Fun Inc.: Why Play is the 21st Century's Most Serious Business [Import] [Paperback]

Tom Chatfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2010

"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 sceptical."
--Observer

"Tom Chatfield's Fun Inc. is the most elegant and comprehensive defence of the status of computer games in our culture I have read, as well as a helpful compendium of research. The numbers surrounding the sector are certainly thudding. By the end of 2008, annual sales of video games -- not including consoles or devices -- was $40 billion, comfortably outstripping the movie business. In the same year, Nintendo's employees were more profitable per head than Google's. 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, as Fun Inc. elegantly explains, computer game-playing has a very strong claim to be one of the most vital test-beds for intellectual enquiry."
--Independent

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

TOM CHATFIELD completed his doctorate at St John's College, Oxford, before moving to London to work as a full-time writer and editor. He is currently the arts and books editor at Prospect magazine. Tom has done puzzle design and creative consultancy work for a number of online games companies, including Mind Candy, Grex and Red Glasses, and has spoken on gaming at international conferences including Picnic in Amsterdam.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Virgin Books (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753519852
• ISBN-13: 978-0753519851
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,969,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)