Lost in a Good Game: Why we play video games and what they can do for us

I work in the industry and am often tasked with explaining the artistic value of the games medium to those who never play them. It's with this in mind, and the growing panic around games addiction, that I picked up Lost in a Good Game. It is a fantastic resource, games literate while also being honest about the gaps where more research is needed. What really took me by surprise was the deeply personal account of what games meant to Pete -- we all have these stories, and reading Lost in a Good Game helped me re-contextualise my own experiences with the medium in a powerful way.

This is a lovely book: it's a beautifully written, rigorous and thoughtful look at what we know about how videogames impact on human beings, a useful tour of the evidence, which presents a much more nuanced picture than the moral-panic folk would like you to have. But it's also a beautiful meditation on loss and grief: Dr Etchells' work as a scientist working to understand videogames comes from how he threw himself into videogames as a teenager after his father's death. It's personal, it's engaging, it's intimate and it's rigorous. I really enjoyed this book.

This is a superb book that beautifully articulates current thinking on the psychology of why we play games and why they can affect us so profoundly.The book perfectly slays much of the current tabloid moral panic nonsense about the ills of gaming, identifies the limitations and failures of current research methodologies and provides thoughtful ideas about improving future research.The book also contains Etchells’ personal stories how how games have played important roles in different parts of his life, which gives the book emotional weight.Highly recommended.

A must read for every one. For those involved with gaming it will give you the answers to explain to others why gaming is safe, and the stats to back up your arguments. For those not directly interested in gaming, it’s a wonderfully written account of the history of games and a personal story that will make you laugh and cry. Well it did me!

This book was equal parts funny, informative and incredibly moving. Pete has managed to balance the intricacies and issues within video game research (and the moral panics around it) with a very open, moving and personal application that is nothing but admirable. A refreshing take on gaming research that had me reminiscing back to the games of my childhood, the impact games have had on my life, and the moments I've found myself relying on my game console to get me through difficult times.

I loved this book, and you don’t have to be a gamer to feel the same. This is an exploration of human nature, creativity, connection and grief, viewed through the fascinating lens of digital entertainment. It’s sensitive, clever and real. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

This is a fascinating and moving book from someone who really knows what they are talking about. It's an in-depth, measured look at what video games really do, for both children and adults - and how positive they can be

Boring