Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

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Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 0762766786
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (627 download)

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Book Synopsis Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by : Ethan Gilsdorf

Download or read book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks written by Ethan Gilsdorf and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An amazing journey through the thriving worlds of fantasy and gaming What could one man find if he embarked on a journey through fantasy world after fantasy world? In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, forty-year-old former D&D addict Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar. “For anyone who has ever spent time within imaginary realms, the book will speak volumes. For those who have not, it will educate and enlighten.” —Wired.com “Gandalf's got nothing on Ethan Gilsdorf, except for maybe the monster white beard. In his new book, Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, Gilsdorf . . . offers an epic quest for reality within a realm of magic.” —Boston Globe “Imagine this: Lord of the Rings meets Jack Kerouac's On the Road.” —National Public Radio's “Around and About” “What does it mean to be a geek? . . . Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks tackles that question with strength and dexterity. . . . part personal odyssey, part medieval mid-life crisis, and part wide-ranging survey of all things freaky and geeky . . . playful . . . funny and poignant. . . . It's a fun ride and it poses a question that goes to the very heart of fantasy, namely: What does the urge to become someone else tell us about ourselves?” —Huffington Post

Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

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Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1599218429
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (992 download)

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Book Synopsis Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by : Ethan Gilsdorf

Download or read book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks written by Ethan Gilsdorf and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2009-09 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fantasy. Science fiction. Role-playing games. People around the globe turn away from the “real” world to inhabit others. Movie fan-freaks design costumes and collect Lord of the Rings action figures. Some attend comic book conventions and Renaissance fairs, others play live-action role-playing games (LARPs). The online game World of Warcraft (WoW) has lured twelve million users worldwide. Even old-school role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) are still wildly popular. What could one man find if he embarked on a journey through fantasy world after fantasy world? In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, forty- year-old former D&D addict Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar. On a quest that begins in his own geeky teenage past and ends in our online gaming future, he asks gaming and fantasy geeks how they balance their escapist urges with the kingdom of adulthood. He speaks to grown men who build hobbit holes, and to grown women who play massively multiplayer online games. He seeks out those who dream of elves, long swords, and heroic deeds, and mentally inhabit faraway magical lands. What lures them—old, young, male, female, able-bodied, and disabled—into fantasy worlds, and for what reasons, whether healthy, unhealthy, or in between? Our noble hero battles online goblins, trolls, and sorcerers for weeks on end. He travels to pilgrimage sites: Tolkien’s hometown, movie locations, and castles. He hangs out with Harry Potter tribute bands. He LARPs. He goes to fan conventions and gaming tournaments. He camps with medieval re-enactors—12,000 of them. He becomes Ethor, Ethorian, and Ethor-An3. He sews his own tunic. He even plays D&D. What he discovers is funny, poignant, and enlightening.

Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

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Author :
Publisher : Globe Pequot
ISBN 13 : 9781599219943
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (199 download)

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Book Synopsis Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by : Ethan Gilsdorf

Download or read book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks written by Ethan Gilsdorf and published by Globe Pequot. This book was released on 2010-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, former Dungeons and Dragons addict Ethan Gilsdorf tells of the quest that began in his geeky teenage past and ends in the online gaming future.

Leaving Mundania

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Author :
Publisher : Chicago Review Press
ISBN 13 : 1613740670
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (137 download)

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Book Synopsis Leaving Mundania by : Lizzie Stark

Download or read book Leaving Mundania written by Lizzie Stark and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exposing a subculture only beginning to enter the imagination of mainstream America, this is the story of live action role-playing (LARP) games. A hybrid of games—such as Dungeons & Dragons, historical reenactment, fandom, and good old-fashioned pretend—LARP games are thriving and this book explores its multifaceted culture and related phenomenon, including the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval reenactment group that boasts more than 32,000 members. The history of LARP is detailed and is shown to have arisen from the pageantry of Tudor England and is currently being used as a training tool for the U.S. military. Along the way, the author duels foes with foam-padded weapons, lets the great elder god Cthulhu destroy her parents' beach house, and endures an existential awakening in the high-art LARP scene of Scandinavia.

Geek Wisdom

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Author :
Publisher : Quirk Books
ISBN 13 : 1594745307
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (947 download)

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Book Synopsis Geek Wisdom by : N. K. Jemisin

Download or read book Geek Wisdom written by N. K. Jemisin and published by Quirk Books. This book was released on 2011-08-02 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE GEEKS HAVE INHERITED THE EARTH. Computer nerds are our titans of industry; comic-book superheroes are our Hollywood idols; the Internet is our night on the town. Clearly, geeks know something about life in the 21st century that other folks don’t—something we all can learn from. Geek Wisdom takes as gospel some 200 of the most powerful and oft-cited quotes from movies (“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”), television (“Now we know—and knowing is half the battle”), literature (“All that is gold does not glitter”), games, science, the Internet, and more. Now these beloved pearls of modern-day culture have been painstakingly interpreted by a diverse team of hardcore nerds with their imaginations turned up to 11. Yes, this collection of mini-essays is by, for, and about geeks—but it’s just so surprisingly profound, the rest of us would have to be dorks not to read it. So say we all.

Playing at the World

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780615642048
Total Pages : 698 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (42 download)

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Book Synopsis Playing at the World by : Jon Peterson

Download or read book Playing at the World written by Jon Peterson and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 698 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the conceptual origins of wargames and role-playing games in this unprecedented history of simulating the real and the impossible. From a vast survey of primary sources ranging from eighteenth-century strategists to modern hobbyists, Playing at the World distills the story of how gamers first decided fictional battles with boards and dice, and how they moved from simulating wars to simulating people. The invention of role-playing games serves as a touchstone for exploring the ways that the literary concept of character, the lure of fantastic adventure and the principles of gaming combined into the signature cultural innovation of the late twentieth century.

The Wisdom of the Shire

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Author :
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 1250026415
Total Pages : 223 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wisdom of the Shire by : Noble Smith

Download or read book The Wisdom of the Shire written by Noble Smith and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2012-10-30 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Wisdom of the Shire, Noble Smith sheds a light on the life-changing ideas tucked away inside the classic works of J. R. R. Tolkien and his most beloved creation—the stouthearted Hobbits. How can simple pleasures such as gardening, taking long walks, and eating delicious meals with friends make you significantly happier? Why is the act of giving presents on your birthday instead of getting them such a revolutionary idea? What should you do when dealing with the Gollum in your life? And how can we carry the burden of our own "magic ring of power" without becoming devoured by it? The Wisdom of the Shire holds the answers to these and more of life's essential questions.

The Other Normals

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Author :
Publisher : Turtleback Books
ISBN 13 : 9780606350754
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (57 download)

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Book Synopsis The Other Normals by : Ned Vizzini

Download or read book The Other Normals written by Ned Vizzini and published by Turtleback Books. This book was released on 2014-03-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For use in schools and libraries only. Sent to summer camp to develop social skills, Perry stumbles upon a fantasy land much like his favorite role-playing game, Creatures & Caverns, and sets out to help save the realm's princess and prevent the land's destruction.

Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana

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Author :
Publisher : Ten Speed Press
ISBN 13 : 0399580948
Total Pages : 450 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (995 download)

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Book Synopsis Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana by : Michael Witwer

Download or read book Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana written by Michael Witwer and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2018-10-23 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illustrated guide to the history and evolution of the beloved role-playing game told through the paintings, sketches, illustrations, and visual ephemera behind its creation, growth, and continued popularity. FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE DIANA JONES AWARD From one of the most iconic game brands in the world, this official DUNGEONS & DRAGONS illustrated history provides an unprecedented look at the visual evolution of the brand, showing its continued influence on the worlds of pop culture and fantasy. Inside the book, you’ll find more than seven hundred pieces of artwork—from each edition of the core role-playing books, supplements, and adventures; as well as Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels; decades of Dragon and Dungeon magazines; and classic advertisements and merchandise; plus never-before-seen sketches, large-format canvases, rare photographs, one-of-a-kind drafts, and more from the now-famous designers and artists associated with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The superstar author team gained unparalleled access to the archives of Wizards of the Coast and the personal collections of top collectors, as well as the designers and illustrators who created the distinctive characters, concepts, and visuals that have defined fantasy art and gameplay for generations. This is the most comprehensive collection of D&D imagery ever assembled, making this the ultimate collectible for the game's millions of fans around the world.

Kick Me

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Author :
Publisher : Crown
ISBN 13 : 0609809431
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (98 download)

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Book Synopsis Kick Me by : Paul Feig

Download or read book Kick Me written by Paul Feig and published by Crown. This book was released on 2002-09-24 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written in side-splitting and often cringe-inducing detail, Paul Feig takes you in a time machine to a world of bombardment by dodge balls, ill-fated prom dates, hellish school bus rides, and other aspects of public school life that will keep you laughing in recognition and occasionally sighing in relief that you aren’t him. Kick Me is a nostalgic trip for the inner geek in all of us.

Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy

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Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118397649
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (183 download)

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Book Synopsis Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy by : Christopher Robichaud

Download or read book Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy written by Christopher Robichaud and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-08-05 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do demons and devils have free will? Does justice exist inMenzoberranzan? What’s the morality involved with playercharacters casting necromancy and summoning spells? Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy probes the richterrain of philosophically compelling concepts and ideas thatunderlie Dungeons & Dragons, the legendary fantasyrole-playing game that grew into a world-wide cultural phenomenon.A series of accessible essays reveals what the imaginary worlds ofD&D can teach us about ethics, morality, metaphysics andmore. Illustrates a wide variety of philosophical concepts and ideasthat arise in Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and presentsthem in an accessible and entertaining manner Reveals how the strategies, tactics, improvisations, androle-play employed by D&D enthusiasts have startlingparallels in the real world of philosophy Explores a wide range of philosophical topics, including thenature of free will, the metaphysics of personal identity, themorality of crafting fictions, sex and gender issues in tabletopgameplay, and friendship and collaborative storytelling Provides gamers with deep philosophical insights that can leadto a richer appreciation of D&D and any gamingexperience

Tokyo Ghost Vol.1

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Author :
Publisher : Image Comics
ISBN 13 : 1632158272
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (321 download)

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Book Synopsis Tokyo Ghost Vol.1 by : Rick Remender

Download or read book Tokyo Ghost Vol.1 written by Rick Remender and published by Image Comics. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Isles of Los Angeles 2089: humanity is addicted to technology. Getting a virtual buzz is the only thing left to live for, and gangsters run it all. Who do these gangsters turn to when they need their rule enforced? Constables Led Dent and Debbie Decay are about to be given a job that will force them out of the familiar squalor of LA and into the last tech-less country on Earth: The Garden Nation of Tokyo. Collects TOKYO GHOST #1-5.

Pym: A Novel

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Author :
Publisher : One World
ISBN 13 : 0812981766
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (129 download)

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Book Synopsis Pym: A Novel by : Mat Johnson

Download or read book Pym: A Novel written by Mat Johnson and published by One World. This book was released on 2012-09-04 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “THE SHARPEST AND MOST UNUSUAL STORY I READ LAST YEAR . . . [Mat] Johnson’s satirical vision roves as freely as Kurt Vonnegut’s and is colored with the same sort of passionate humanitarianism.”—Maud Newton, New York Times Magazine NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Vanity Fair • Houston Chronicle • The Seattle Times • Salon • National Post • The A.V. Club Recently canned professor of American literature Chris Jaynes has just made a startling discovery: the manuscript of a crude slave narrative that confirms the reality of Edgar Allan Poe’s strange and only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Determined to seek out Tsalal, the remote island of pure and utter blackness that Poe describes, Jaynes convenes an all-black crew of six to follow Pym’s trail to the South Pole, armed with little but the firsthand account from which Poe derived his seafaring tale, a bag of bones, and a stash of Little Debbie snack cakes. Thus begins an epic journey by an unlikely band of adventurers under the permafrost of Antarctica, beneath the surface of American history, and behind one of literature’s great mysteries. “Outrageously entertaining, [Pym] brilliantly re-imagines and extends Edgar Allan Poe’s enigmatic and unsettling Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. . . . Part social satire, part meditation on race in America, part metafiction and, just as important, a rollicking fantasy adventure . . . reminiscent of Philip Roth in its seemingly effortless blend of the serious, comic and fantastic.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post “Blisteringly funny.”—Laura Miller, Salon “Relentlessly entertaining.”—The New York Times Book Review “Imagine Kurt Vonnegut having a beer with Ralph Ellison and Jules Verne.”—Vanity Fair “Screamingly funny . . . Reading Pym is like opening a big can of whoop-ass and then marveling—gleefully—at all the mayhem that ensues.”—Houston Chronicle

Prophet Strikefile #1

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Author :
Publisher : Image Comics
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Prophet Strikefile #1 by : Brandon Graham

Download or read book Prophet Strikefile #1 written by Brandon Graham and published by Image Comics. This book was released on 2014-09-10 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A who's who of the Prophet universe with a comic history of the Earth Empire and bio sheets—pulled from the deepest corners of the known universe—of space gods, aliens, and the distant worlds that contain them.

We, Robot

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Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 0762774940
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (627 download)

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Book Synopsis We, Robot by : Mark Meadows

Download or read book We, Robot written by Mark Meadows and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010-12-07 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We, Robot does for robotics what Michio Kaku's bestselling Physics of the Impossible has done for physics. How close to becoming reality are our favorite science fiction robots? And what might be the real-life consequences of their existence? Robotics and artificial intelligence expert (and science fiction fan) Mark Stephen Meadows answers that question with an irresistible blend of hard science, futurist imagination, solid statistics, pop culture, and plenty of humor.

The Infinite Loop, Vol. 2: Nothing But the Truth

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Author :
Publisher : IDW Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1684064821
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (84 download)

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Book Synopsis The Infinite Loop, Vol. 2: Nothing But the Truth by : Pierrick Colinet

Download or read book The Infinite Loop, Vol. 2: Nothing But the Truth written by Pierrick Colinet and published by IDW Publishing. This book was released on 2018-05-16 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although she tried to reboot the future, Teddy's plan failed. While human anomalies are no longer executed merely for the crime of existing, they're forced to live in squalid refugee camps. Teddy and Ano want to fight for the rights of human anomalies, but they're about to find out how hard that can be, especially when powerful people want things to stay the same. Return to an even darker version of this wildly imagined reality, where threats lurk around every corner and people refuse to accept truth. Filled with danger and tension that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, The Infinite Loop provides a sharp critique of a modern era where truth has become a matter of debate.

Gamelife

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Author :
Publisher : Text Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1922253065
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (222 download)

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Book Synopsis Gamelife by : Michael W. Clune

Download or read book Gamelife written by Michael W. Clune and published by Text Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-23 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Portrait of the artist as a young gamer. Gamelife is part memoir of childhood in the eighties, part meditation on the imaginative world of computer games—and altogether wonderful, luminous and profound. Michael Clune's first computer game is the text-based adventure 'Suspended' in which the player types commands, directing robots to save the planet from destruction. The game raises deep questions for the boy and provides a framework for his imagination about himself and the world. Seven primitive PC games take on an almost religious significance in Michael's life. Gamelife is one of those books that makes you see things differently, a brilliant memoir of a kid discovering his own mental powers, and the magic of an electronic world he can escape into while riding the shockwaves of his parents' divorce, his own adolescence and his apprenticeship in the world of perception. Michael Clune is the author of White Out, a memoir of heroin addiction, and Gamelife, a memoir of childhood. He is an associate professor of English literature at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. ‘[Gamelife is] the history of an intellectual awakening told through the medium of video games, which Clune writes about with frequently arresting eloquence and power.’ New Statesman ‘Before starting Gamelife I had zero interest in computer games and, at best, limited interest in male adolescence. But now I’m very interested in Michael W. Clune. I loved this book’ Harper’s Magazine ‘An idiosyncratic but universal exploration of how we teach ourselves to dream, Gamelife charts the interstices between imagination and loneliness in a tender, sad, and funny paean to childhood, all framed around a lost era in video gaming.’ Liam Pieper, author of The Feel-Good Hit of the Year ‘An engaging and enjoyable read...A clear thinker and a skilled writer, Clune has thought deeply about why we play games, and he has come up with some worthy answers.’ Australian