Imaginary Games (Level Up! Published Philosopher)

It gives me great pleasure to announce that I have finally secured a deal for a book on my philosophy of games. Entitled Imaginary Games and published by Zero Books, the book is due in early 2012. You can click on the link here in this post, or on the mock up of the cover in the sidebar, to go to the page for the book and read the draft blurb. Comments welcome!

The book takes the work I've done adapting Walton's make-believe theory of representation to games (the Mimesis as Make-Believe serial and Game Design as Make-Believe serial), adds in a lot of other material from the blogs as well as all-new content, and arranges it all in a more personal and accessible book form. The manuscript is complete and production begins shortly. However, it will take six months from the end of production for it to be available for sale, so I have a long wait...

In the meantime, let me reproduce the part of my acknowledgements that refers to you, the players of the Game:

I must extend my gratitude to a great many of my blog ‘players’, and in particular Mory Buckman for his invaluable assistance in untangling the issues in respect of applying Walton’s system to megatexts via a series of spirited arguments, Rik Newman for his insights into the culture of fighting games, and John M. Osborne for bringing my attention to the issue of ‘fair play’. Other ‘players’ deserving of mention include Peter Crowther, Ben Cowley, Patrick Dugan, Corvus Elrod, Brian Green, Theo Malekin, Jack Monahan, Matt Mower, Michael Pereira, translucy and so many more I can’t adequately list, not only for comments that were invaluable in developing the ideas in this book but also for the constant encouragement that has kept me writing all these years. Also, my thanks go to Lauren Orsini, the intern at Kotaku who was responsible for the Walton serial reaching out to a wider audience at that aggregator. I also want to mention Yehuda Berlinger, whose blog has oft provided ideas to push gainfully against, and whose influence thus lurks beneath the surface of this manuscript in several places.

 Thank you all for your support!

Comments

[Mordechai Buxner]

I'm flattered. Congratulations on getting your ideas out to a larger audience!

[Corvus Elrod]

Hoorah, congrats Chris!

[Sinistredestre.wordpress.com]

Congratulations on your leveling up. 1337G goes to you, and 9000+ internets to you!!!!!1

Seriously, I'm fascinated by the notion not only of a philosopher who is taken gaming seriously, but has also taken systematic issues in philosophical aesthetics in application to gaming. Also, since you work in the industry you have an inside perspective pertinent to philosophising on the issue, like Einstein philosophising over physics.

With Kind Regards from all the (non-imaginary) people from the Noumenal Realm, and the flattered Michael Pereira

[Chris]

Thanks guys! Glad to have had you along "for the ride". :)

[Psychochild]

Congrats, Chris! Thanks for the nod, always happy to contribute to intelligent conversation. Hope the book does well!

[Shade_Jon]

I'm also flattered, and congrats. Definitely looking forward to it.

I was just talking to someone about how, no matter how voluminous, read, and influential one's blog is, one really needs to have an edited, vetted, published book to be taken seriously.

I should really get cracking on one of my own.

Yehuda

[Chris]

Brian: Cheers!

Yehuda: It would be really interesting to see how you pulled together your perspective into a book - it would, I think, be quite a transformation of your thought to arrange it in this way.

One tip: if you want to get published more easily in non-fiction, it pays to veer towards "how to" - you can easily put theoretical content into a "how to" book (my first non-fiction, "21st Century Game Design", did this) but first time authors struggle with books that seem to be purely theory.

All the best!