Customer Reviews

Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time

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Games Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time by Michael Kane is the best inside look at the competitive videogaming industry I have read to date. He peels back the layers of this very complex subculture and lays it all out there for anyone to read - from the gamers themselves to the parents who try to understand. Game Boys has it all - the celebratory victories, the heartbreaking losses, the passion of its supports and accompanies it all with backroom dirty laundry. This book is an informative, exciting read. Author Michael Kane has managed to translate the excitement of competition into his words, and sometimes I found myself reading faster through the competition gameplay to get to the moment of victory - even though I already knew the results of many of the matches he wrote about.

As a participant full of passion for the videogame industry, there were so many times I found myself identifying with CompLexity GM Jason Lake and harbouring feelings of resentment towards Craig Levine. Like Jason Lake, I believe in the grassroots foundation of this wonderful industry, and even though Craig Levine has done much to get competitive videogaming out there into the main stream of today's world, I often felt that Levine's tactics were less than honourable, and I am of the generation when honour was at the forefront of how you conducted your life. These are elements which make for a great book - eliciting emotion and appreciation from the reader, making the reader care about the characters in the story.

Michael Kane has artfully included every aspect of our advancing technological world - global friendships and rivalries, heroes and villains, supportive families and families who feel the gamer is wasting his or her time. Corporations who only look at the biggest and the best for exposure, instead of looking at and supporting the grassroots events and players who keep the industry churning forward on a daily basis. Event promoters who are in it for the dollar, and to heck with the injury they do to our industry by scamming the players who have poured their heart, soul and often their last dollar into feeding their passion for gaming in hopes of making it to the winner's circle.

I commend Michael for the honesty of his words, even the ones which cast a less than idyllic light on the e-sports industry, because the end result shows that our cyberathletes truly are no different from the mainstream sports athletes. They train, they play, they do things they shouldn't, but when it comes right down to the final seconds it's all about the game and the opponent in front of them. Game Boys shows how far we as a competitive market have come, but also shows how far we have yet to go. Michael touched very briefly on the girls in gaming, and while some things have changed since Game Boys went to print, much has stayed the same, from the disdain which meets many girl gamers head on, to the insults and unwelcome photos hurled at them on XBL. While the industry is still very much a boys' club, the girls are rapidly gaining ground - perhaps in the future we can look forward to a book on Gamer Girls to compliment Gamer Boys - what do you say, Michael?

Michael Kane's "Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time" is a complete page-turner for both gamers and non-gamers alike. Considering that this is the first and only book to ever chronicle the evolution of "elite e-sports", I started reading this book with an open mind. I have to admit that I was apprehensive when I started the book since, how will the author connect the reader to the unknown world of e-sports? The terms are as intricate and technical to explain to a person who might not be a part of the Counter-Strike phenomenon. Kane has not only managed to use the most creative analogies (bringing laughter to some of them), but he illustrates the stories in such a way that it felt like everyone was or can be a part of the inherent rivalries, the drama, the secrets and the action that lies within watching an elite Counter-Strike match. What makes this book so unique, was that as a former girl gamer from 2003 to 2005, I had followed the rise of the e-sports scene and had ran across the people that Kane highlights in this book, either through the internet or through watching these matches at home. What I did not know about these individuals were their lives outside of Counter-Strike and what it took for each of them to get to where they are today. Kane brings to you every team's successes and failures, while adding flair to what goes on when the cameras are off. The struggle to bring the gamers subculture out to the mainstream was a challenge, where gamers tend to face the fine line between choosing to play for pleasure or to play strictly for business. I send my praises for entertaining while educating the public of the world that once reached a momentum for gamers, I recommend this book for anyone who ever took part of the gaming community, plan to take part or are just curious to understand this growing 11 billion-dollar industry.

As a teenager and gamer involved in the very e-sports scene Kane so accurately describes, I've come across many books that have attempted to describe gaming, gamers, and the elements surrounding the scene, but never have truly grasped the passion that so many competitive gamers have felt towards the community that has been created around these games.

I started reading this book with reservations...I expected this to be another "oh yeah, some guy thinks it's cool," type of approach that would miss the mark on the intensity and seriousness that teenagers and younger adults were taking these games...these e-sports.

After completing the final chapter today, I'm so enthused to say that Kane has put to words what no one, to date, had been able to. From the coach/jock-like description of Jason Lake, to the journalistic rumors of Levine's business practices, Michael Kane has captured many aspects of the gaming community that, until now, I thought would take years to be written down as a part of history.

The truth is, if you're involved in the e-sports scene, inspired by the younger generation's choice of competition, or simply a parent of a gamer, this book is for you. Your jaw will be dropped at how far gaming has come, and how immense, intense, and elaborate the gaming community has become, not only in size, but in personality and every aspect that could define a competitive sport!

Game Boys is like Remember the Titans but for Counter-Strike. M Kane's background is in sports writing and that is to the advantage of the book. I could feel my heart pounding as he described the matches. I found myself covering the page with my hand so as not to spoil the outcome.

This game is not meant for gamers. In fact is is exactly the opposite. This book is for people on the periphery who are sports fans, not gamers. It makes competitive gaming into competitive sports.

Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time by Michael Kane covers the rivalry between the two biggest organizations in North American eSports history: compLexity gaming syndicate's vs Team3D. The book details the event directly after 3D's second win at the World Cyber Games and compLexity's win at ESWC - during that winter during the CPL.

However if you are looking at this book at a detailed breakdown of strategy or games, look elsewhere. This book is primarily a look at the two organizations and the drama between them. Team3D's status at the time as possibly the second biggest organization in terms of money in the western world - only trailing behind Sk-gaming - competing against the poor house compLexity gaming. Think Brooklyn Dodgers vs. New York Yankees - except instead of baseball they played counter-strike.

The book describes the characters and the storyline quite well. The loud, boisterous managerial style of Jason lake, owner of compLexity, versus the calm cool and collected Craig Levine, owner of Team3D. These caveats towards developing a feel for the characters, however, does not stop the overall progress of the narrative. The writer even goes into player transactions, sponsor deals and player salaries while still pushing the story forward in a good, tangible narrative. The book even mentions the dollar amount that was given Team3D and to the then startup Evil Geniuses, even giving out the player salaries which is generally a no-no in eSports journalism.

Some of the stories, about the founding of CAL i was not even aware of until the reading of the book. Others, like why and how Dave "Moto" Geffon and Sean "bullseye" Morgan were forced out of retirement, are a well told tales but still does bring some of the drama to the book and really does push the plot along.

Although the author does show that he is not of the gaming world - describing compLexity as a team that could never do it on LAN and was more of an online team when they won the biggest event in CS(ESWC) and did quite well, placing top 10 at CPL winter 2004. Furthermore when describing Team3D as the "best CS team in the world" may be a good narrative device, it was far from truthful. At the time of the book compLexity was force on the field - 3D had the best sponsors - and they weren't even the biggest organization in terms of dollar amount in eSports - that was, and is, SK-gaming.

Then you go into his descriptions of the action, it's clear his understanding of the game is not at the level required to really be giving a blow by blow, let alone go for a strategic breakdown of the events which are happening in the games themselves.

Overall i'd recommend this book to those which are not very well acquainted with counter-strike, and it's long storied history, but for those who already know it in depth, it leaves much to be desired.

The book essentially tells the story of two video game playing teams
and their rise to the top of their profession. The
teams compete in Half-Life tournaments. Half-Life is a team-based 3D shooter
for the PC. While this may sound boring to someone who is not a Half-Life
gamer the book is actually a GREAT story. I am not a Half-Life player and
I found the story riveting. Prior to reading the book I was not familiar
with the story of either of the teams involved
or of professional gaming and found myself drawn into their world. The book
is really a story about the founding of a business (the professional video
game playing business) with all the problems, highs, and lows that one
would expect when starting a new venture. All of these elements are
blended together, along with descriptions of some of the game play, to
create a well-written and very interesting story. Highly recommended
to anyone interested in video games or the
video game business.

Before I start telling you WHY I love it, let me state, "I LOVE IT!"

This book is amazing. I had been following e-Sports (professional gaming) since 2003 and loved every minute of it. I had favorite teams and watched all the tournaments like ESWC and CPL. I thought I understood the scene and why everyone did what they did. Game Boys brought so many things to light that I never had even thought about. I always figured most of these kids were gaming because it was something fun for them to do and they could win some cash. As the book reveals its more than that. These kids are not only looking to be the next professional sports stars but the behind the scenes is like a real sports team. There is countless amounts of drama between the top players and arguments about who should be calling strategies. The scene is much more tense then you'd be lead to believe on the outside. The rivalry between compLexity and 3D brought to light a whole other side of the game. To see the 2 polar opposites of each other facing off is incredible.

If you ever enjoyed e-Sports or gaming for that matter you should definitely pick up this book. It will show you things that you never knew about. It not only holds a plethora of information for those who have never heard of professional gaming until now, but also goes so much deeper for those who have been into the scene.

This is a must-have for any gamer.