EXTRA LIVES - WHY VIDEO GAME MATTER

Like many otherwise functional adults, Tom Bissell is ad­dicted to video games, spending hours a day neglecting work and social engagements in favor of Oblivion, Left 4 Dead, and Grand Theft Auto IV. In Extra Lives, Bissell ex­amines the question that haunts him every time he turns off his consoles: Why on earth does he keep playing? Extra Lives is a shrewd, cutting, spirited, highly per­sonal, and very funny inquiry into what makes video games so habit-forming and compelling - and how, as creative artifacts, they fall short. He describes the pure plotless joy of Left 4 Dead, the mind-bendingly awful dialogue of Resident Evil, the beautiful but heartless chaos of Far Cry 2, and the peerless cine­matic characterization of Grand Theft Auto IV - a game whose charms escort Bissell to the point of near ruin. Alongside the book’s critical project, Bissell candidly examines his own emotional connection to these games, which shifts over time from carefree es­capism to bitter and self-destructive compulsion. Combining personal experience with interviews of some of the leading game designers at work today, 'Extra Lives' is an insightful - and highly entertaining appraisal of this ubiquitous form of popular art. Even those who don’t play video games will, after reading this book, acknowledge their creative and artistic legitimacy.