Lost in a good game
Despite our anxieties about them, video games are becoming an increasingly important part of the social fabric of society. They are no longer a fringe activity, nor are they something to be ashamed of. Video games are the defining artistic medium of the 21st Century, and whatever our feelings about them, we need to start taking them seriously and accept that it’s okay to look at them in a positive light.
More than that, there is a growing body of evidence that, when taken together, points to video games being a positive force in society. Over the past twenty years, “violent” video game use has skyrocketed – but youth violence rates have dropped. Recent studies have shown that video game use fosters problem-solving skills, and has an impact on childhood learning and social skills.
For too long though, the public narrative around video games has been dominated by dystopian visions of generations of children becoming mindlessly addicted to the cognitive equivalent of junk food. This book is an antidote to that vision. It tells the story of why people play video games, and shows that we are worrying too much about dangers that, for the most part, simply aren’t there. Following my own journey through playing and researching video games, it outlines the argument for why, rather than being reviled and feared, playing video games can be one of the best things that we do with our spare time.
LOST IN A GOOD GAME is Pete's first book, published by Icon Books in April 2019