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Virtual Ascendance: Video Games and the Remaking of Reality
From school lunchrooms to the White House press room, video games are an integral part of our popular culture, and the industry behind them touches all aspects of our lives, gamer and non-gamer alike. Business and entertainment, health and medicine, politics and war, social interaction and education, all fall under its influence. Virtual Ascendance tells the story of a formerly fringe enterprise that, when few were paying attention, exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry affecting the very way we live. Griffiths paints a thorough and vivid picture of the video game industry, illuminating the various, and often bizarre, ways it s changing how we work, play and live. He brings readers along on his own journey of discovery, from the back room of a small Irish pub where members of the second-largest industry enclave meet each month, to a university clinic where the Wii is being used to treat Parkinson s sufferers and everywhere in between. Virtual Ascendance is more than just a story about video games, though. It s the story of an awakening, of a realization that a childhood pastime has exploded into a thriving enterprise one rooted in entertainment but whose tendrils reach into virtually all aspects of life and society.
- GenresNonfictionVideo Games
234 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2013
77 people want to read
About the author
Devin C. Griffiths
2 books1 followerWriting is in my blood: I began creating stories for myself (and anyone else who’d read them) in second grade. When asked by my teachers to keep a journal, all my entries centered around a character undertaking some sort of adventure–usually perilous. And while my peers were learning to type using instruction books and teaching templates, I taught myself the keyboard by composing stories on my dad’s manual typewriter, an old blue and white Smith-Corona with faded keys. At 15, I began writing professionally, and though the path has rarely been straight, I’ve kept on it ever since.
My first book, Virtual Ascendance: Video Games and the Remaking of Reality, was recently published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. It's a non-fiction book that explores the impact of games, game technology, and the video game industry on society, health, education, business, culture, and entertainment. As books, once published, are static, I also maintain the blog Reality Evolved: video games and the end of the world (as we know it), which covers a variety of current events and evolving issues, and follows the constantly-developing world of video games (http://devingriffiths.wordpress.com).
I've also started work on my second book, which is a departure from the topic presented in Virtual Ascendance. My second blog, A Symphony of Feathers: Wanderings and rambles in the company of birds (http://devincbirder.wordpress.com), provides a hint as to the subject.
My first book, Virtual Ascendance: Video Games and the Remaking of Reality, was recently published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. It's a non-fiction book that explores the impact of games, game technology, and the video game industry on society, health, education, business, culture, and entertainment. As books, once published, are static, I also maintain the blog Reality Evolved: video games and the end of the world (as we know it), which covers a variety of current events and evolving issues, and follows the constantly-developing world of video games (http://devingriffiths.wordpress.com).
I've also started work on my second book, which is a departure from the topic presented in Virtual Ascendance. My second blog, A Symphony of Feathers: Wanderings and rambles in the company of birds (http://devincbirder.wordpress.com), provides a hint as to the subject.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 30, 2013
Really good book for the general public about the impact of video games. Written in very engaging way.
January 14, 2014
Really fun, engaging and informative look at video gaming and it's impact on our world. If you like Mary Roach's kind of popular science books, I strongly suggest you check this out.
November 26, 2014
In every age of culture there have been those few stragglers who refuse to adapt and enjoy the microchip-infused fruits of the most recent generation's labor. From radio to television--from silent films to talkies--we put on our 20/20 nightvision goggles of retrospection and laugh at those people, pausing between heaving breaths to opine that the Xbox One is going to suck, not knowing that Microsoft's next-gen console will be eventually outfitted with nuclear-powered Godzilla mods designed by a power-mad Bill Gates, and that those mods will transform our Halo engines into skyscraper tall beasts that will annihilate any home with a Playstation or a Wii in it--and who'll be laughing then, you bastards?? It'll be us! The people who bought local!!!
Ahem.
So every age needs a little prodding along. Written by a former gamer of the Golden Age (he wistfully recounts playing games like Zork, Joust, and Ultima), Virtual Ascendance seems to be the book for just such a need. And while it covers no new ground for a seasoned game historian, it's fairly intriguing to see Griffiths peer at the gaming world from without. His eagerness almost seems as if he's finding out some of this information at the same time the reader is--you can imagine him practically shouting "People get paid to play video games?? Holy shit!"
Right off the bat, it becomes clear that this book was written for a fairly specific audience--one that I don't belong to (one of the chapters is subtitled "Casual Games (or, Gaming for the Rest of Us)). Indeed, Virtual Ascendance could be a terrific primer for involved parents concerned with little Skyler as he bends himself into a C shape to play Pokémon on his Nintendo DS. The anecdotal introduction lags, and the writing feels first draft at times: Griffith actually spends time explaining the metaphor of an iceberg to his reader, something you'd think he or his editor would recognize as one of the most well-worn chestnuts of the creative writing world.
Griffith's focus shifts across a great number of video game specifics. His brief history of gaming time periods is well-researched, and never once do you question his enthusiasm. What you do question, however, are his intentions. Initially, I found moments that heartened me to what Griffith was doing with his book. At times, it felt that he truly believed video games to be the next great art form. But time and time again, he came back to the money involved--professional gaming, movie adaptations, and the big budget AAA games that explode onto the scene out of cocoons woven out of their billion dollar budgets. The desire here, I suppose, is to shake people by the collars and force them to understand that video games are legit because look at all this money! When he isn't paying too much attention to the explosions and flash of dollar signs, he brings up negative aspects that are in no way related to games on the whole. Too much of Virtual Ascendance focuses on fringe elements of gaming culture for me to take it all that seriously in the long run.
Not to suggest that he doesn't try to cover his bases. When he focuses on marriages being destroyed through virtual infidelity, or a case in which a Chinese man was murdered over an virtual theft, he makes sure to point out that these events are in the minority, and that they are exceptions to the rule. He then points out examples of people finding love and creating trust-filled relationships with others, using video games like Second Life as a buffer. And then he goes right back to horror stories of virtual rape and PTSD.
Now, to be perfectly fair, Mr. Griffith's intention here was to illustrate how very attached a player can become to their avatar, and that there is scientific evidence to back a very real emotional connection between the two. But by focusing on the negative events as he does, his interest in how far games have come turns into a quiet sort of fear that puts me back in the mindset of parents blaming Doom and Marilyn Manson for the Columbine massacre. This is made doubly damning when you remember that Griffith has made a point to say that he's never played MMO-style games like WoW or Eve, "for fear of becoming irretrievably lost in their virtual realms". He takes several opportunities to say that his cited examples of violence and rape are extreme examples of what could happen in a virtual world, but when you dedicate as much space on the page to the negative 1 percent as the positive 99 percent, it feels like the damage is done.
Shortly afterward, Griffith extols the virtues of using game technology for military training--a fascinating idea that deserves an entire book to itself. And therein lies the problem: what sort of book is he writing here? The subtitle, "Video Games and the Remaking of Reality" tells us nothing beyond the generally vague notion that this is a book about games. It's too editorial to be a history book, and it touches on several subjects without cracking them open and getting to the deeper nougaty center within. So what we're left with is another vague book about video games that implies a great deal and only says a little.
But what it does say is important. If I had to pinpoint Virtual Ascendance's main virtue, it would have to be an overarching theme of "We're All Gamers". This message is one that I think we could use a little more time to ponder. The fact that a love of games doesn't set you apart from society, but does the exact opposite, pulling you deeper into the fold of humanity.
Despite all the vagueness of Griffith's ideas, 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. At its worst, it's a book that feels vague and undercooked--something that could take the paranoid mumblings of uninformed politicians and parents and make them into shouts. This is exemplified when Griffith says that video games are neither good nor bad, that "video games simply are".
Personally, I'd like to see him pick a side.
Ahem.
So every age needs a little prodding along. Written by a former gamer of the Golden Age (he wistfully recounts playing games like Zork, Joust, and Ultima), Virtual Ascendance seems to be the book for just such a need. And while it covers no new ground for a seasoned game historian, it's fairly intriguing to see Griffiths peer at the gaming world from without. His eagerness almost seems as if he's finding out some of this information at the same time the reader is--you can imagine him practically shouting "People get paid to play video games?? Holy shit!"
Right off the bat, it becomes clear that this book was written for a fairly specific audience--one that I don't belong to (one of the chapters is subtitled "Casual Games (or, Gaming for the Rest of Us)). Indeed, Virtual Ascendance could be a terrific primer for involved parents concerned with little Skyler as he bends himself into a C shape to play Pokémon on his Nintendo DS. The anecdotal introduction lags, and the writing feels first draft at times: Griffith actually spends time explaining the metaphor of an iceberg to his reader, something you'd think he or his editor would recognize as one of the most well-worn chestnuts of the creative writing world.
Griffith's focus shifts across a great number of video game specifics. His brief history of gaming time periods is well-researched, and never once do you question his enthusiasm. What you do question, however, are his intentions. Initially, I found moments that heartened me to what Griffith was doing with his book. At times, it felt that he truly believed video games to be the next great art form. But time and time again, he came back to the money involved--professional gaming, movie adaptations, and the big budget AAA games that explode onto the scene out of cocoons woven out of their billion dollar budgets. The desire here, I suppose, is to shake people by the collars and force them to understand that video games are legit because look at all this money! When he isn't paying too much attention to the explosions and flash of dollar signs, he brings up negative aspects that are in no way related to games on the whole. Too much of Virtual Ascendance focuses on fringe elements of gaming culture for me to take it all that seriously in the long run.
Not to suggest that he doesn't try to cover his bases. When he focuses on marriages being destroyed through virtual infidelity, or a case in which a Chinese man was murdered over an virtual theft, he makes sure to point out that these events are in the minority, and that they are exceptions to the rule. He then points out examples of people finding love and creating trust-filled relationships with others, using video games like Second Life as a buffer. And then he goes right back to horror stories of virtual rape and PTSD.
Now, to be perfectly fair, Mr. Griffith's intention here was to illustrate how very attached a player can become to their avatar, and that there is scientific evidence to back a very real emotional connection between the two. But by focusing on the negative events as he does, his interest in how far games have come turns into a quiet sort of fear that puts me back in the mindset of parents blaming Doom and Marilyn Manson for the Columbine massacre. This is made doubly damning when you remember that Griffith has made a point to say that he's never played MMO-style games like WoW or Eve, "for fear of becoming irretrievably lost in their virtual realms". He takes several opportunities to say that his cited examples of violence and rape are extreme examples of what could happen in a virtual world, but when you dedicate as much space on the page to the negative 1 percent as the positive 99 percent, it feels like the damage is done.
Shortly afterward, Griffith extols the virtues of using game technology for military training--a fascinating idea that deserves an entire book to itself. And therein lies the problem: what sort of book is he writing here? The subtitle, "Video Games and the Remaking of Reality" tells us nothing beyond the generally vague notion that this is a book about games. It's too editorial to be a history book, and it touches on several subjects without cracking them open and getting to the deeper nougaty center within. So what we're left with is another vague book about video games that implies a great deal and only says a little.
But what it does say is important. If I had to pinpoint Virtual Ascendance's main virtue, it would have to be an overarching theme of "We're All Gamers". This message is one that I think we could use a little more time to ponder. The fact that a love of games doesn't set you apart from society, but does the exact opposite, pulling you deeper into the fold of humanity.
Despite all the vagueness of Griffith's ideas, 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. At its worst, it's a book that feels vague and undercooked--something that could take the paranoid mumblings of uninformed politicians and parents and make them into shouts. This is exemplified when Griffith says that video games are neither good nor bad, that "video games simply are".
Personally, I'd like to see him pick a side.
July 17, 2018
Real messy heap. Skip it.
Author doesn't seem to understand the difference between video games, simulations, and general tech. Sure, there are some VR and AR games, but they don't necessitate one another.
Seems to think VERY highly of Halo, at one point comparing its release to the cultural shift of Star Wars. Halo is hardly the beginning or the ending of the line of gaming innovation.
A whole chapter on music in v.games somehow concluding with the notion that music in v.games represents a convergence of some kind.
There are some neat points made, such as his chapter on Second Life and some of the stuff of games used as therapy. However, for the most part, it's just a cluttery fuck-a-doo. Doesn't actually stick to the thesis suggested by the title.
If you need a reason to check this out, the references section is actually pretty great. Author did his research, just didn't deliver with the main text..
Author doesn't seem to understand the difference between video games, simulations, and general tech. Sure, there are some VR and AR games, but they don't necessitate one another.
Seems to think VERY highly of Halo, at one point comparing its release to the cultural shift of Star Wars. Halo is hardly the beginning or the ending of the line of gaming innovation.
A whole chapter on music in v.games somehow concluding with the notion that music in v.games represents a convergence of some kind.
There are some neat points made, such as his chapter on Second Life and some of the stuff of games used as therapy. However, for the most part, it's just a cluttery fuck-a-doo. Doesn't actually stick to the thesis suggested by the title.
If you need a reason to check this out, the references section is actually pretty great. Author did his research, just didn't deliver with the main text..
August 21, 2019
Covered some video game history, competitive/professional gaming, MMOs/RPGs, casual games, video game music, video games' effects on cinema, virtual worlds, scientific studies in and about games, health related games, games for military training, PTSD, and drones, and AR glasses. Some of it is obviously out of date since the book was published 6 years ago.
February 21, 2014
Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot.c...
Devin Griffiths has written a comprehensive view of the state of video gaming from its beginnings to its many manifestations today and its Virtual Ascendance. Certainly gaming has moved from its Pong beginnings to its ubiquitous presence in most homes, but Griffiths also shows us the many ways that gaming has changed and will continue to change society. He says, “Gaming is fundamental to our experience as human beings, to our biology. Like the need for food, shelter, clothing, and love, the need to play is coded in our genes. Who’s a gamer? We all are. Whether our game is played with dice, cards, tiles, pencil and paper, on a board, or on the latest touchscreen tablet, we all have one, we’re all linked by the common thread of play.”
As Griffiths explores the past, present, and the future of gaming, he expands our knowledge of what we think we know to what we think is possible—or maybe impossible. In 2012 there were four hundred million people around the world playing some type of massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMO. Wow! At the same time that he explores the kinds of games that people do for fun, he is also exploring the potential of role playing games for education, for health, and for military training. This, I would think, is the future of gaming. Just as there are people tremendously engrossed in MMO role playing, there are developers seeking new uses for gaming to the benefit of society. Griffith even devotes an entire chapter to the music that goes with the games, and how symphony orchestras are enticing an entire new generation to love classical music.
One thing I didn’t know was that I could be considered a gamer. I am part of the demographic that Griffiths devotes an entire chapter to—casual gaming. I am a casual gamer because I play two games—Candy Crush Saga on my cell phone and Words with Friends on my tablet. Every time I have just a few minutes, I pick up my phone and play a level. It only takes a minute, and I have a minute to waste. Actually, I have to say I am addicted to Candy Crush. Can anyone help me get beyond level 100? I play Words with Friends totally anonymously and usually have 4 or 5 games going at one time. Actually I am pretty good at Words with Friends. Comes from years and years of playing Scrabble with my mother and my sister.
I am on vacation this week and I have sworn off my games as part of my vacation. It is sort of like swearing off coffee—you know you can do it for a while—but forever???
Griffiths devotes a chapter of Virtual Ascendance to what he sees as the future of gaming for education. This type of simulation gaming was just coming into fashion when I retired, but lately I have been helping some graduate students in science education. They are very interested in simulations as part of cooperative learning, one of the new educational trends. There is much more to gaming than killing people. In one of his examples, he discusses the game Whyville and how a teacher used it to teach her students about infectious diseases.
He speaks about the misconception that violent games create violent children. His discussion is relevant but in the end he has no answers other than to say that violent video games are not bad in themselves, but they reflect “those aspects of human nature of which we’re least proud. Right now, we live in a society that accepts violence as the norm, even celebrates it.” He feels that blaming video games is ignoring the ills that plague our society because we, as humans, are prone to finding scapegoats. In another chapter, he discusses how gaming is being used to treat severely mentally ill people—the other side of the same coin.
My son-in-law is a gamer. I asked him about it as I was reading the book. He says that he likes role playing games with a good story line. He is not so much interested in shooting things as he is in figuring things out. Because of that he says that his all-time favorite game is Blade of Darkness, an older game that most people don’t play. He says he likes it because the story line is so complex. He says that the graphics aren’t as good as the newer games, but the plot is wonderful. This is the same son-in-law that loved the Game of Thrones books, so his gaming choices seem logical.
Virtual Ascendance expanded my understanding of gaming and gave me some encouragement for its future uses. Things are moving so fast that Griffiths will have to come out with a companion book in a year or two. It was also a fairly breezy read. Griffiths writes well and the book is well researched. There are extensive notes and a comprehensive index. A friend introduced me to him via email and I agreed to read and blog about his book. Glad I did. I really learned a lot.
I have on my shelf a book called The App Generation by famous educator Howard Gardner. I am anxious to read it to see how he feels about gaming and social media.
Devin Griffiths blog: http://devingriffiths.wordpress.com/
Facebook page for Virtual Ascendance: https://www.facebook.com/virtualascen...
Devin Griffiths has written a comprehensive view of the state of video gaming from its beginnings to its many manifestations today and its Virtual Ascendance. Certainly gaming has moved from its Pong beginnings to its ubiquitous presence in most homes, but Griffiths also shows us the many ways that gaming has changed and will continue to change society. He says, “Gaming is fundamental to our experience as human beings, to our biology. Like the need for food, shelter, clothing, and love, the need to play is coded in our genes. Who’s a gamer? We all are. Whether our game is played with dice, cards, tiles, pencil and paper, on a board, or on the latest touchscreen tablet, we all have one, we’re all linked by the common thread of play.”
As Griffiths explores the past, present, and the future of gaming, he expands our knowledge of what we think we know to what we think is possible—or maybe impossible. In 2012 there were four hundred million people around the world playing some type of massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMO. Wow! At the same time that he explores the kinds of games that people do for fun, he is also exploring the potential of role playing games for education, for health, and for military training. This, I would think, is the future of gaming. Just as there are people tremendously engrossed in MMO role playing, there are developers seeking new uses for gaming to the benefit of society. Griffith even devotes an entire chapter to the music that goes with the games, and how symphony orchestras are enticing an entire new generation to love classical music.
One thing I didn’t know was that I could be considered a gamer. I am part of the demographic that Griffiths devotes an entire chapter to—casual gaming. I am a casual gamer because I play two games—Candy Crush Saga on my cell phone and Words with Friends on my tablet. Every time I have just a few minutes, I pick up my phone and play a level. It only takes a minute, and I have a minute to waste. Actually, I have to say I am addicted to Candy Crush. Can anyone help me get beyond level 100? I play Words with Friends totally anonymously and usually have 4 or 5 games going at one time. Actually I am pretty good at Words with Friends. Comes from years and years of playing Scrabble with my mother and my sister.
I am on vacation this week and I have sworn off my games as part of my vacation. It is sort of like swearing off coffee—you know you can do it for a while—but forever???
Griffiths devotes a chapter of Virtual Ascendance to what he sees as the future of gaming for education. This type of simulation gaming was just coming into fashion when I retired, but lately I have been helping some graduate students in science education. They are very interested in simulations as part of cooperative learning, one of the new educational trends. There is much more to gaming than killing people. In one of his examples, he discusses the game Whyville and how a teacher used it to teach her students about infectious diseases.
He speaks about the misconception that violent games create violent children. His discussion is relevant but in the end he has no answers other than to say that violent video games are not bad in themselves, but they reflect “those aspects of human nature of which we’re least proud. Right now, we live in a society that accepts violence as the norm, even celebrates it.” He feels that blaming video games is ignoring the ills that plague our society because we, as humans, are prone to finding scapegoats. In another chapter, he discusses how gaming is being used to treat severely mentally ill people—the other side of the same coin.
My son-in-law is a gamer. I asked him about it as I was reading the book. He says that he likes role playing games with a good story line. He is not so much interested in shooting things as he is in figuring things out. Because of that he says that his all-time favorite game is Blade of Darkness, an older game that most people don’t play. He says he likes it because the story line is so complex. He says that the graphics aren’t as good as the newer games, but the plot is wonderful. This is the same son-in-law that loved the Game of Thrones books, so his gaming choices seem logical.
Virtual Ascendance expanded my understanding of gaming and gave me some encouragement for its future uses. Things are moving so fast that Griffiths will have to come out with a companion book in a year or two. It was also a fairly breezy read. Griffiths writes well and the book is well researched. There are extensive notes and a comprehensive index. A friend introduced me to him via email and I agreed to read and blog about his book. Glad I did. I really learned a lot.
I have on my shelf a book called The App Generation by famous educator Howard Gardner. I am anxious to read it to see how he feels about gaming and social media.
Devin Griffiths blog: http://devingriffiths.wordpress.com/
Facebook page for Virtual Ascendance: https://www.facebook.com/virtualascen...
September 28, 2013
Are you a gamer?
Even as a light gamer like myself, I found that this book not only enhanced my knowledge about the gaming industry, but was also sufficiently enjoyable touching on the very basic human need for play. There were parts that ventured deep into the gaming world such that it ostracized non-hardcore gamers but thankfully, most of it proved to be engaging and informative.
Read full review on my blog: http://seejy.wordpress.com/2013/09/25...
Even as a light gamer like myself, I found that this book not only enhanced my knowledge about the gaming industry, but was also sufficiently enjoyable touching on the very basic human need for play. There were parts that ventured deep into the gaming world such that it ostracized non-hardcore gamers but thankfully, most of it proved to be engaging and informative.
Read full review on my blog: http://seejy.wordpress.com/2013/09/25...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews