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Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry

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Format: Paperback


Description

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. From the bestselling author of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels comes the next definitive, behind-the-scenes account of the video game industry: how some of the past decade's most renowned studios fell apart—and the stories, both triumphant and tragic, of what happened next.Jason Schreier's groundbreaking reporting has earned him a place among the preeminent investigative journalists covering the world of video games. In his eagerly anticipated, deeply researched new book, Schreier trains his investigative eye on the volatility of the video game industry and the resilience of the people who work in it.The business of videogames is both a prestige industry and an opaque one. Based on dozens of first-hand interviews that cover the development of landmark games—Bioshock Infinite, Epic Mickey, Dead Space, and more—on to the shocking closures of the studios that made them, Press Reset tells the stories of how real people are affected by game studio shutdowns, and how they recover, move on, or escape the industry entirely.Schreier's insider interviews cover hostile takeovers, abusive bosses, corporate drama, bounced checks, and that one time the Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling decided he was going to lead a game studio that would take out World of Warcraft. Along the way, he asks pressing questions about why, when the video game industry is more successful than ever, it's become so hard to make a stable living making video games—and whether the business of making games can change before it's too late. Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (May 11, 2021)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1538735490


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 97


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.3 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #93,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #45 in Entertainment Industry #112 in Computers & Technology Industry #272 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences


#45 in Entertainment Industry:


#112 in Computers & Technology Industry:


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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Good follow-up focusing on volatile game industry
I loved "Blood, Sweat, and Pixels" and was so excited for this book, I pre-ordered it. Did it deliver? Yes. Although it wasn't quite as gripping for me as Jason Schreier's last book. It continues the thread of studio turmoil that bubbled up in "Blood, Sweat, and Pixels" by focusing fully on the volatility of working in the video game industry. Schreier reports that the average length of employment at a video game development role is about 3 years with each new role possibly meaning uprooting the employee's life to move across the country. Studios can close at the drop of a hat whether the company is doing, good, bad, or ugly and employees come to expect and brace for it; even after putting in 80+ hour work weeks to crunch a game out. It's no surprise some people have had to flee the industry entirely for a better work/life balance. The most interesting section for me was the downfall of Curt Schilling's studio, 38 Studios, and how the Rhode Island state government decided to throw a $75 million loan at the studio if they relocated to Rhode Island and created new jobs. (It didn't end well, the studio went bankrupt in 2012.) While I am passionate about and love video games, I detest the way that people who put their heart and soul into games are treated. Big corporations like EA often see video game studios as disposable if they don't deliver on making enough money, which should never be the only goal of a video game. Schreier briefly touches upon how some studios and employees have addressed these issues (providing specialized contracting, working independently and remotely, etc.) But "...many of the changes explored in this chapter would require big systemic changes - changes that will be necessary, but will take big investments of both time and money before they can happen." ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 17, 2021 by Kimberly

  • Great book, it's all true but not the whole truth!
I am working as an engineer in game industry for a decade. has been working in many companies with different cultures and high variety of projects from mobile games to consoles and VR. With that said, everything that I just finished reading in this book happened to my colleagues or friends whom are involving with the industry. I am the type of guy who can smell the disaster before that day comeswhen it's too late to jump out of the ship. but you can't be that guy when you have kinds and wife and those sort of responsibilities. You need to have job security and benefits and enough time to be with you family. As far as I know, having family and making video games are not that compatible. I hope someday our industry get better at treating their employees just like they care about their customers. developers don't have voice as much as gamers! This book was all on point for most parts but started to get radical on some subjects and totally missed some points to present the both side of stories at some points. but I understand why, first, those people didn't want to do interview and second reason, I think, it was to not get distracted from the message that this book carries. So it went little extreme and single dimensional in some of those reports. but at the end of the day, the point and the message is still valid. The book contains a lots of useful information for those who wants to open a game studio. It's more useful to learn about those failure stories rather than just following success stories. Few succeed in this industry just like any other art form like music or movies, most of the creators will fail and small "successful" percentage will attract the most number of customers. that's how human's brain work. no one to blame. We wired to pay attention to the best product in any type of list. producing an average product doesn't have any place in music, movie or game industry. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 26, 2021 by Kindle Customer

  • Scarring accounts from the gaming industry
This is probably not a great book if you've worked in the gaming industry because you probably lived through similar horror stories. This is a great book if you're considering working in this industry. Not as a means to discourage you from doing so, but as an eye opener, a cautionary tale (many of them actually) to understand what is most likely to happen, how to prepare for it, and more importantly to force you to ask yourself if you're ready to tackle this. The book is well researched, well written, entertaining, and informative. This is also an excellent book to read if you're a gamer. I've read reviews where, unlike the previous book 'Blood, Sweat, and Pixels', some readers found it less interesting because it didn't cover juicy design details about their favorite games. This book isn't about the games. It's about the people, the sacrifices. Read it and appreciate all the hardships that occurred to bring your favorite titles to life. Only a few titles and studios are covered here, but these stories are pervasive across the industry. I loved the book, the audible narration was excellent, and I can't wait for the next one. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 1, 2022 by Nickolas Landry

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