Dave Gorman vs. the Rest of the World: Whatever the Game — Dave Takes on All Comers!

by Dave Gorman

Remember when you were a kid, and you used to go round to a friend's house to see if they were playing? Well, as adults we're not supposed to do that. Which is a shame because Dave Gorman likes playing and he  really likes games. So he knocked on the biggest door you could ever imagine—the internet—and asked 76,000 people if they fancied a game. This is the story of what happened next. Dave was up for anything and gamely played them at whatever they chose. He played some classics—Monopoly, Scrabble, dominoes and cribbage. He played many games he'd never heard of before—Khet, Kubb, Tikal or Smite anyone? He played board games and physical games. He's thrown sticks, balls, Frisbees and darts. He's rolled dice and he's drawn cards. From Liverpool to Hampstead and from Croydon to Nottingham, Dave travelled the length and breadth of Britain meeting strangers in strange places—their homes, at work, in the back rooms of pubs—and getting some hardcore game action. From casual players to serious game geeks, from the rank amateur to the world champion, he discovered a nation of gamers more than happy to welcome him into their midst. He's travelled all around the country and met all sorts of people. And it seems that playing games can teach you a lot about what makes the British tick. Of course, Dave hasn't been keeping score. Much.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Comedy, Travel, Audiobook, Autobiography, Memoir

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

David James Gorman is an English author, stand-up comedian and presenter. He has performed comedy shows on stage in which he tells stories of extreme adventures and presents the evidence to the audience in order to prove to them that they are true stories. He was a stand-up comedian before he became famous for Are You Dave Gorman?, then took a break from normal stand-up. He returned to stand-up in 2009 with a show called 'Sit Down, Pedal, Pedal, Stop and Stand Up' whose unique feature was that he cycled 1,563 miles from the southernmost point of Great Britain to the easternmost to the westernmost and then to the northernmost with a gig following each night.

He studied mathematics at the University of Manchester (but never graduated) and before his solo successes was in demand as a writer, having co-written three series of The Mrs Merton Show, as well as writing for many other TV series in the UK, including The Fast Show. His other writing credits include Jenny Eclair, Harry Hill and Steve Coogan.In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.

Dave also regularly appeared on the BBC Three show, Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive, a comedy show about the making of a celebrity panel show hosted by Rob Brydon. Dave Gorman is one of the show's team captains. In 2006 he became an occasional contributor on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also hosts his own radio series, Genius, and his documentary feature, America Unchained, was shown on More4 in February 2008. The book of the series was published in April 2008.

Reviews

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not often that I enjoy non-fiction. However, in this case, I did. I picked this off the shelf in my local library to read as a bedtime book (the only time when I really read non-fiction) something light, without a narrative, so that it doesn't matter if I fall asleep half way through a chapter. But what I found my self doing, was reading for chapters and chapters more than I meant to; getting much less sleep than intended. It carries all the wit of Dave Gorman, along with a genuinely interesting subject, which I was already interested in; games. Because he is a well articulated person, Gorman gives clear, easy to understand summaries of the games he plays, but the character of the book is totally made by those he meets on his travels.
Overall, a lovely, light but not as light as you might think, witty, interesting book written by a witty, interesting man.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comedian Dave Gorman… is on Twitter… he types 'Does anyone play any games? Real life, not computer games. Would you like a game? This book is the often funny, sometimes bizarre and a few times scary adventures Dave has playing games all over England and Wales! A typical interesting and funny Gorman adventure. 6 out of 12.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps the oddest thing about this book was that it was solely as it was described - Dave Gorman plays games against random Twitter followers, without any realisations that his girlfriend is the one or that his whole outlook on life has been mistaken.

The reason this was odd is that games are rarely interesting unless you were involved, as average ability darts or small-stakes poker games do a better job of holding your attention if you know the people involved and the context of whether someone is arrogant or understated normally. Nor was it that Gorman was absolutely hilarious, instead rather good-natured and nice, with jokes that were better when punchy rather than going on a tangent about station Parkways, even if it was relegated to the footnotes.

He was good at getting enough of the detail to create an atmosphere without describing every move of a game, and did a good job of featuring the interesting characters more. Crucially, he did not fall into the trap of labouring the point of how useless he was to get a cheap laugh, instead giving more honest appraisals as he travelled around the country. It says a lot for my prejudice that I was surprised he played against a few lone women, as I had the stereotype of fairly sad men at all times, which proved to be unfair. The end also came as a bit of a surprise, and I thought Gorman did well not to use this incident as bait to keep you reading.

It wasn't the most enticing concept and nor was it so engrossing that I will remember this for ages, but it was well-written and didn't feel like its 300+ pages at all to me.

[Daniel Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love Dave Gorman's style; it's easy to read, funny and entertaining. I also like how his obsessive nature is presented throughout the book, making you want to become obsessive about games too! You sometimes feel that he is describing things for the sake of it, as if he is trying to fill time between the challenges. But it is a well structured and well written book for the most part, with a string climactic ending, if not quite as good as his previous ones.

[Don Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this.

[Ali Frewin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

I really enjoyed this. I love games and I feel like I've learned about loads of new ones. It was also very entertaining, being written by a comedian.

[David Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, not exactly what i expected. I assumed from the title it was Dave playing a bunch of random games.. well it is.. but it's so much more than that.. it's his journey and the people he meets.. his life etc. It was a good read but even now i can't decide if i liked the format or not. That being said it was well written and interesting and even i'm tempted to look into a few games he mentions.

I love Dave, this book just wasn't as lighthearted as i expected... this isn't necessarily a bad thing

Worth reading definitely and i'll be buying a more of Dave's work in the future

[Trashed Panda Brew Co · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a massive Dave Gorman fan but had always stayed away from this book as I didn't think I liked the concept. I should've trusted Dave as it's as well written as the others and although this book guises itself as being about games it's a book about people.

Towards the end I felt myself drifting away from being as interested in the games and wanted more and the books climax certainly delivered in a shocking twist (I know this review reads like it's a crime book ... it's not and although a work of non fiction at one point an almighty gasp may have happened!!)

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not his funniest. But if you are a Gorman fan then give it a go

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave Gorman has taken on another project, as he is wont to do: this time it isn't finding other people named Dave Gorman, or finding people who own a website that has a Googlewhack on them, or even driving across the United States visiting only non-chain restaurants, hotels, and gas stations.

No, this time instead of taking one big vacation, he takes numerous small ones, spending a few days in different locations across the UK, to play games with people. As someone who is diving into the board game hobby myself, I was looking forward to someone else's writing about the hobby, especially someone who I know to be so funny.

Gorman throughout the book doesn't disappoint. He's funny, he meets nice people, and his ability to find the adventure in wacky non-topics is admirable. Sadly, Gorman's project also feels rather undefined. Reaching the opposite coast of the US or finding a chain of 10 Googlewhackers are clear-cut goals, whereas this book at times felt rather uninspired. Gorman simply takes people up on an invitation to come play a game -- no matter what kind of game. Many of the games are fun to read about, and most of them I don't know and will never play. But the lackluster commitment is most obvious in the area of gaming I like best: the deep, crunchy board game. Every time Gorman cannot grasp the game in one session, he feels less of a real participant and more of a pawn who's being told what to do.

So many of the games he enjoys are dexterity games, or old games that young Dave used to play. Every time, say, Carcassone or Tuscany or Settlers of Catan are mentioned, Gorman doesn't practice in order to get to know the board games better in order to be able to compete next time; no, he simply concludes those games are not for him. Of course, it's his book, they are his rules, and he doesn't HAVE to like the games (I know I don't, as they're competitive), but this limits the scope of the book and makes the project feel lacluster.

Instead, Gorman opted to write about local histories, or sceneries, longer that I cared for at times. Go play a game, tell me about the game and why it is so interesting or funny or why people are so enamored with it!

I liked the book, laughed out loud many times; but I also felt it was in many ways a missed opportunity.

[Tony Lawrence]

I've read a couple of Dave Gorman's books, he seems to find fun and quirky things to do ... in this he takes on the world at playing 'off-line' games.

*includes moderate spoiler* I don’t really want to give away the ending, except to say that the penultimate game took an unexpected twist. Nobody died, but DG had an experience that shook his worldview and mojo. It affected the mood and finale of the book, which is a shame. The book starts with Gorman having some time on his hands, working part-time, and building up to wedding preparations, so he asked the Twitterverse if anyone wanted to play a game with him. As you can imagine he got lots of replies, but hadn’t really decided how it would work … although he must have believed that a quirky book was the inevitable outcome sometime down the line!

There’s a lot of gentle humour, some insights into the British psyche, but mostly descriptions of Gorman travelling and playing games with various (mostly) strangers and oddballs. There are some familiar favourites board games here (Monopoly, Subbuteo, Cluedo), pub & blokey games (darts, dominoes, crib, poker). But the real stars were the strange and exotic gems that he finds; throwing games, Kubb, Frisbee and the Smite world championships; modern ‘German style’ games that DG doesn’t really get; and others that defy description, an emu-based gane, Lewes ‘toad in the hole’, Egyptian Laser Chess and ‘IDVE’ Intelligent Design Versus Evolution. This last one is, unfortunately the defining game for the book, as above, but I mostly enjoyed the journey and concept.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've read the blurb you could be forgiven for thinking that this isn't going to be the most gripping of reads...after all how exciting can it be reading about a game of Scrabble or darts? And truth be told, it might not be the most thrilling book you'll ever read but it's certainly an entertaining & an amusing one - if nothing else you can reminisce about games you were forced enjoyed playing as a child. The shortish chapters each cover a game giving enough info without becoming bogged down in details.

Dave is the ideal person for this task of travelling the country playing games. His instant & easy camaraderie with strangers (with one exception but I'll get to that later...) & his undoubted enthusiasm for games old & new is quite infectious.

He comes over as a really nice guy, even his odd swipes at some of the people he meets are never done with malice. Sadly there are some nutters out there & when Dave comes across one, I swear my heart was pounding as if I was reading a crime novel! While the encounter obviously shook him I'm glad he hasn't let it change him & he's still playing games. Good for you Dave!

[Alex Rendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave Gorman has conducted a number of social experiments and 'Dave Gorman vs. the Rest of the World' details one of these. He asks people on Twitter if they want to play a game and goes to meet random people in different parts of the UK to play games with them. Some games are familiar, others not so much. Not all of them are board games, which as a self-confessed board game geek I wasn't expecting from seeing the cover of the book and having read the synopsis, but that didn't stop me enjoying Gorman's anecdotes and witticisms. For the most part though it's the people he meets who are the stars of this story - some are game enthusiasts (one a world champion no less) while others are casual newcomers, but Gorman describes his encounters with them and makes it entertaining. The book rattles along gently and gets my nice 3-star rating - it's gentle and enjoyable. Without wanting to reveal any spoilers, the last chapter provides such a surprise that I almost added a fourth star on the basis of it alone.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I've had for some time now, courtesy of someone not keeping their Dave Gorman books on their shelves (some people…). This one I think proves most that this is not so much about the destination, or the travel, or the pub-borne quest, but the people. In hoiking around the four corners of England (and turning up in Edinburgh, too) Dave sets to playing different games – board games, card games, pub swinging-or-launching-things-at-things games – and enjoys their novelty, and that novelty that comes from the person introducing it to him. Yes he can discuss Sheffield men and their proclivity to age early, and the problems with getting taxis when world championship events are held in rural SW England, and he can easily bring lots of games to our attention we might have lapsed in our play of, or that will be completely new to us, but it's all about the people. And Dave G remains a very readable example. Like the others up to this stage in his output, at least, a strong four stars.

[Mike Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read and enjoyed a couple of other Dave Gorman books - Googlewhack Adventure and the search for other Dave Gormans - so had high hopes of this one.

The premise is that Gorman invited Twitter to a game and visited people to play various board and other games. On the plus side, his writing style is very much his own voice and that is therefore easy to read and engaging. On the downside, the book lacks the narrative thread of the other adventures so you end up with a book that is a series of episodic anecdotes, brief descriptions of games and maybe a short piece of travel writing. This formula is repeated over and over again and becomes repetitive.

Stick with it though, because in the last two chapters, there is a bit of a payoff and it ends the book well. (Alternatively, read as many chapters as you can until you get bored, then skip to the penultimate chapter).

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of writing about games and UK travel, laced with humour. Some of the games were new to me whilst others I’ve either played or have at least heard of. There’s a lot about darts. Yawn.
One thing that struck me about this book is the male privilege. Not a criticism of the author but an observation. Dave meets up with strangers in their homes, in towns other than his own, at night, on his own etc - all risky but especially so if he were a woman. In fact, I doubt a woman could and would embark on such an endeavour without feeling at risk almost all the time.... and that is vexing.
Dave does have one very bad encounter with a religious nutter. It was bad enough but could have been even worse. I felt tense reading that chapter. The rest of the book is lighter and funny, however.
Read if you’re into board games or physical games. And darts. Lots of darts.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Dave Gorman's for a while now. He's equally funny telling stories of the strange adventures he's been on, as well as exploring everyday minutiae. This book is somewhere in the middle. It's the story of a strange adventure he went on, except... almost nothing of note happened to him on his adventures. He went and played some games with strangers around Britain. Cool. That's a cool thing to do. But it's not exactly book material. There's some interesting stories here and there (including a great one right at the very end) but this mostly reads like a diary. But it's a diary written by a smart, funny person, and I suppose that counts for something.

[Lisa Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dave Gorman is one of my favourite comedians, and I'm happy that he's also a bloody good writer. He's funny on the page, articulate, constructs a well-balanced tale, and has none of the annoying habits that some other comedians have when they're writing (ranging from appearing illiterate to just being plain sloppy). This book has no great plan to it, no trek across a continent, no 'destination Dave' to aspire to - but it's still engaging and interesting. He also comes across as sweet, considerate, down to earth, and the sort of person I wouldn't hate to sit next to on a train. Good on ya, Dave. Still a fan xxx

[P I Broster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Dave Gorman vs the rest of the world is not as wildly ambitious as some of his other endeavours have been, but just as much fun. Dave Gorman’s love of meeting new people and his positive approach to life is infectious. With the exception of that one somewhat disturbing encounter, this book shows how enjoyable and full of possibilities life can be when one makes a positive effort to engage with the world. This is a feel-good book that will appeal to all who love
Dave’s other books, the books of Danny Wallace and George Mahood, and anyone who needs reminding that there are far more kind, amiable and welcoming people around than the news and hate filled Twitter feeds might have one believe.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Dave Gorman doing odd things in a funny way. Not as mad as Are you Dave Gorman? or GoogleWhack Adventure as he's just pottering round doing it for fun but still an enjoyable romp to see what games he plays and what he gets up to.

Khet sounds a fun game i might look up and Mrs Gorman (as he refers to her in Modern Life is Goodish) now has a name!

The incident with the IDVE is like something out of a Steven King novel but luckily he doesn't end up with broken legs just s lightly sore cheek.

Great read if you like his other books.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first audiobook so I was a bit worried about not listening properly and feeling like I hadn't actually properly read the book. While I blanked out a few times, I really enjoyed the experience, and the book!

I've read most of Dave Gorman's books (and seen him live a couple of times) and I enjoyed this as much as I expected. It wasn't quite as outrageous or structured as some of his other 'projects' but really enjoyable overall!

[Lazy Cornish Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great great listen about Dave Gorman's travels across the UK playing games. Informative, funny and light hearted. Just the tonic. Particularly liked the chapters about Cornwall and the Lake District (and the hotel house boat!)

I highly recommend this book particularly the audio book version. Thank you Dave for accompanying me on my daily walks. (smiley face) Hopefully you are writing Part 2?

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Majority of this was very funny and I enjoyed going along the journey with him playing different games (some I hadn't heard of and am keen to give a try at some point), however there was points that were hard to get through but I did feel for him with the attic story and the situation with Steve was absolutely horrid but I'm glad it didn't stop him doing what he enjoys 👍

[Lee Savery · Rating 4 out of 5]

In life, there's always one "Steve" who ruins the fun of others. I'm glad it didn't stop Dave playing games. I loved his enthusiasm for every one as it's something I share about all games as well.

So, do you fancy a game?

[Gareth Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man plays games of various quality, but its less about the games as it is about his interaction with others, and the drama it invites.

Fairly amusing, and good natured. Not sure if a 100% accurate, with added artistic license, but good fun all the same.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start. I too love games and was brought up on the ancient style Monopoly board Dave describes and have many fond memories of it. Definitely a good read and a surprising ending. It's also made me rather interested in playing Khet and Toad in the Hole. Another corker from Dave! :)

[Mia Tiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read. Lots of fun tales of meeting random people and analysing their oddities - under the backdrop of all sorts of board games, card games etc. One star lost for the cringe factor but overall great book

[Emma McArdle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, easy read. Which is sometimes all you want out of a book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me laugh so much. Deffo won't be playing IDVE any time soon!

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good read of an interesting project. I had been inspired by his 'are you Dave Gorman project and defiantly need to play more games.