Fun Inc.: Why Games Are The 21st Century’s Most Serious Business by Tom Chatfield (Virgin Books, £12.99) (From The Northern Echo)

Fun Inc.: Why Games Are The 21st Century’s Most Serious Business by Tom Chatfield (Virgin Books, £12.99)

11:01am Saturday 30th January 2010 in

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A YOUNG and often misunderstood medium that has seen phenomenal and rapid growth, video gaming is now a huge industry.

This book takes the reader through the birth of video games, looking at how society responded to the perceived dangers of such an initially isolating form of entertainment, through to the present day and the arrival of video gaming as a mainstream and sociable activity.

Chatfield shows us that video gaming offers a remarkable insight into the human capacity for innovation, predilection for co-operation and the tendency for society to value fairness and systematic structure.

Not just relating how the industry has become big business itself, the author shares the growing understanding that the behaviour of groups of players within games and virtual spaces can be a positive influence on the future of business and economics.

Emily Ashton