'Etchells writes eloquently ... A heartfelt defence of a demonised pastime' The Times 'Once in an age, a piece of culture comes along that feels like it was specifically created for you, the beats and words and ideas are there because it is your life the creator is describing. Lost In A Good Game is exactly that. It will touch your heart and mind. And even if Bowser, Chun-li or Q-Bert weren't crucial parts of your youth, this is a flawless victory for everyone' Adam Rutherford When Pete Etchells was 14, his father died from motor neurone disease. In order to cope, he immersed himself in a virtual world - first as an escape, but later to try to understand what had happened. Etchells is now a researcher into the psychological effects of video games, and was co-author on a recent paper explaining why WHO plans to classify 'game addiction' as a danger to public health are based on bad science and (he thinks) are a bad idea. In this, his first book, he journeys through the history and development of video games - from Turing's chess machine to mass multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft- via scientific study, to investigate the highs and lows of playing and get to the bottom of our relationship with games - why we do it, and what they really mean to us. At the same time, Lost in a Good Game is a very unusual memoir of a writer coming to terms with his grief via virtual worlds, as he tries to work out what area of popular culture we should classify games (a relatively new technology) under.

A Collection of Short Stories by Michael Guest is exactly what it says it is, but that does not mean it's unsurprising. In these pages are stories of betrayal and murder, of passion, and redemption. The stories cover the gritty realism of life in a rehab center and the eerie supernaturalism of ghosts rising up to right wrongs and aid their ancestors. They range from the past, in which a civil war veteran returns home to find his land seized, the present, in which a small town preacher tries to overcome the temptations of the big city, through to hints of the future, where an astronaut lost in space becomes one of the first humans to encounter alien life. Ultimately, these are stories of redemption and community, of making things better and making things right. These are stories that hope to speak to the best in people, and to keep them entertained from start to finish.

“McGonigal is a clear, methodical writer, and her ideas are well argued. Assertions are backed by countless psychological studies.” —The Boston Globe “Powerful and provocative . . . McGonigal makes a persuasive case that games have a lot to teach us about how to make our lives, and the world, better.” —San Jose Mercury News “Jane McGonigal's insights have the elegant, compact, deadly simplicity of plutonium, and the same explosive force.” —Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother A visionary game designer reveals how we can harness the power of games to boost global happiness. With 174 million gamers in the United States alone, we now live in a world where every generation will be a gamer generation. But why, Jane McGonigal asks, should games be used for escapist entertainment alone? In this groundbreaking book, she shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the real world-from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change-and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds. Written for gamers and non-gamers alike, Reality Is Broken shows that the future will belong to those who can understand, design, and play games. Jane McGonigal is also the author of SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient.

My book deals with family members who are deceased. You can see visual evidence of how they died in the movies. It talks about relationships with the opposite sex. It discusses my athletic career through high school and college. I graduated from college to student teach at Wilbur Wright high school. It discusses my success in the recreation department. I became a champion in the city for two straight years. I started substitute teaching at Jefferson Township and Trotwood. I became a teacher at Trotwood. I became a teacher at Trotwood high school for fi ve years. I coached 3 sports at Trotwood and won two championships my fi rst two years. The book discusses my teaching Career and athletic success in Texas. It discusses the growth as a teacher and principal. It talks about labor jobs, at different companies. The book discusses my health problems on dialysis.