Welcome To Gaming
A book about Video Games and Gaming Culture
Written for non-gamers
This is a finished book seeking publication
Hi, and thank you for your interest in Welcome To Gaming!
This is a bit of a passion project of mine and I am very excited to make it a reality.
I am currently publishing here at about a rate of a chapter a week. But I am always interested in the possibility of a hard copy release!
If you are interested, take a look at the chapter list to see what topics I cover, my query letter, or a few of my excerpts!
If you are interested, feel free to contact me at 8bitbethgaming@gmail.com
CHAPTERS:
Forward – Welcome to the Game
Recommendations and Thanks
Introduction – What it means to be a Nerd
Part I – How to Approach Gaming Culture
Chapter 1 – First Contact
Chapter 2 – Gamer Friends – A How to Guide
Chapter 3 – Don’t Feed the Trolls – Dealing with Problematic Gamers
Chapter 4 – Game! - It’s a Verb!
Part II – How We Game
Chapter 5 – Hardware – What we Game On
Chapter 6 – Console Gaming
Chapter 7 – Computer Gaming
Chapter 8 – Mobile and Handheld Gaming
Chapter 9 – How we Buy Our Games Wrap up
PART III – What we Play
Chapter 10 – Introducing Game Genres
Chapter 11 – Conventional Genres
Chapter 12 – Unconventional and New Genres
Chapter 13 – Tags, Terms, and Recommendations
Part IV – Learning to Game
Chapter 14 – Introduction to Basic Gaming Literacy
Chapter 15 – Controllers and Game World Learning
Chapter 16 – The Nature of Convention
Chapter 17 – Game Control Convention
Chapter 18 – Gameplay Convention and Understanding What You See
Chapter 19 – Game Goals and Where to Find Them
Game Literacy Wrap-Up
Part V – Why We Game |
Chapter 20 – The Vilification of Gaming
Chapter 21 –Reasons to Game: An Introduction To Bartle’s Taxonomy
Chapter 22 – Games as Achievement
Chapter 23 – Games as Exploration
Chapter 24 – Games as Dominance
Chapter 25 – Games as Community
Chapter 26 – Games for Thinkers
Section Closing – Final Thoughts
Part VI – Gaming for Good
Chapter 27 – Violence in Games
Chapter 28 – The ESRB and Understanding Game Ratings
Chapter 29 – Socialization and the Gamer
Chapter 30 – Physical Health and Games
Chapter 31 – Cognitive Health and Games
Chapter 32 – Games and Self Efficacy
Chapter 33 – Gaming Addiction or Compulsion
Final Thoughts on Gaming for Good
Part VIII – Final Thoughts, Looking forward, and Last Welcome
Part IX – Appendix
QUERY LETTER:
To any interested party:
As of 2018 over two thirds of American households owned a device used exclusively to play video games and were home to at least one person who plays video games regularly. This has left innumerable parents, siblings, spouses, grandparents and friends with major questions and concerns about gaming as a pastime. With presidents and politicians decrying the influence of games, and marketing numbers showing that gaming becoming one of the largest industries across the globe, many people are left confused or worried for their family members. And for those that try to approach the world of video games, the barriers to entry for this rapidly maturing form of art and media are very real, leaving many people uncertain and looking for answers.
WELCOME TO GAMING is a nearly completed, conversational, easy reading guide to the world, practice, and culture of video games, written for both the non-gamer and the gamer alike, meant for those who have—and love—the gamers in their lives. While many gamers know the material in this book, and scholars know the theoretical concepts, I have endeavored to bridge the gap between gamer, academic, and the normal mother, grandfather, sibling, or spouse. I offer a clear and accessible starting point to the pastime and lifestyle of the person they love and care for.
My name is Bethany Bone, and I am a gamer. I am also a teacher, writer, and an exceptionally well rounded nerd. I am a teacher of what are known as “doubly exceptional students” students, Incredibly gifted learners with a wide range of challenges including Asperger’s, Autism, Social Anxiety, and other challenges. This has allowed me to cultivate a broad set of communication skills, with a focus on communicating to parents about the some of the most difficult and complex issues. I know how to advocate against bias, how to speak to fearfulness, and how to cultivate understanding for the seemingly inaccessible.
This book has simply come out of a passion for a hobby and the realization that for many kids and adults it is a dividing force as well as the conviction that it can be a powerful tool for bringing people together. As a result I expect to market it in two ways. Firstly It can be marketed to gamers. Gaming conventions of all kinds welcome authors as exhibitors; I hope to exhibit at several. A single Penny Arcade Expo attracts 50,000+ attendees and hundreds of smaller conventions take place all around the United States. For the non-gaming side I expect to reach out to as many parenting and family focused resources and periodicals on as many platforms as I can. Working with family focused sites like Scary Mommy and Fatherly would provide an audience of well over 100,000 parents.
Welcome to Gaming is a nearly finished book only needing a final copy edit. While I seek publication I am working on new chapters covering related topics that could be added, rolled into another book, or used as articles for generating interest.
A book proposal, manuscript or anything else is available upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration.
8bitbethgaming@gmail.com
WWW.WelcomeToGaming.com