Rating: 
Summary: WHOA!!!
Review: This book taught me alot about how the games got started and how video, board, and pen and paper games bring people to gether if any ones looking for an interesting read this is for you. im going to buy and apple2 just so i can play some of those games. ITS GREAT!
Rating:
Summary: Seminal work of geek culture investigation
Review: This encyclopedic masterwork, this magnum opus, this testament to our weaker, paler & less physically attractive cousins - it is more a paradigm for the new anthropology of nerdity than simply a book. Borland et. al. have, through years of painstaking participant-observation study in this dungeonmaster-ish, Ultima-like, Everquest-addicted card-collecting subculture, brought together, in a single tremendous gotterdammerung of a bound mass of pulp product, the most complete and far-reaching study of what makes the nerds who they are and who, someday, they may become.
Rating: 
Summary: A true appreciation of the changing world of games!
Review: Time and time again I had read and heard bits and pieces of Garriott's story but was truly amazed when presented with it all in one sitting with the book "Dungeons and Dreamers". Brad King and John Borland show a true appreciation of the changing world of games. In "Dungeons and Dreamers" the authors provide us with a detailed look at many of the major events and games, which has shaped online gaming over the years. This book provides readers with a quick look into the lives and tells the stories of many familiar people; from programmers to gamers and those who helped shaped online gaming communities from its conception. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic". This is a fun, well presented and informative story that is definitely worth checking out!
Rating:
Summary: A true appreciation of the changing world of games!
Review: Time and time again I had read and heard bits and pieces of Garriott's story but was truly amazed when presented with it all in one sitting with the book "Dungeons and Dreamers". Brad King and John Borland show a true appreciation of the changing world of games. In "Dungeons and Dreamers" the authors provide us with a detailed look at many of the major events and games, which has shaped online gaming over the years. This book provides readers with a quick look into the lives and tells the stories of many familiar people; from programmers to gamers and those who helped shaped online gaming communities from its conception. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic". This is a fun, well presented and informative story that is definitely worth checking out!
Rating:
Summary: True fans and gamers, it's must-read material
Review: Very enjoyable and non-heavy book stretching back to Gygax and his crew of Chainmail folks up through the current crop of MMORPG play (yeah, Carmack and Romero and all those guys are in it too). A great read and a diverse one too, in that it discusses the technical issues of game development and game play, video games in a social context and under fire from concerned activists, and also a cool look at the personal lives of the key players who introduced the games themselves, Never boring, and although it's not a super heavy read it's got definite gems of inspiration and insight. It's well written and engaging. If you're a fan, (especially if you had a C64/Atari/Pong and spent time with the 20 sided die) it's a must have. Lots of fun! I'd disregard the 1-star bad review (if you read past page 14, it gets much more interesting Kathy82...that goes for most books, btw).
Rating:
Summary: True fans and gamers, it's must-read material
Review: Very enjoyable and non-heavy book stretching back to Gygax and his crew of Chainmail folks up through the current crop of MMORPG play (yeah, Carmack and Romero and all those guys are in it too). A great read and a diverse one too, in that it discusses the technical issues of game development and game play, video games in a social context and under fire from concerned activists, and also a cool look at the personal lives of the key players who introduced the games themselves, Never boring, and although it's not a super heavy read it's got definite gems of inspiration and insight. It's well written and engaging. If you're a fan, (especially if you had a C64/Atari/Pong and spent time with the 20 sided die) it's a must have. Lots of fun! I'd disregard the 1-star bad review (if you read past page 14, it gets much more interesting Kathy82...that goes for most books, btw).
Rating:
Summary: WHOA!!!
Review: Was given this book as a freebie--someone must be buying up copies. For an Austinite, this adoring account of the life of a hasbeen fifth-string techno-celebrity is a little embarrassing in its breathlessness--kind of reminds one of the courtiers who saluted when Louis the XIV's chamber pot was carried by, except this isn't the Sun King, guys. Get a life, or at least an authentic artist to swoon over--all of Garriott's stuff was strictly derivative. Now that we have the real Lord of the Rings to watch, who cares about cheap imitations?
Rating: 
Summary: How Lord British lost his virginity--p. 14--very big deal!
Review: Was given this book as a freebie--someone must be buying up copies. For an Austinite, this adoring account of the life of a hasbeen fifth-string techno-celebrity is a little embarrassing in its breathlessness--kind of reminds one of the courtiers who saluted when Louis the XIV's chamber pot was carried by, except this isn't the Sun King, guys. Get a life, or at least an authentic artist to swoon over--all of Garriott's stuff was strictly derivative. Now that we have the real Lord of the Rings to watch, who cares about cheap imitations?
Rating:
Summary: In-depth exploration of *why* gaming is the way it is
Review: What first surprised me about Dungeons & Dreamers is that it's entertaining. I picked it up intending to get a quick sense of it then couldn't put it down--this book is funny, from Richard Garriott's whacky childhood projects before he developed games to the inside spats that tore up later, successful developer teams. What continued to surprise me is the book's scope. All the history is there, from star developers, companies, and even players like PMS (psycho men slayers) and LAN party-goers who shaped the gaming world. But the book pushes further to tell why people play games, why games have progressed the way they have, and why they're here to stay. Gaming is elevated from just a "mind-numbing weird thing" to the creative, productive community it is; I don't think anyone--gamers or anti-gamers or anyone in between--can read this book without gaining a deeper understanding and respect for the community and where it's headed.
Rating:
Summary: In-depth exploration of *why* gaming is the way it is
Review: What first surprised me about Dungeons & Dreamers is that it's entertaining. I picked it up intending to get a quick sense of it then couldn't put it down--this book is funny, from Richard Garriott's whacky childhood projects before he developed games to the inside spats that tore up later, successful developer teams. What continued to surprise me is the book's scope. All the history is there, from star developers, companies, and even players like PMS (psycho men slayers) and LAN party-goers who shaped the gaming world. But the book pushes further to tell why people play games, why games have progressed the way they have, and why they're here to stay. Gaming is elevated from just a "mind-numbing weird thing" to the creative, productive community it is; I don't think anyone--gamers or anti-gamers or anyone in between--can read this book without gaining a deeper understanding and respect for the community and where it's headed.
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