Taming Gaming


Book Description

Video games can instil amazing qualities in children – curiosity, resilience, patience and problem-solving to name a few – but with the World Health Organisation naming gaming disorder as a clinically diagnosable condition, parents and carers can worry about what video games are doing to their children. Andy Robertson has dealt with all of the above, not just over years of covering this topic fo newspapers, radio and television but as a father of three. In this guide, he offers parents and carers practical advice and insights – combining his own experiences with the latest research and guidance from psychologists, industry experts, schools and children's charities – alongside a treasure trove of 'gaming recipes' to test out in your family. Worrying about video game screen time, violence, expense and addiction is an understandable response to scary newspaper headlines. But with first-hand understanding of the video games your children love to play, you can anchor them as a healthy part of family life. Supported by the www.taminggaming.com Family Video Game Database, Taming Gaming leads you into doing this so that video games can stop being a point of argument, worry and stress and start providing fulfilling, connecting and ambitious experiences together as a family.




TAMING GAMING


Book Description




Know Thy Gamer


Book Description

Between social media platforms, the videos kids watch online, or the television shows they can now stream from anywhere at any time, keeping up with what our kids are doing has become more difficult than ever. Still, there has not been an influence quite like the video gaming world. For a time, video games were as simple as a blue hedgehog running from one side of the screen to the other. Now, video games create grand adventures of secret societies, alien races that have come to destroy entire galaxies, or dark forces that have arrived to destroy ancient kingdoms. Video games can display wondrous environments but can also house blood and gore. They can create adventures that get kids through rainy days but can also trap them in their rooms for untold amounts of time. This leaves many parents with one of two choices. They can either ignore the problems, or they can simply not allow their children to play games at all. Drew Dixon, co-founder of Love Thy Nerd, a ministry that exists to be the love of Jesus to nerds and nerd culture, offers a better way. Let’s face it: the digital age has changed the way we parent. So, instead of ignoring what your children are playing or removing the games altogether, Know Thy Gamer offers an opportunity for parents to understand their children and the kinds of games they are playing. By discussing some of the most important movements in the gaming world, Drew guides parents to understanding and loving their gamers through a Christian lens.




The Craft and Science of Game Design


Book Description

The Craft and Science of Game Design: A Video Game Designer’s Manual goes into the nuts and bolts of video game development from the perspective of a veteran designer with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. It covers the psychology and biology of why people play games and goes in depth on the techniques and tricks professional game designers use to be successful in game development. If you are looking to make a career in video games, or are already in the industry, the insights and hard-earned lessons contained in this book are sure to be useful at all levels of the profession. Originally from Canada, Phil O’Connor has been making video games all over the world since 1997. Phil has worked at some of the industry’s largest studios on some of the biggest projects, including Far Cry 3 and Rainbow Six Siege. With credits on nearly 20 games, Phil has shared in this book some of the less-known details of being a game designer in today’s video game industry, along with a breakdown of some of the skills to help professional designers shine.




Disability and Video Games


Book Description

This collection intends to fill a long overdue research gap on the praxeological aspects of the relationships between disabilities, accessibility, and digital gaming. It will focus on the question of how Game Studies can profit from a Disability Studies perspective of en-/disabling gaming and issues of disability, (in)accessibility and ableism, and vice versa. Instead of departing from the medical model of disability that informs a wide range of publications on “disabled” gaming and that preconceives users as either “able-bodied,” “normal” or as “disabled,” “deficit,” or “unable to play,” our central premise is that dis/ability is not an essential characteristic of the playing subject. We rather intend to analyze the complex infrastructures of playing, i.e., the complex interplay of heterogeneous human and non-human actors, that are en- or disabling.




The Best Non-Violent Video Games


Book Description

What if there were video games that weren’t about killing things? The world’s biggest entertainment medium has come under decades of scrutiny because of its violent content. But here’s a little known fact: from the very beginning, non-violent video games have done as much, if not more, to shape the industry than violent ones. The Best Non-Violent Video Games is the first ever guide to the full breath of interactive entertainment. Discover the true variety the medium has to offer and learn how developers constantly find new ways to engage people by challenging their minds, testing their reflexes, and even tugging at the heartstrings. Take a journey through more than three hundred video games, stretching back to the very dawn of the industry and extending right up to modern day indie hits. You’ll learn more about the origins of some of gaming’s biggest franchises, discover underrated gems from developers of all sizes, and perhaps even find some new favorites. Written by a journalist with over 15 years of industry experience and more than 30 years of gaming experience, this guide is for anyone seeking something truly different from the video games space without dealing with guns and gore, or those simply looking for a change of pace.




Woke Gaming


Book Description

From #Gamergate to the 2016 election, to the daily experiences of marginalized perspectives, gaming is entangled with mainstream cultures of systematic exploitation and oppression. Whether visible in the persistent color line that shapes the production, dissemination, and legitimization of dominant stereotypes within the industry itself, or in the dehumanizing representations often found within game spaces, many video games perpetuate injustice and mirror the inequities and violence that permeate society as a whole. Drawing from groundbreaking research on counter and oppositional gaming and from popular games such as World of Warcraft and Tomb Raider, Woke Gaming examines resistance to problematic spaces of violence, discrimination, and microaggressions in gaming culture. The contributors of these essays seek to identify strategies to detox gaming culture and orient players and gamers toward progressive ends. From Anna Anthropy’s Keep Me Occupied to Momo Pixel’s Hair Nah, video games can reveal the power and potential for marginalized communities to resist, and otherwise challenge dehumanizing representations inside and outside of game spaces. In a moment of #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, and efforts to transform current political realities, Woke Gaming illustrates the power and potential of video games to foster change and become a catalyst for social justice.




The Basset Table


Book Description

The Basset Table follows the fortunes of Lady Reveller, who runs a table where her friends play the card game basset, and her struggle to avoid marrying Lord Worthy. Meanwhile, Lady Reveller’s cousin, Valeria, spends her time conducting scientific experiments and dissections, but her father intends to marry her off to the bluff sea-captain Hearty. How can Lady Reveller be persuaded to forego the delights of gambling? And how can Valeria avoid an unwanted marriage? This witty play paints a seductive picture of the thrills of the Restoration gaming table and challenges contemporary stereotypes of the learned lady. Appendices to this Broadview Edition include materials on female education, gambling, and writing for the stage, as well as eighteenth- and nineteenth-century critical writing on Centlivre and The Basset Table.




Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World


Book Description

“But everyone else has it.” “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When you hear these comments from your kids, it can be tough not to cave. You love your children—don’t you want them to be happy and to fit in? Kristen Welch knows firsthand it’s not that easy. In fact, she’s found out that when you say yes too often, it’s not only hard on your peace of mind and your wallet—it actually puts your kids at long-term risk. In Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, Kristen shares the ups and downs in her own family’s journey of discovering why it’s healthiest not to give their kids everything. Teaching them the difference between “want” and “need” is the first step in the right direction. With many practical tips and anecdotes, she shares how to say the ultimate yes as a family by bringing up faith-filled kids who will love God, serve others, and grow into hardworking, fulfilled, and successful adults. It’s never too late to raise grateful kids. Get ready to cultivate a spirit of genuine appreciation and create a Jesus-centered home in which your kids don’t just say—but mean!—“thank you” for everything they have.




Unofficial Minecraft Life Hacks Lab for Kids


Book Description

In Unofficial Minecraft Life Hacks Lab for Kids, Adam Clarke (aka Wizard Keen) and Victoria Bennett offer projects and gameplay that will guide you to make great choices as a player and a person. Minecraft is an amazing game that stimulates your creativity as you build whatever you can imagine, but it’s also great for learning about how to be a good citizen and mining positive connections with other players—in-game, elsewhere online, and in real life. With this book, you’ll learn about: How to set good gaming ground rules, collaborate, and resolve conflicts. Online resources, servers, and organizations that promote and guide positive play. Minecraft projects that promote and guide positive play and positive digital citizenship. Make every build a block party by learning to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly with Unofficial Minecraft Life Hacks Lab for Kids! The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus—all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.