A review by ubercoat
Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell
1.0
Though I don’t play as often as I used to, I consider myself a gamer. I like the idea of someone unpacking the idea of why video games matter, and I think that topic would make for a good book. Unfortunately, Extra Lives is not that book. The problem is not that I necessarily disagree with Bissell’s opinions on whether or not games matter – the problem is that the book really isn’t about that topic at all.
The title is more than a little misleading. While Bissell doesn’t spend much (if any) time discussing why video games matter, a significant amount of time is spent detailing the aspects of narrative-based games that Bissell finds problematic. More often than not, this hinges on the writing in the games – the subtext of which seems to be that the author believes games would be a whole lot better if the industry employed more people like him. Bissell gives the impression that he thinks rather highly of himself, and finds many opportunities to remind the reader of his accomplishments, in-game or otherwise.
The result of all of this, unfortunately, is that the book is an infuriating mess. Bissell is so self-satisfied, his writing so masturbatory, that I found myself actively disliking him not far into the book – and it only gets worse with each subsequent chapter. When he isn’t implying that the video game industry needs more Tom Bissells, he’s going on, for page after page, about how he plays specific games. Now, I like video games, believe you me – but reading about why he played his Mass Effect character the way he did, or his description of playing Resident Evil for the first time, is painfully boring.
As I alluded to earlier, I really wanted to like this book. It’s a shame that there’s so little there to like.
Suggested alternate title: Tom Bissell Presents The Tom Bissell Story (In Which Video Games are Played)
The title is more than a little misleading. While Bissell doesn’t spend much (if any) time discussing why video games matter, a significant amount of time is spent detailing the aspects of narrative-based games that Bissell finds problematic. More often than not, this hinges on the writing in the games – the subtext of which seems to be that the author believes games would be a whole lot better if the industry employed more people like him. Bissell gives the impression that he thinks rather highly of himself, and finds many opportunities to remind the reader of his accomplishments, in-game or otherwise.
The result of all of this, unfortunately, is that the book is an infuriating mess. Bissell is so self-satisfied, his writing so masturbatory, that I found myself actively disliking him not far into the book – and it only gets worse with each subsequent chapter. When he isn’t implying that the video game industry needs more Tom Bissells, he’s going on, for page after page, about how he plays specific games. Now, I like video games, believe you me – but reading about why he played his Mass Effect character the way he did, or his description of playing Resident Evil for the first time, is painfully boring.
As I alluded to earlier, I really wanted to like this book. It’s a shame that there’s so little there to like.
Suggested alternate title: Tom Bissell Presents The Tom Bissell Story (In Which Video Games are Played)