What do you think?
Rate this book
Who Hunts the Whale
Supremacy Software is the world’s largest video-game developer and publisher. If you’ve played games, you’ve played one of theirs at some point. They’re the shining light, a dream job for many aspiring game developers.
Who Hunts the Whale tells the story of a newly hired PA taking a seat in the executive boardroom. An out-of-towner who risked it all to come to the big city and live her dream of working for a company she’s idolised for years.
But she soon discovers the cynical side of things. Stolen ideas, long hours, managerial impropriety – will she risk her ideal career and take a stand for those who dare not speak, or keep quiet in the face of a powerful, litigious corporation?
Written by industry insider Laura Kate Dale and (small ‘g’) gamer Jane Aerith Magnet, Who Hunts the Whale takes a witty, satirical look at the human cost of a rapacious market that must constantly be fed new content.
Who Hunts the Whale tells the story of a newly hired PA taking a seat in the executive boardroom. An out-of-towner who risked it all to come to the big city and live her dream of working for a company she’s idolised for years.
But she soon discovers the cynical side of things. Stolen ideas, long hours, managerial impropriety – will she risk her ideal career and take a stand for those who dare not speak, or keep quiet in the face of a powerful, litigious corporation?
Written by industry insider Laura Kate Dale and (small ‘g’) gamer Jane Aerith Magnet, Who Hunts the Whale takes a witty, satirical look at the human cost of a rapacious market that must constantly be fed new content.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 2023
12 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Laura Kate Dale
6 books130 followersSo, who am I? I've spent the last years as a freelance games critic, written for pretty much every gaming publication under the sun, and have a passion for digging down to the stories PR teams are not eager to talk about.
I love weird little indie games about sex imps living in Anne Hathaway's mouth, big sprawling JRPGs, and serious in depth discussions of the artistic value of video game character buttock designs.
I'm always looking for interesting stories about games, the people making them, and the stories that happened along the way to store shelves. If you've got a hot scoop, drop me an email or hit me up on Twitter.
I love weird little indie games about sex imps living in Anne Hathaway's mouth, big sprawling JRPGs, and serious in depth discussions of the artistic value of video game character buttock designs.
I'm always looking for interesting stories about games, the people making them, and the stories that happened along the way to store shelves. If you've got a hot scoop, drop me an email or hit me up on Twitter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 24, 2023
Un roman à thèse (beaucoup plus qu'une satire) sur l'industrie du jeu vidéo qui combine un peu tous les problèmes de cette industrie (harcèlement, harcèlement sexuel, "crunch", microtransactions, salaire bas, etc.) dans une même narration. C'est plutôt bien écrit et intéressant pour un premier roman, mais au niveau narratif, il ne se passe pas grand chose sinon le combat de la protagoniste pour exposer les torts de l'entreprise, il n'y a pas de dilemme moral, de choix difficile, etc. Tout est vraiment centré autour des problèmes de l'industrie exposé de manière un peu caricatural parfois.
Quiconque regarde un peu la chaîne YouTube Jimquisition et le travail de Dale (dont le travail est personnifié dans le roman sous la forme d'un enquêteur journalistique) ne sera pas surpris du contenu du roman et n'apprendra malheureusement pas grand chose.
Quiconque regarde un peu la chaîne YouTube Jimquisition et le travail de Dale (dont le travail est personnifié dans le roman sous la forme d'un enquêteur journalistique) ne sera pas surpris du contenu du roman et n'apprendra malheureusement pas grand chose.
March 22, 2023
Read this review and hundreds more at The Quill To Live.
Who Hunts The Whale, by Laura Kate Dale and Jane Aerith Magnet, comes from the Unbound crowdfunding platform. The novel offers a look inside a fictional AAA game development company through the lens of a wide-eyed new hire with big dreams. It fits the recent trend of novels set in this arena, alongside the likes of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
Avery Paige is a young, queer gamer who has always dreamed of working for one of her favorite gaming companies. That dream comes true when she’s hired as a Personal Assistant for the board members of Supremacy Software. Supremacy dominates the gaming world with its yearly releases in the Call of Shooty franchise. As she sits in on meetings with Rick, Chad, and Edwin—the company’s board of business bros—Avery realizes her dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. She takes matters into her own hands and starts recording conversations and jotting down notes of all the terrible things happening on the inside. She intends to take Supremacy’s leadership down singlehandedly.
Let me start with the good. I liked one thing about Who Hunts The Whale: its message. I come from an industry adjacent to video gaming, and I’ve seen firsthand the sort of corporate fuckery that goes on amidst the dull grey cubicles while the guys in suits make all the money for doing virtually nothing. Based on the accounts I’ve read of recent issues in the video game space, Dale and Magnet get this environment spot on. Both of the authors have experience in this industry, and it shows. The book balances compassion for the people who make the games we love with contempt for the executives who treat them like dogshit. They take time to highlight practically every problem plaguing the gaming industry today: sexual harassment, crunch, releasing an unfinished product, the general world’s view of games as a thing for kids not to be taken seriously, “corporate culture” and “we are a family” propaganda, and much more. The authors have done a commendable thing in packing so many of these issues into one relatively short novel (it clocks in at around 250 pages).
The problem with Who Hunts The Whale, for me, starts here. It’s more message than it is novel. It’s branded as a satirical novel, but it reads more as sarcastic creative nonfiction. The plot and characters are incredibly thin. The execution leaves a lot to be desired. So while it’s a commendable outing in terms of its goals, Who Hunts The Whale is difficult to recommend as a book.
The characters in Who Hunts The Whale function mainly as caricatures. Not a bad thing in theory, mind you. Rick, Chad, and Edwin are exactly the kind of asshole executives I’ve encountered in my time in corporate America. However, none of the characters—even our protagonist—extend beyond a few minor details. Avery Paige is a gamer. She loves to play games. She has dreamed of working for a game studio. These are just about the only things we learn about her in the novel. There’s some further characterization as the novel moves on. For example, it’s clear that she cares about people, and she actively tries to help them through their struggles. Despite this, she’s in a position of power, as the developers see it. She works in the C-Suite with the executives. She sticks around to incriminate them, but that’s hard to reconcile with the fact that she is also the one laddering down their commands to the workers on the floors below.
Similar issues arise with the plot. It’s a firsthand account of everything as it happens from Avery’s point of view. Because there are no deep characters for the reader to relate to, it reads like a disconnected account of the general goings-on at a gaming company. The real character going through the actions is the larger entity: Supremacy Software. Avery’s mission to take down the bad actors within functions as our driving conflict, but the book seems more concerned with simply telling us what’s happening at the company.
All of these issues are bound together by one bigger problem: the prose and format. Who Hunts The Whale is ostensibly told in the form of Avery’s journal and as meeting minutes from her time with the executives. Her diary entries are incredibly long, and they feature full stretches of verbatim dialogue, as though she has remembered every word uttered to or near her throughout the day. The “Meeting Minutes” sections are just more diary entries, recounting her thoughts and feelings during sessions with the executives. I’d have loved to see an actual attempt at note-taking to break up the journal entry sections; it would’ve brought some stylistic flair to the novel. Overall, the prose is lacking. The dialogue is stiff and robotic, with characters over-explaining everything. It reads as really unnatural. The prose is similar. It’s not awful, but it could’ve used some line editing to spruce things up and make the book more punchy in its delivery.
By now, you’ve probably guessed I wasn’t a fan of Who Hunts The Whale. To be clear, I am reviewing it on its merits as a novel. As a message, and as a call to action for the gaming industry, it’s an interesting and unique piece of work. It probably could’ve functioned better as a creative nonfiction piece, but I still appreciate the message within.
Who Hunts The Whale, by Laura Kate Dale and Jane Aerith Magnet, comes from the Unbound crowdfunding platform. The novel offers a look inside a fictional AAA game development company through the lens of a wide-eyed new hire with big dreams. It fits the recent trend of novels set in this arena, alongside the likes of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
Avery Paige is a young, queer gamer who has always dreamed of working for one of her favorite gaming companies. That dream comes true when she’s hired as a Personal Assistant for the board members of Supremacy Software. Supremacy dominates the gaming world with its yearly releases in the Call of Shooty franchise. As she sits in on meetings with Rick, Chad, and Edwin—the company’s board of business bros—Avery realizes her dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. She takes matters into her own hands and starts recording conversations and jotting down notes of all the terrible things happening on the inside. She intends to take Supremacy’s leadership down singlehandedly.
Let me start with the good. I liked one thing about Who Hunts The Whale: its message. I come from an industry adjacent to video gaming, and I’ve seen firsthand the sort of corporate fuckery that goes on amidst the dull grey cubicles while the guys in suits make all the money for doing virtually nothing. Based on the accounts I’ve read of recent issues in the video game space, Dale and Magnet get this environment spot on. Both of the authors have experience in this industry, and it shows. The book balances compassion for the people who make the games we love with contempt for the executives who treat them like dogshit. They take time to highlight practically every problem plaguing the gaming industry today: sexual harassment, crunch, releasing an unfinished product, the general world’s view of games as a thing for kids not to be taken seriously, “corporate culture” and “we are a family” propaganda, and much more. The authors have done a commendable thing in packing so many of these issues into one relatively short novel (it clocks in at around 250 pages).
The problem with Who Hunts The Whale, for me, starts here. It’s more message than it is novel. It’s branded as a satirical novel, but it reads more as sarcastic creative nonfiction. The plot and characters are incredibly thin. The execution leaves a lot to be desired. So while it’s a commendable outing in terms of its goals, Who Hunts The Whale is difficult to recommend as a book.
The characters in Who Hunts The Whale function mainly as caricatures. Not a bad thing in theory, mind you. Rick, Chad, and Edwin are exactly the kind of asshole executives I’ve encountered in my time in corporate America. However, none of the characters—even our protagonist—extend beyond a few minor details. Avery Paige is a gamer. She loves to play games. She has dreamed of working for a game studio. These are just about the only things we learn about her in the novel. There’s some further characterization as the novel moves on. For example, it’s clear that she cares about people, and she actively tries to help them through their struggles. Despite this, she’s in a position of power, as the developers see it. She works in the C-Suite with the executives. She sticks around to incriminate them, but that’s hard to reconcile with the fact that she is also the one laddering down their commands to the workers on the floors below.
Similar issues arise with the plot. It’s a firsthand account of everything as it happens from Avery’s point of view. Because there are no deep characters for the reader to relate to, it reads like a disconnected account of the general goings-on at a gaming company. The real character going through the actions is the larger entity: Supremacy Software. Avery’s mission to take down the bad actors within functions as our driving conflict, but the book seems more concerned with simply telling us what’s happening at the company.
All of these issues are bound together by one bigger problem: the prose and format. Who Hunts The Whale is ostensibly told in the form of Avery’s journal and as meeting minutes from her time with the executives. Her diary entries are incredibly long, and they feature full stretches of verbatim dialogue, as though she has remembered every word uttered to or near her throughout the day. The “Meeting Minutes” sections are just more diary entries, recounting her thoughts and feelings during sessions with the executives. I’d have loved to see an actual attempt at note-taking to break up the journal entry sections; it would’ve brought some stylistic flair to the novel. Overall, the prose is lacking. The dialogue is stiff and robotic, with characters over-explaining everything. It reads as really unnatural. The prose is similar. It’s not awful, but it could’ve used some line editing to spruce things up and make the book more punchy in its delivery.
By now, you’ve probably guessed I wasn’t a fan of Who Hunts The Whale. To be clear, I am reviewing it on its merits as a novel. As a message, and as a call to action for the gaming industry, it’s an interesting and unique piece of work. It probably could’ve functioned better as a creative nonfiction piece, but I still appreciate the message within.
February 16, 2023
I initially intended to read one chapter of this before sleep. Next thing I know, it's morning and I've finished. A gripping story with realistic characters, I went through a whole load of different emotions and came out wanting more. A must read if you're at all interested in large companies or game development works, or want to see one person against a giant corporation.
July 22, 2023
Very enjoyable read
March 22, 2023
Who Hunts the Whale is a satire that takes on everything bad in the videogames industry. It follows Avery, who gets a job as an executive assistant at Supremacy Software, one of the world's largest games companies. The job gives her a front-row seat to the excesses and abuses of the executive class. As the story progresses, things go from bad to worse for the developers unlucky enough to work for Supremacy, and Avery decides to take matters into her own hands.
The cast of characters is as diverse as you could hope for, the prose is snappy, and while the book takes on some serious themes, there are some laugh-out-loud moments and some great running gags. The names of the energy drinks are worth the price of admission alone. I did think the villains were heavily on the pantomime side of the fence, though, and it would have been a more powerful book if things had been reined in a little more on that front.
The sad thing about the story is that if you take a step back from the over-the-top villains, this could all be true, and Supremacy software wouldn't even be the worst place to work in the industry.
The cast of characters is as diverse as you could hope for, the prose is snappy, and while the book takes on some serious themes, there are some laugh-out-loud moments and some great running gags. The names of the energy drinks are worth the price of admission alone. I did think the villains were heavily on the pantomime side of the fence, though, and it would have been a more powerful book if things had been reined in a little more on that front.
The sad thing about the story is that if you take a step back from the over-the-top villains, this could all be true, and Supremacy software wouldn't even be the worst place to work in the industry.
February 11, 2023
A recontextualising of events in the games industry that definitely didn't happen at Triple-A sector studios that absolutely do not exist, Who Hunts The Whale offers a funny, if sad account of what it's like to work in a career so many thousands aspire to, in one of the largest studios. With respect to the authorial intent, I won't name the studios that absolutely are *not* being referenced by the book, but rest assured the kind of attitudes exhibited by the executive staff, and the conditions their employees are under, are prevalent throughout this sector of the industry.
Both authors Laura Kate Dale and Jane Aerith Magnet have done extensive research to reflect the conditions of the industry they're familiar with. As someone who does work in this industry, I can add even more accounts that mirror those in the book to other studios, cited from similar sources.
The plot follows someone who much resembles myself in their adulation of this part of the industry. The big titles we grew up playing, that had all the flash and spectacle that captured children's minds everywhere. They are treated like how prospective employees in this industry are; every candidate is replaceable and more than likely just a number, even when they're employed. Paige is made very aware that she is just a cog in the machine that will just be exchanged without another thought if she so much as gets too many coffee orders wrong. It's telling that, just off the release of the book, that the industry is starting to see a spate of layoffs to increase profit margins in this sector.
Paige is quickly shown what it's like on the other side of the curtain; executives stealing from their workers, wilfully exploiting customers, paving over the cracks and all manner of deplorable behaviour. She finds solidarity in colleagues who have learned to mess with the system while keeping themselves comfortable, other employees who aren't directly part of game development, and comisserating with the developers who are having their work/life balance held hostage for completely inane reasons.
I'll admit, a lot of this, the dissilusionment with the state of the industry and the people who exploit the working classes, makes it a hard book to contemplate afterwards. That's not the point of the book, though. The point of the book is that no matter how bad the landscape in the industry gets, the workers have each other, and it wouldn't exist without us. Games are best when we make them for ourselves, a sentiment I've thankfully had for long enough to be perfectly comfortable saying that I don't want to work in Triple-A games development. It just is not worth it.
Both authors Laura Kate Dale and Jane Aerith Magnet have done extensive research to reflect the conditions of the industry they're familiar with. As someone who does work in this industry, I can add even more accounts that mirror those in the book to other studios, cited from similar sources.
The plot follows someone who much resembles myself in their adulation of this part of the industry. The big titles we grew up playing, that had all the flash and spectacle that captured children's minds everywhere. They are treated like how prospective employees in this industry are; every candidate is replaceable and more than likely just a number, even when they're employed. Paige is made very aware that she is just a cog in the machine that will just be exchanged without another thought if she so much as gets too many coffee orders wrong. It's telling that, just off the release of the book, that the industry is starting to see a spate of layoffs to increase profit margins in this sector.
Paige is quickly shown what it's like on the other side of the curtain; executives stealing from their workers, wilfully exploiting customers, paving over the cracks and all manner of deplorable behaviour. She finds solidarity in colleagues who have learned to mess with the system while keeping themselves comfortable, other employees who aren't directly part of game development, and comisserating with the developers who are having their work/life balance held hostage for completely inane reasons.
I'll admit, a lot of this, the dissilusionment with the state of the industry and the people who exploit the working classes, makes it a hard book to contemplate afterwards. That's not the point of the book, though. The point of the book is that no matter how bad the landscape in the industry gets, the workers have each other, and it wouldn't exist without us. Games are best when we make them for ourselves, a sentiment I've thankfully had for long enough to be perfectly comfortable saying that I don't want to work in Triple-A games development. It just is not worth it.
February 28, 2023
A satirical, anti-capitalist account of what it might be like to work within AAA game development; I found "Who Hunts the Whale" to be altogether an enjoyable read, despite the subject of the content. Littered with witty, laugh-out-loud humour throughout, this book never feels like a chore to read, you can pick it up whenever you want and be easily immersed in the world Dale and Magnet have created.
The only criticism I would make would be that the picnic scene did feel a bit out of place, given that we hadn't had any indication that this was happening at a senior/executive level before then, but I altogether understand why it was written in. I think that personally I found it a bit jarring, but then, who is to say that wasn't the author's intent?
But, overall, this book succeeded in:
1. Making me feel seen as a queer, AuDHD person
2. Making me chuckle on many occasions
3. Offering a genuine critique on how modern video games are produced
4. Leaving me with a hopeful sentiment that our systems can change...and important, and responsible thing for the authors to have done given the weight of the subjects discussed
Just read it.
The only criticism I would make would be that the picnic scene did feel a bit out of place, given that we hadn't had any indication that this was happening at a senior/executive level before then, but I altogether understand why it was written in. I think that personally I found it a bit jarring, but then, who is to say that wasn't the author's intent?
But, overall, this book succeeded in:
1. Making me feel seen as a queer, AuDHD person
2. Making me chuckle on many occasions
3. Offering a genuine critique on how modern video games are produced
4. Leaving me with a hopeful sentiment that our systems can change...and important, and responsible thing for the authors to have done given the weight of the subjects discussed
Just read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2023
Disclosure: I invested money to help crowdfund this book.
This book really shines a spotlight on working conditions in the game industry while keeping a tongue and cheek approach to its satirical nature. This helps me laugh at the absurdity of capitalism in a way that is almost therapeutic. The following notes come from a place of love for the story and characters.
The book comes across as a little preachy as it pushes its readers to embrace the leftist/anti-capitalist narrative (which I wholeheartedly support) but in a way that was slightly “ham-fisted”. I would LOVE to see this book expanded in length and these narratives subtly sprinkled in rather than just force-fed to the readers at an increasingly faster pace as the book draws to a close.
The authors, who I have incredible professional respect for, seemed to have some issues in localization. The main character in the book is American but says things like “lift” or “paycheque”. I think it’s most likely the fault of the editors for not helping edit the draft to state that matches the region of the main character.
I LOVE Laura’s work and I will be here for the next one.
This book really shines a spotlight on working conditions in the game industry while keeping a tongue and cheek approach to its satirical nature. This helps me laugh at the absurdity of capitalism in a way that is almost therapeutic. The following notes come from a place of love for the story and characters.
The book comes across as a little preachy as it pushes its readers to embrace the leftist/anti-capitalist narrative (which I wholeheartedly support) but in a way that was slightly “ham-fisted”. I would LOVE to see this book expanded in length and these narratives subtly sprinkled in rather than just force-fed to the readers at an increasingly faster pace as the book draws to a close.
The authors, who I have incredible professional respect for, seemed to have some issues in localization. The main character in the book is American but says things like “lift” or “paycheque”. I think it’s most likely the fault of the editors for not helping edit the draft to state that matches the region of the main character.
I LOVE Laura’s work and I will be here for the next one.
May 18, 2023
Loved it. A very enjoyable read if you are interested in the video game industry. The heroine starts working in a "fictive" big video game company (although with the events described, the names of a few big video game companies recently caught in scandal will come to mind...). We see through her (at first) naive eyes the increasingly over-the-top sanscharge de-humanizing events that happen at the company over the development of the latest game in a multimillion video game franchise. The critical of the industry is scathing, from the harassment of women to crunch culture, wearing people to the bones until they live the industry disillusioned and shareholders producing a game they know is bad and disappointing but will still earn them a lot of money. Everything is at the same time over-the-top but resonating with the current video game industry if you follow the news.
The ending is very cynical and disabused but yet with a silver lining and a touching message about finding one's community and fighting as a group (a not so subtil message to unionize?).
A reading I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend warmly.
The ending is very cynical and disabused but yet with a silver lining and a touching message about finding one's community and fighting as a group (a not so subtil message to unionize?).
A reading I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend warmly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2023
Who Hunts the Whale is a narrative about an insider's look at the video game industry where everything wrong with the industry cranked up to 11. This is satire, however what makes it so infuriating is that it feels close enough to the truth that I'm sure plenty of things very similar to, if not exactly like, what happens in the book have happened in real life. The writing style is very relatable and approachable, however this does what a lot of "gamer" stories do where a character thinks about life in terms of experience points, quests, and defeating endgame bosses. No one I know
thinks like that and it bugs me so much when I read it. It doesn't pop up a ton, but at least once per chapter, so if you cannot stand that you may want to shy away. The main character is relatable, and easy to root for. The context of the book being her journal does strain credulity at times, but that's a minor complaint. Overall I would recommend this book, just be prepared to feel very angry at times.
thinks like that and it bugs me so much when I read it. It doesn't pop up a ton, but at least once per chapter, so if you cannot stand that you may want to shy away. The main character is relatable, and easy to root for. The context of the book being her journal does strain credulity at times, but that's a minor complaint. Overall I would recommend this book, just be prepared to feel very angry at times.
May 28, 2023
I helped crowdfund this book, which makes me feel bad that I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I hoped. Dale and Magnet write a satire of the modern videogame industry that is ridiculously unsubtle, in ways that detract from the true-to-life horrors depicted. It's clear that much of the novel comes from Dale's career in games journalism, and there are parts which feel urgent and awful, and character moments that are genuinely lovely. But it's spoiled by the eye-rolling absurdity of the comedy, and shot through with long rants that feel like they've been transcribed verbatim from Dale's previous work. It's subtitled as "a satirical novel set in the exploitative world of big-budget game development", and that is exactly what it is, but it left me very cold and frustrated.
February 28, 2023
Do you like video games?
Do you like characters who want to stand up against workplace abuse?
Would it make you laugh to read a satirisation of how insane the AAA video game industry has become?
Do you like books that are easy to read?
Well this is the book for you!
Cool little story about a young woman who gets a job that gives her inside access to the executives of Supremacy Software. She meets cool peeps, goes to game conferences, makes increasingly strong coffees while liaising between the villainous execs and the poor overworked dev team who barely knows what day it is
Definitely check it out!
Do you like characters who want to stand up against workplace abuse?
Would it make you laugh to read a satirisation of how insane the AAA video game industry has become?
Do you like books that are easy to read?
Well this is the book for you!
Cool little story about a young woman who gets a job that gives her inside access to the executives of Supremacy Software. She meets cool peeps, goes to game conferences, makes increasingly strong coffees while liaising between the villainous execs and the poor overworked dev team who barely knows what day it is
Definitely check it out!
February 6, 2023
This book is definitely fiction and definitely not about real things happening in the video game industry. This is a great work of fiction that doesn't resemble life at Activision Blizzard or Ubisoft at all. In fact I don't even know why I mentioned those two completely random companies off the top of my head. It's also not about McDonald's and I didn't randomly name a third non video game company to throw anyone off the scent of the other two. Why would I? This book is fiction.
March 11, 2023
Absolutely fantastic book. I'm a fan of Laura via her youtube channel and this is the first book I've read. Absolutely amazing; funny, engaging and an amazing satirization of the games industry, well paces just fantastic. And a really interesting experience because as someone who follows gaming I did recognize some of the cases she brings up, it's not ALL fictional (just with details changed). Don't skip on this one.
February 19, 2023
This is supposed to be satire, but the fact that it is simply a retelling of all the nonsense in the gaming industry makes it just creative non-fiction at this point. I do love the “not too obvious” references and homages in the book. Also, the idea of anti-capitalist pro-union match three romance mobile games is amazing.
September 11, 2023
Was a fun read, though it's not at all subtle; the villains are cartoonishly evil and cruel, for example, but the story really does capture the feeling of coming into an industry with high hopes and then becoming increasingly disillusioned and bogged down by oppressive corporatism.
Many of the satirical game titles made me chuckle.
Many of the satirical game titles made me chuckle.
March 26, 2023
This is an amazing accomplishment considering this is the first foray of the couple into fiction. A gut punching look into the insides of the videogame industry. The depressing part is how little it is removed from the reality of the big AAA game companies.
February 14, 2023
While amazing funny in parts, take this for what it is, a highly accurate look into what can, and does, go on inside major gaming companies.
February 19, 2023
Read it in a day. Made me laugh a couple of times. Picked it up because I enjoyed Yesterday, Yesterday and Yesterday.
July 30, 2023
Good satire, albeit kinda over simplifies corporate structures to get the point across. But overall makes a great point about how workers can get stuck in abusive cultures.
January 11, 2024
A brilliant guide to anyone looking to write a diary-based satirical novel
March 29, 2024
2.5 rounded up. A fun read from Unbound but overall I found the book too hamfisted in its portrayal of misogyny and corporate greed which in turn made the characters fall very flat.
January 27, 2025
A blisteringly funny and existentially terrifying look at the games industry.
April 8, 2025
Depressingly true to life for a satirical novel; but the writing is witty enough to make it worth it. Also holy shit it's been two years, what is time.
February 28, 2023
I am one of the many who struggles with reading who found this book to be extremely accessible. Just a jolly good time going from chapter to chapter on the journey into Supremacy Software and the hardworking folk who make it all happen and one woman's fight to see if there could be a better world in the AAA video game industry
This book does an amazing job of presenting the horrors of AAA corporate video game company culture and practices in a way that is both endearing and hilarious. You meet some lovely characters along the way as the main character Avery comes to understand that her dream job is clashing with her values and natural desire to look out for others.
Authors Laura and Jane have done a great job creating this diary style journey that starts with Avery landing her dream job and slowly reveals the reality of how AAA games get made. Yes this is satire (very good satire at that) but a lot of the extreme examples of poor corporate behaviour are actually not far off the mark from the many gaming news articles that I have read over the years
I have always loved Laura and Jane's comedy (they do a super cute and funny podcast called Queer & Pleasant Strangers on Stoned Monkey Radio) and it was wonderful to see it put into print. I really look forward to more work from these 2 authors. Laura also has a great anthology book called Gender Euphoria which i highly recommend too
This book does an amazing job of presenting the horrors of AAA corporate video game company culture and practices in a way that is both endearing and hilarious. You meet some lovely characters along the way as the main character Avery comes to understand that her dream job is clashing with her values and natural desire to look out for others.
Authors Laura and Jane have done a great job creating this diary style journey that starts with Avery landing her dream job and slowly reveals the reality of how AAA games get made. Yes this is satire (very good satire at that) but a lot of the extreme examples of poor corporate behaviour are actually not far off the mark from the many gaming news articles that I have read over the years
I have always loved Laura and Jane's comedy (they do a super cute and funny podcast called Queer & Pleasant Strangers on Stoned Monkey Radio) and it was wonderful to see it put into print. I really look forward to more work from these 2 authors. Laura also has a great anthology book called Gender Euphoria which i highly recommend too
July 23, 2023
If you're looking for a really fantastic college creative writing assignment, you've found it! If you want great writing, sadly this misses the mark.
It gets 2 stars for effort, because it's not awful. It's just very sincerely amateur. Don't get me wrong, it's got a big heart and is reasonably well organized thematically. But there is an insane amount of exposition where the author (or main character) describes events that have already happened instead of putting you in the action and just describing what's happening as it happens.
Even more frustrating, when things do happen in real time (e.g. characters have dialogue, scenes unfold) the author takes great pains to detail exactly what it all *means* for you, leaving essentially nothing open to interpretation. The author telegraphs and summarizes the meaning of everything that happens on behalf of the reader. That type of writing may constitute fully half of the book, meaning the substance, the key plot ingredients and happenings are incredibly thin. And if you were hoping to find any novel interpretations of the plot while reading, the author makes sure to disabuse you of them. The book and story is very one dimensional and transparent in that way.
I applaud the authors for writing a book. I've never written one, I'm sure it's hard! But if you're not a friend of theirs or a crowd funder or a Gamer™, you could certainly do better than this.
It gets 2 stars for effort, because it's not awful. It's just very sincerely amateur. Don't get me wrong, it's got a big heart and is reasonably well organized thematically. But there is an insane amount of exposition where the author (or main character) describes events that have already happened instead of putting you in the action and just describing what's happening as it happens.
Even more frustrating, when things do happen in real time (e.g. characters have dialogue, scenes unfold) the author takes great pains to detail exactly what it all *means* for you, leaving essentially nothing open to interpretation. The author telegraphs and summarizes the meaning of everything that happens on behalf of the reader. That type of writing may constitute fully half of the book, meaning the substance, the key plot ingredients and happenings are incredibly thin. And if you were hoping to find any novel interpretations of the plot while reading, the author makes sure to disabuse you of them. The book and story is very one dimensional and transparent in that way.
I applaud the authors for writing a book. I've never written one, I'm sure it's hard! But if you're not a friend of theirs or a crowd funder or a Gamer™, you could certainly do better than this.
January 9, 2024
Who Hunts The Whale by Laura Kate Dale and Jane Aerate Magnet is a fun, satirical story about the evil desires of the video game industry. This book makes you laugh while satirising the horrors in the news over recent years about the AAA video game industry.
A newly hired PA takes a seat in the executive boardroom. But she soon discovers the cynical side of things. Stolen ideas, long hours, managerial impropriety – will she risk her ideal career and take a stand for those who dare not speak or keep quiet in the face of a powerful, litigious corporation?
Both authors Dale and Magnet have done extensive research to reflect the conditions of the industry they're familiar with. As someone who does work in this industry, I can add even more accounts that mirror those in the book to other studios, cited from similar sources. The cast of characters is as diverse as you could hope for, the prose is snappy, and while the book takes on some serious themes, there are some laugh-out-loud moments and great running gags. The villains were heavily on the pantomime side of the fence, which I assume was the point. You should admire this book's message: we all have each other during times of struggle.
February 6, 2023
do not waste your money buying this.
i got the ebook and couldn't even finish it because the writing was atrocious and lackluster. save your money.
i got the ebook and couldn't even finish it because the writing was atrocious and lackluster. save your money.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews