Playing at the World Paperback Author: Visit Amazon's Jon Peterson Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0615642047 | Format: PDF, EPUB
Playing at the World Epub FreeDownload Playing at the World Epub Free for everyone book mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link
Review
"A must-read for gaming geeks." -
Wired"Highly recommended for role-playing game enthusiasts." -
Games Magazine"The first serious history of the development of
Dungeons & Dragons... there's much here to fascinate even readers with only a cursory interest in the game." -
Village Voice
"Playing at the World is a must for gaming and popular culture history collections." -
Midwest Book Review"
Playing at the World is the best book I've ever read about games and gaming - not the personalities that play, but the history of games. The author is an absolutely meticulous researcher, and you will learn more about where role-playing games came from than you ever knew before - because I did, and I was there at the beginning, and I still learned more!" -
Tim Kask, early TSR employee and original editor of
Dragon magazine
"If you are a roleplayer, or a gaming historian, or a fan of D&D, you have to read this book. That simple." - Jeff Grub, former TSR staff designer, author of Manual of the Planes"I'm a bit embarrassed thinking of how many times I've talked about the history of D&D, thinking I knew the story - now I realize how little I knew. Playing at the World applies a higher standard of research than any other work on the history of role-playing games I've seen. Check out this awesome book!" - Peter Adkison, founder and former CEO of Wizards of the Coast, owner of Gen Con"At long last, the cultural phenomenon of Dungeons & Dragons gets the in-depth historical study it deserves in Jon Peterson's Playing at the World. Here, compellingly told, is the fascinating story of the prehistory and origins of the first and greatest role-playing game, and how a group of unlikely American nerd-gods imagined something new and brought it into the world." - Lawrence Schick, editor Deities & Demigods, author of White Plume Mountain and Heroic Worlds Books with free ebook downloads available Playing at the World Epub Free
- Paperback: 720 pages
- Publisher: Unreason Press (August 1, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0615642047
- ISBN-13: 978-0615642048
- Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 1.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
At some point in the late 60s and early 70s a handful of young wargaming geeks in Wisconsin and Minnesota - almost by accident - found a new way to create and explore imaginary worlds, realities and lives. It was like nothing they'd experienced before, bringing pleasures and excitements far beyond anything people normally associated with "gaming." In a few short years, this new immersive fantasy experience spread from these tiny local wargame clubs to become an international phenomenon that changed the world.
Playing at the World is a study of the creation of Dungeons & Dragons (first published in 1974), and the birth of fantasy role-playing games. Like a methodical archaeologist, Peterson painstakingly uncovers D&D's origins in the theory and subculture of wargaming, in fantasy literature and fandom, and in the wider social context and subcultures of 1960s-70s America. For anyone interested in role-playing games (as a cultural phenomenon and as a narrative/world-simulation form), this book is an inexhaustible treasure trove of information and insights. The depth of Peterson's research is extraordinary and his prose style is confident and enjoyable (and the presentation, editing and design prove that self-publishing is no barrier to absolute professionalism). It's true that some casual readers may be put off by the (deliciously nerdy) comprehensiveness (Peterson is determined to identify and analyse every conceivable source for and influence on D&D's development), but for someone genuinely fascinated by the subject, that is merely another of the book's many pleasures.
But looking beyond the breadth and detail, there are plenty of important larger themes here, which Peterson does a better job of exploring than almost anyone else I've read on the topic.
Full disclosure: The author and I have been friends since 1995; we met when I was in college. I had the pleasure of reading an early draft as well as the final version of the book.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who is interested in how modern board games, role playing games, and computer games came to be. The book traces the evolution of three separate ideas over centuries -- playing a role, games of chance, and fantastical fiction -- and shows how they crystallized into Dungeons and Dragons in the 1970s. It's easy to underestimate the significance of this event: it is the progenitor of all role playing games today and therefore modern video games such as World of Warcraft, Halo, board games such as Descent, and card games such as Magic: The Gathering.
To me, the most fascinating aspect of Playing at the World is how it answers questions I'd never thought of, despite playing D&D since I was 7, questions which in retrospect are puzzling. Why are Clerics called Clerics? Why does the Magic-User spell list include Dimension Door and Mirror Image? Why do Thieves have the particular set of skills they do, and why is there Thieves' Cant? Why Hit Dice, Hit Points, and a d20? All of these details suggested a world which the early books only peripherally explained. Why is there an omnipotent Dungeon Master? By comprehensively examining the fantasy literature and the history of chance in gaming and wargames, the book is able to show the origins of each of these ideas and how they were combined in Dungeons and Dragons.
Book Preview
Playing at the World Download
Please Wait...