This slim volume (171 pages of text) will be an eye-opener for anyone wanting to understand the world of gaming from a sociological viewpoint. Griffiths (who runs his own business communication company) is quick to both acknowledge and dispel cultural clichés surrounding gamers (geeks and dorks, socially maladjusted young males), and in a sense, this is the key to the book. While providing a concise popular history of computer and console gaming, the author demonstrates that gamers and gaming are pervasive in contemporary society–to an extent that few are aware of. He points to the money generated by the industry, to its emerging champion players, and to its prominence in all forms of media. This book should be required reading for legislators as they grapple with violence and attempt to link it to video gaming, if only to force them to look at the phenomenon in its entirety. It is an excellent primer on video gaming and its present place in culture. Summing Up: Essential. All readers.
CHOICE
His brief history of gaming time periods is well-researched, and never once do you question his enthusiasm....he clearly has an affection and wistfulness for his subject, and a desire to see their wonders go even further mainstream than they already are. At best, Virtual Ascendance is an enthusiastic piece, perfect for the gamers and open-minded parents of gamers who don't understand the background behind their favorite flashing lights and sounds.
Notes from the Conquistadork
Virtual Ascendance is an excellent descriptive account of the increasingly widespread use of digital games in our lives, from serious games to playful entertainment.
J. Talmadge Wright, graduate program director, department of sociology, Loyola University Chicago Videogames matter. Probably more than you even realize. And here Devin Griffiths sets out, in an informed and engaging manner, exactly why and how they matter. From hardcore gamers, to those with a passing interest, or even for those with no knowledge of gaming at all, this book will tell you what you need to know, and why you need to know it.
Garry Crawford, professor of sociology, author of Video Games Reading Virtual Ascendence is like playing a great videogame – the paths taken are often surprising, the environment is rendered in engaging detail, and the characters are richly drawn. From casual games to war games, Devin Griffiths writes with a warmly intellectual sense of wonder, purpose and play.
Derek A. Burrill, associate professor of Media and Cultural Studies, U.C. Riverside