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Generic Man
    3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but not particularly enlightening.
    Reviewed in the United States on 3 May 2013
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This book should say from the get-go: Here are the stories of the hard core of the hardcore PC gamers in Britain (competitive shooters), Korea (Internet cafe culture), and a smattering of international enthusiasts (playing the massively multiplayer online game Eve Online).
    Entertaining in places, but fails to scratch the surface of the digital diaspora of gamers--Xbox/Playstation users, mobile gamers, etc.
    Curious, since Rossignol's gaming experiences reach beyond niche PC games.
    For travel journalism and cerebral video game analysis, it's above average. For an enlightening overview of gaming culture, it's lacking. Bottom line though: he's charming, funny and, in this case, worth a read.
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