Death by Video Game

May 16, 2016
Opening with the story of Chen Rong-Yu, a 23-year old Chinese gamer who died in a Taiwanese cafe when his heart gave out after 23 hours of online gaming, journalist Parkin's debut explores the dark side and hidden alleys of the gaming world in this frequently fascinating examination of gamers and gaming culture. Video games are big business for players as well as game companies. Teams bunk together and play for days on end in hopes of winning monetary prizes that can run into the millions. Others seek out online communities and massively multiplayer games such as World of Warcraft to connect with kindred spirits remotely. Parkin chronicles the individual lives of players and the many facets of the industry. He acknowledges that there are plenty of games offering nothing but carnage and violence (including a game simulating the Columbine massacre), but Parkin argues that gaming can also transport players to new worlds, address social issues and trends, and aid in therapy. In this terrific assessment of one of the world's most popular pastimes, Parkin shows that video games have almost limitless potential to hurt, comfort, distract, and heal.

Starred review from June 1, 2016

In this groundbreaking analysis of video games, newcomer Parkin frames the contentious debates of the field fairly, logically, and from a variety of angles. He examines both the dangers and benefits of this addictive form of entertainment with evocative examples: from 23-year-old Chen Rong-Yu, who died at the keyboard while in an internet cafe, to Ryan Green who developed a game called "That Dragon, Cancer" to process his son's bout with terminal illness. Parkin demonstrates how, despite their lethal power, video games have a unique ability to help players achieve empathy and healing. The author synthesizes past wisdom, criticism, and analysis, and coaxes from that fertile soil a new set of provocative questions to make a compelling case that video games have only begun to realize their potential as an art form. While Parkin builds on Tom Bissell's Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter and Jane McGonigal's Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, his reportage leads to brilliant, fresh insights, which is all the more impressive for a debut book. VERDICT Accomplishing that rare feat of teaching while entertaining, this work ignites a series of debates crucial to the future of video games.--Paul Stenis, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA

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