The Greatest Stories Ever Played: Video Games and the Evolution of Storytelling

Description

In this fun and informative YA Non-fiction title, Dustin Hansen, author of Game On!, a self-confessed video game addict with over 20-years experience in the gaming industry, examines the storytelling skills shown in some of the most beloved and moving games of all time. We all know that video games are fun, but can a video game make you cry? Can it tell you a powerful love story? Can a video game make you think differently about war? About the environment? About the choices you make? Whether it's playing through blockbuster-esque adventures (Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us), diving deep into hidden bits of story and lore (Red Dead Redemption II, Bioshock, Journey) or building relationships that change the fate of the world itself (Persona 5, Undertale), video games are bringing stories to life in ways that are immediate, interactive and immersive. Focusing on some of the best, most memorable, experiences in gaming, The Greatest Stories Ever Played, examines the relationship between gaming and storytelling in a new way.

Dustin Hansen, author of Game On! and the Microsaurs series, was raised in rural Utah. His love of pixels and controllers led him into a career in video games. He has made titles for everything from a 386 PC to the iPhone, and from the PlayStation One to the Xbox One. Now he's working on the future, creating Virtual Reality experiences that blend real life with the digital world. Dustin and his family live in rural Utah once again, where he is the current king of the family Mario Kart circuit.

This zippy primer on video game development takes readers from the arcades of the 1970s to Minecraft and the future of gaming....The well-told origin tales are a fantastic mash-up of pop and gaming culture...This satisfyingly thorough and worthy addition to any collection is sure to please hard-core gamers and newbies alike.--School Library Journal on Game On! This lengthy love letter comes from a self-professed video game addict. Thirty-nine breezy, irreverent chapters celebrate individual games...Unabashedly enthusiastic, author Hansen also provides tips on how to evaluate games for personal enjoyment....true gamers will be delighted. --Booklist on Game On! This zippy, funny, enthusiastic volume offers snapshot looks at the key moments in video game history ... Hansen is a big gamer, and he wants the reader to be, or be willing to become, a gamer as well... and as all gamers are sure to hit their own favorite game or genre eventually in here, they'll share his gushing at some point. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB) on Game On!