Everybody is writing a book

[Maddy Myers]

There seem to be several long-form video game criticism projects in the works right now. Not just long-form articles -- books!

There's this project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabedurham/boss-fight-books

Rowan Kaiser's Mass Effect book: http://www.gofundme.com/2joch0

And Brendan Keogh's not-yet-announced-but-I'm-writing-a-book-for-it-and-I've-talked-about-it-so-it's-basically-announced publishing company, which is in the works post-Killing Is Harmless. There are several other authors planning books for this. I don't know who they are. But I know I'm one of them and that there are Others (haha).

What do you all think about the idea of books about games, especially books about just one specific game? Kaiser's book is, at least, about a series of three games -- but the rest of these are each about one game, so far as I know. Is talking about just one game for a whole book a totally bonkers idea? Or is it exactly what the criticism sphere needs? Or is it a totally pretentious show of mediocrity? Go on, tell me the truth, I can take it!

Also, what are examples of books about video games that people like? I can't think of any older books that fit this model (long-form criticism of a game). The closest I can think of is Bissell's Extra Lives, which does some criticism of games in addition to personal memoir. The other books that I have read about video games have been either market analysis or cultural/lifestyle analysis, though, as opposed to long-form criticism.

[Nate Andrews]

I'm kicking around an idea for a similar project, so I hope the concept isn't too pretentious or mediocre.

[Nathan Altice]

Definitely no more pretentious than any other book-length criticism or analysis of other media objects. And I think games are certainly rich enough and dense enough to sustain long-form critique. 

It's also a good thing that alternative opportunities are opening up for games writers. But that's also the source of one reservation: by circumventing 'traditional' publishing structures (even an online videogames site), there is the danger that writers are also circumventing traditional editorial review. I want books that are well-argued and well-written, not the equivalent of book-length fan reviews or pop history. Not that editors ensure a good book, but it's a decent starting filter. I'm writing a book on the NES for an academic press, and while the process is often maddeningly slow, I know the book will be better (and shorter) because there are several editors and reviewers picking it apart along the way.

I worry about the Mass Effect book, for instance, when there are statements like, 'First, Mass Effect is quite possibly the most interesting, discussion-worthy game series of all time, and you can't read enough about it.' The whole pitch has a fannish bent to it, but maybe that's what people want to read. I'm sure my prejudices (from an academic angle) play into my criticisms. Nonetheless, more writers writings about videogames doesn't make the world worse (I hope). More critical voices are welcome.

Maddy, you might check out Pilgrim in the Microworld for an early example of this kind of writing. It is basically a book-length treatment of Atari VCS Breakout (written in the 80s) and it is wonderful. Racing the Beam has chapter-length studies of individual games (also Atari). Tim Rogers writes book-length reviews of games that are sometimes brilliant, frequently maddening (again, editing would be key). 

And can you say what videogame you're writing about? 

[Ethan Gach]

The nice thing about e-publishing is that you can make a book without needing to make it book length (to justify the publishing cost/overhead).

 

Instead of 90,000+ words, perhaps a single game deserves more like 40,000.

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[Amanda Lange]

The Kickstarter looks tremendous! Glad to have the chance to back.

Honestly, deep exploration of a single game is something I like to see and some day aspire to do.

For something book-length, though not necessarily a book, I like the reverse-design examinations on Game Design Forum, such as this one for Final Fantasy 6

http://thegamedesignforum.com/features/reverse_design_ff6_1.html

Astonishingly given the length this isn't even really all there is to say about Final Fantasy VI.

Games are rich.

[Alan Williamson]

"Brendan Keogh's not-yet-announced-but-I'm-writing-a-book-for-it-and-I've-talked-about-it-so-it's-basically-announced publishing company"

And they say there are no cliques in games journalism...

I think the recent surge of games books is interesting, and something to be welcomed (I funded Possibility Space) but I also agree with Nathan that there might be a lot of crap produced as a side effect. It often takes novelists and other writers years to get a book accepted for publication. While some good ideas are probably lost along the way, curation, iteration and editing are important things that shouldn't be discounted. Personally, I've learned more from the ideas that didn't make it than those that did.

[Ethan Gach]

So there are roughly three categories of these things maybe?

 

1. History of X--research and interview heavy, could be a particular game, time, or company (e.g. How Nintendo Conquered America)

2. Close-reading/analysis of a game (e.g. Killing is Harmless)

3. Essays on intersection of games and personal experience (e.g. Extra Lives)

 

You could also probably throw in a 4th category to include Academic works geared to cultural criticism and/or game theory/design.

 

I think, for instance, that Rowan is a diligent enough writer, and chose a big enough subject, which is both in his specific wheel house (RPGs) and also something he is passionate about (Mass Effect), that it will be compelling for other people interested specifically in those topics.

 

The risk some other projects may run is not being able to commit to a specific approach--do they want to do a deep analysis of the game as a text/artifact, use it as a platform for personal essaying, or try to focus on the specific history or larger cultural significance. Not saying you can't try to, in some ways, do all of those things, but without an editor and or a year or two to devote to compiling and revising it, I would assume that's the major trap that any one who decides to write one of these books could fall into.

 

That said, I'm certainly excited to see so much of it, good or bad, cropping up. It helps me as a writer both in becoming more knowledgeable and the chance to learn from my peers, and because it's self-published, and often pre-funded, there's not a whole lot of risk. You do the project because it's something you're passionate, and there's always the potential upside (like Killing is Harmless) that it turns out well and a lot of people also happen to dig it.

[Maddy Myers]

Background: I wanted to write a series of essays about Tomb Raider anyway, but I wasn't sure how to package them. Brendan saw me tweeting about it, and he emailed to say he wanted to help people doing long-form writing like this with PDF lay-outs. I asked some people to help me with editing it. I already know Brendan is helping some other authors. I call it a "publishing company" but he would probably call it something far less official. I'm even hesitant to call a PDF file "a book," but I'm not sure how else to refer to what I am trying to do. At this point three people are going to be editing it already and I am considering a fourth person. If Brendan doesn't end up being able to help me, I'll still put something out for the people who want to read it.

I know it is a hell of a lot less exciting or flattering than actually getting a "real" book deal. I don't think I could've gotten a "real" book deal out of this idea, though, and at least this way the people who want to read it will be able to via some sort of friendly pay-what-you-can system. There's probably a whole other argument in here about self-publishing versus "real" publishing -- and I'm not sure it's that different an argument from blogging vs. "real" journalism/newspapers. I think both forms of publishing have their place.

If there is a clique in games journalism, I don't think I'm in it. I hear a lot of people say that they feel like there is a clique and that they're not in it, whether jokingly or not. That, to me, indicates that there probably isn't a clique and we're all feeling isolated and as though we cannot trust each other (or is that just me?). So, if we're organizing or being even a little bit friendly, then I see that as a good thing. It's the kind of behavior I'm trying to encourage by even making this forum.

And, Alan, I'm not sure if this is what you were implying, but I'm sure if you wanted to write a book, Brendan would help you with the PDFery. It sounds like he's pretty much willing to help anyone with a project like that, simply because he's done it before and he wants to help other people make it happen too if they want to. So, talk to him if you want to do something.

Semi-relevant sidenote: Lana Polansky is also working on a self-published book, but it's not long-form video game criticism, it's a compilation of short stories with video game settings.

[Patrick Lindsey]

I talked to Brendan about a book project I'm working on because I had no idea what sort of "publishing options" to even think about pursuing. He essentially confirmed my suspicion, which was that publishing an e-book is the way to go. It seems like it's sort of akin to publishing a blog post, except instead of putting it on Wordpress you put it on Amazon and charge people money for it.

[Alan Williamson]

I know it is a hell of a lot less exciting or flattering than actually getting a "real" book deal. I don't think I could've gotten a "real" book deal out of this idea, though, and at least this way the people who want to read it will be able to via some sort of friendly pay-what-you-can system. There's probably a whole other argument in here about self-publishing versus "real" publishing -- and I'm not sure it's that different an argument from blogging vs. "real" journalism/newspapers. I think both forms of publishing have their place.

Yeah, I'm not trying to diminish self-publishing (that would be pretty hypocritical, after all) but the main difference between a blog and a book is roughly 78000 words, plus the associated time. People can get away with ideas for blogs that aren't great, but with books they need to be pretty rockin' if you want people to read them. Your approach of writing a book of collated essays sounds like the perfect transitional stage to me. While I wouldn't differentiate between blogging and journalism, I think there are definitely good and bad examples of each. I would just hate to see someone write a book that turned out to not be good. It would be really demoralising.

If there is a clique in games journalism, I don't think I'm in it. I hear a lot of people say that they feel like there is a clique and that they're not in it, whether jokingly or not. That, to me, indicates that there probably isn't a clique and we're all feeling isolated and as though we cannot trust each other (or is that just me?). So, if we're organizing or being even a little bit friendly, then I see that as a good thing. It's the kind of behavior I'm trying to encourage by even making this forum.

I don't think anyone here is part of such a clique. I was joking with my comment (should have included a winking face!) but there are definitely groups of established journalists in the UK who drink together all the time, and that could be considered a clique. Likewise, I'm sure the same people get together in the USA at press conferences and trade shows. The only difference between 'circle of friends' and 'clique' is a derogatory tone, and I definitely feel like this place is a circle of friends.
 

And, Alan, I'm not sure if this is what you were implying, but I'm sure if you wanted to write a book, Brendan would help you with the PDFery. It sounds like he's pretty much willing to help anyone with a project like that, simply because he's done it before and he wants to help other people make it happen too if they want to. So, talk to him if you want to do something.

 
It wasn't, but Brendan has been very supportive in the past and I have no doubt that will continue!

Semi-relevant sidenote: Lana Polansky is also working on a self-published book, but it's not long-form video game criticism, it's a compilation of short stories with video game settings.

I'm in that clique. ;)

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 11:15:19 AM UTC-4, Ethan Gach wrote:

So there are roughly three categories of these things maybe?

 

1. History of X--research and interview heavy, could be a particular game, time, or company (e.g. How Nintendo Conquered America)

2. Close-reading/analysis of a game (e.g. Killing is Harmless)

3. Essays on intersection of games and personal experience (e.g. Extra Lives)

 

You could also probably throw in a 4th category to include Academic works geared to cultural criticism and/or game theory/design.

 

I think, for instance, that Rowan is a diligent enough writer, and chose a big enough subject, which is both in his specific wheel house (RPGs) and also something he is passionate about (Mass Effect), that it will be compelling for other people interested specifically in those topics.

 

The risk some other projects may run is not being able to commit to a specific approach--do they want to do a deep analysis of the game as a text/artifact, use it as a platform for personal essaying, or try to focus on the specific history or larger cultural significance. Not saying you can't try to, in some ways, do all of those things, but without an editor and or a year or two to devote to compiling and revising it, I would assume that's the major trap that any one who decides to write one of these books could fall into.

 

That said, I'm certainly excited to see so much of it, good or bad, cropping up. It helps me as a writer both in becoming more knowledgeable and the chance to learn from my peers, and because it's self-published, and often pre-funded, there's not a whole lot of risk. You do the project because it's something you're passionate, and there's always the potential upside (like Killing is Harmless) that it turns out well and a lot of people also happen to dig it.

[Dan Golding]

Just to drop into this conversation — Brendan and I are starting the publishing company, but I'd be super surprised (and quite disappointed) if it turned out to be anything like a clique. We have about 8 authors are the moment and the vast majority of them are from all sorts of different areas of games writing. The fact that I'm the other 50% of the company should highlight that clearly enough, given that Brendan and I write for vastly different audiences and by and large, vastly different publications. After we launch, we'll certainly be taking pitches and manuscripts from anyone, too. That we haven't really made this public (and that therefore it could seem a bit cliquish, or at least, those-in-the-know and those-not) is we're waiting until we've got contracts drawn up and until we're incorporated.

In any case, we're more than happy to talk to anyone in private about the project, and we'll hopefully be putting as much information out there as possible soon. The aim is that eventually, it'll feel as 'real' as any book publisher or contract.

Anyway, I hate to be that guy who jumps into a thread where his own projects are being discussed (and I'm happy to step back again from this post onwards), but I just thought some clarity from us was worthwhile as we haven't announced anything publicly yet. :)

[Dan Golding]

I don't think anyone here is part of such a clique. I was joking with my comment (should have included a winking face!) but there are definitely groups of established journalists in the UK who drink together all the time, and that could be considered a clique. Likewise, I'm sure the same people get together in the USA at press conferences and trade shows. The only difference between 'circle of friends' and 'clique' is a derogatory tone, and I definitely feel like this place is a circle of friends.

Aaaand now my response is irrelevant. Sorry for jumping the gun — I'll leave my text above for posterity/clarity, but forgive me for getting ahead of myself.

[psepho]

Something that I would be interested in as a reader (and have looked for without finding much) would be anthologies/collections of games writing around particular topics.

For example Rowan Kaiser's Mass Effect book would be more interesting to me as a well-edited collection of critical essays by different people approaching different aspects of the trilogy than as comprehensive monograph from one perspective (although I am not saying that that approach doesn't have value).

There has also been a good thematic approach in recent projects like Five out of Ten magazine and Memory Insufficient. It would be interesting to see book length projects in this direction -- both incorporating existing writing and new writing.

[Maddy Myers]

I would love to see that.

This isn't a book, but Cameron's post compiling Bioshock: Infinite-related criticism almost scratches that itch: http://thiscageisworms.com/2013/04/04/interesting-bioshock-infinite-posts-podcasts-and-general-things/

I've linked it several times on Twitter to various people seeking "more writing" about the game. It's an incredible, impressive collection of links.

I do wish all of these could be combined into an actual book somehow. After I played the game I opened every single one of these in a tab and just sat for hours reading them (it, uh, well, it was back during the month when I was unemployed and I could do that sort of thing without being interrupted). Having them in book form would have been wonderful. Maybe I would have even gone OUTSIDE to read them! Ha ha, just kidding, outdoors is awful.

I don't see people do compilation lists like this often, and even when they do, they don't keep them updated as Cameron has done (back when I first read the post, it had fewer links on it).

I sort of wish Critical Distance would organize its post in this fashion rather than by date ... I guess it would mess up their whole system to do it that way, though, and their job is hard enough as it is. I do wish it were easier to find games criticism about specific games, though. In the meantime, it's nice to see individual bloggers curating their own lists of what they liked the best.

[Ethan Gach]

I for one would gladly pay a monthly subscription to Critical Distance if they were able to curate their catalog like that by putting together compilations based around topics, games, and particular authors.

[Zoya]

1. History of X--research and interview heavy, could be a particular game, time, or company (e.g. How Nintendo Conquered America)
2. Close-reading/analysis of a game (e.g. Killing is Harmless)
3. Essays on intersection of games and personal experience (e.g. Extra Lives)

Well since you're all talking about your book projects ... Dreamcast Worlds straddles the 'history of' and 'close reading' categories, as a history of the Dreamcast told in part through close readings of three games. I'm trying to use a beta launch as a way of making up for not having the editorial supervision of a publisher, by giving time for constructive feedback to come through before hard launching. I still kind of get the impression that a lot of people are keeping schtum about their assessment of the book though, which really scares me.

I think if people say there's a clique, it definitely means that people feel excluded from something. That's an issue, even if we all feel excluded some or all of the time. I think there might be a bit of a weird thing where we're all just worrying away at our own computers, feeling isolated and imagining that other people are backing each other up and creating supportive little niche groups, when in fact they all feel isolated too. Maybe we should start complimenting other people more often? There aren't enough affirming messages going around imo.

[Alan Williamson]

Critical Distance does, or did, publish Critical Compilations. They can be found at

http://www.critical-distance.com/category/critical-compilation/

Or the sidebar on the right. I'll pass on this information to the rest of the team so we know what people want to read! We do compilations based on topics of course - that's Blogs of the Round Table - but I appreciate that Ethan wanted compilations of existing material rather than new bespoke blogs.