Fun Inc.: Why Gaming Will Dominate the Twenty-First Century
“A detailed and engaging analysis on an increasingly influential medium. Even non-gamers may find themselves seduced.” (Esquire [UK])“Sparklingly intelligent and nuanced... fresh and engaging.” (The Guardian)“A lively, thought-provoking and thoughtful read on an entertainment juggernaut many of us have failed to properly recognize. A good book, too, for parents, who might feel far more comfortably informed about a sector that can come across as—literally—an alien world their kids inhabit.” (The Irish Times)“In exploring the potential of the medium, Chatfield covers much territory, briskly and with intent ... His conclusion on what the future could hold is in equal parts daunting and lip-smacking. It should be read by gamers and non-gamers alike.” (Time Out London)“A thought-provoking read for those already won over to the delights of computer games, and an even more important introduction to them for those who remain skeptical.” (The Observer [UK])“Fun Inc.is the most elegant and comprehensive defence of the status of computer games in our culture I have read. The sheer pervasiveness of game experience—99 per cent of teenage boys and 94 per cent of teenage girls having played a video game—means that instant naffness falls upon those who express a musty disdain for the medium. In fact, asFun Inc.elegantly explains, computer game-playing has a very strong claim to be one of the most vital test-beds for intellectual enquiry.” (Independent [London])“Whether or not you share Chatfield’s optimism,Fun Inc.should help to block the fear-mongering generalization—the riffing on prejudices—that has passed for insight on this topic in broadsheet comment pages. If critics of game-playing can’t bring themselves to enter these worlds themselves, to learn first-hand what they are talking about, they should at least read this insightful book.” (Times Literary Supplement)