You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games by J. Robert Lennon, Carmen Maria Machado

5 reviews

imannabethchase's review

Go to review page

dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

4.0

Getting to see authors have connected video games to real is such a magical experience and I’m  glad to see so many unique opinions
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

goldenwing's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jazhandz's review

Go to review page

reflective

3.5

As is always the case, there were a few standouts: my favorites were Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s essay on grief and Disco Elysium, Jamil Jan Kochai’s essay on seeing himself in Call of Duty, and Eleanor Henderson’s essay on being the mother of two indoorsy gamer kids. Unfortunately I found pretty much everything else intensely forgettable. There are essays that are so specific as to become universal, and then there are these, which are lovely and well-written personal stories that did not really affect me.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emmagrahxm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging funny informative inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.5

One of the best Non Fiction anthologies I’ve picked up in a long time. 
Carmen Maria Machado continues to stun me with her writing. The intro is brilliant. My favourite essay is probably Thinking like the Knight but Staying with the Trouble is a close second. Each of the essays talk about one or more games and the impact they have had with the author. 

Please read both trigger warnings and spoilers for the games mentioned. These essays talk a lot about mental health, gender dysphoria, addiction and more. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ootoom's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this collection of essays! 

As with any collection, there were some absolute knockouts (those by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Vanessa Villareal, Larissa Pham and Hanif Abdurraqib) and some misses. 

What really moved me is that this collection has moved past the desire to justify video games and toward the expression of connecting with art in this new medium. 

There was a lot of discussion of grief, joy, loneliness and connection. All important and worthwhile things to discuss. 

This is the exact book I have been looking for all this time, and I am so happy to have found it. I predict I will be returning to it frequently.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings