In preparation for Discussion Forum #5, you should read Tom Bissell's Extra Lives. Then, post a comment of approximately 500 words using the form below. Remember that what is called for here is critique, not summary. Do not simply collect your reactions; organize your response into a unique assertion with support. The following prompts may help you focus your thoughts, but feel free to take your discussion in any applicable direction you wish. Make certain to cite specific portions of the text to support your ideas.

• How does this reading inform the experiences you have had with games during this semester or in your life outside of class?
• What, if anything, can you relate to in the book? What does this connection suggest about games and human behavior?
• Recall Steven Johnson's statement in Everything Bad is Good for You about the biological reward system of video games being similar to that of narcotics. How do Bissell's experiences support and/or refute Johnson's claims?
• The book's "Author's Note" states that video game reviews "tend to focus on providing consumers with a sense of whether their money will be well spent. Game magazine reviewers rarely ask: 'What aesthetic tradition does this game fall into? How does it make me feel while I'm playing it? What emotions does it engage with, and are they appropriate to the game's theme and mechanics?'" (xii). What claim might you make about the distinction between review and critique?

I look forward to reading your work and discussing it in class.