'Lost in a Good Game’, by gamer and psychologist Pete Etchells, takes us on a journey through the most pertinent questions facing the video game medium in this part memoir, part exploration of video game psychology, and, surprisingly, part research primer. The book looks behind the various demonising headlines which are often in the tabloids about how video games are leading to the degradation of society (re: violence, addiction etc) and considers if these are true. He also looks at how the research is carried out in these area as well as the broader sciences and identifies the limitations and failures of current research methodologies whilst providing solutions to improve all future research. That’s quite the remit but does Etchells achieve what he sets out to do?
Well, firstly I going to say that it’s a bit of a novelty that the author is British as most books and podcast I’ve read and heard/listen to are primarily American so there are some significant events that I cannot relate to. The Video Game Crash of 1984 was a huge deal in America but here in Britain, and Europe as a whole, the microcomputer revolution was chugging along just dandy (dandily?), so it's great to get another angle. Etchells is earnest and honest with his stories and this lends the whole book a feeling of relatability and self-reflection. His personal stories about how video games have played important roles in different parts of his life, gives the book an emotional weight. The places and events he mentions from his own childhood were familiar to me and relatable and so I found myself able to empathise with him. However, irrespective of the background of the author the 13 different chapters covered in the book are universal themes that cover the medium across the globe.
Chapter 1, Dungeons and Demons, looks at Warcraft and how there are many ways to play this MMORPG- there are pacifists, mages, warlocks as well as the usual warriors and fighting classes. WOW is more to do with the sense of community and collegiate responsibility than just loners, sitting in their basements. Etchells discusses why WOW was so important for him as it helped him process the death of his father. He says that through video games we live many lives and through death in video games we learn about our own mortality, to take risks and learn.
Chapter 2, A Brief History of Video Games, sees Etchells briefly talk about the evolution of early computers and video games. He discusses the Power Out Video Game Exhibition (which is found in the Science Museum in South Kensington), The National Video Game Arcade (which is found in Sheffield), and the non-linear evolution of video games. It's useful stuff for those who want a quick potted history of the medium.
Etchells talks about how the sounds of the arcade reminds him of his childhood and the holidays he had. He's not wrong, playing Final Fight and R-type always reminds me of Heathrow Airport as it was there I first played these games whilst waiting for my uncles and aunties to arrive from Pakistan in the 80s.
Chapter 3, Why Do We Play Video Games? looks at the different reasons people play games. For the author, it enabled him to parse the fact that his father was seriously ill. For others it's based on Richard Bartle's anecdotal data that helped him create his work on the 4 archetypes of players: Achievers, Explorers, Socialisers and Killers. Etchells looks at the robustness of the research carried out and argues that there has not been enough good quality research done on the subject and that the scientific process has been left wanting, often with studies already assuming that the player will fill one of these archetypes or a derivative of one. However, Etchells argues, successfully in my opinion, that there are many different reasons why people play games and even within the same individual the reasons they play may change.
I wrote a little about how video games have helped many during the Coronavirus pandemic and me personally to process the new normal (link here). I have had Skyrim for many years and only during Covid did I pour over 200 hours in as I was seeking escape and an openness that was missing in my life. Beforehand, I'd found the game too vast and unknowable, during Covid.... No problem. Now, after Covid, I play it to enjoy the peace and calm afforded by the landscape.
Chapter 4, Control and Imagination, looks at how games are an emergent phenomenon which many moral guardians do not understand and so are vilified. Etchells discusses how Minecraft was a cultural touchstone, enabling unrivalled creativity but how many saw it as being a danger to youth as it was addictive etc. Etchells also discusses how many who look down on the medium have very little to do with it-cherry picking examples of violence to say that this is what games are but obviously there are different genres so it's a very simplistic argument.
Chapter 5, A Brief Interlude, looks at the research which is being done on video games and its influence on society and individuals psychology. Etchells discusses the problem with how scientific studied that are exciting and cutting edge are often brought to the fore and heavily advertised yet replication (repeating the experiment to see that the results track and are accurate) are not, thus you have ludicrous situations such as an experiment claiming psychic abilities exist. The test was fair and carried out well but wasn't possible to replicate but in the wide community there existed the thought that psychic abilities exist. The fact that research is funded and often the outcome will result in further funding and job opportunities means that much of Social Psychology has been found to be based on questionable research and selective data tampering, these are generally called Questionable Research Practices (QRPs). It's this that has affected many of the Sciences and led to a general weariness of headline discoveries. Etchells says that when replication experiments were carried out on hundreds of published papers nearly 3/4 were not replicable. That's means that the data and science that exists in social sciences is based on false data and the whole house of cards topples.
This chapter was particularly illuminating and paints a damning picture of the sciences, especially the social sciences where the replication procedures have shown that most of the claims made and approved in scientific papers were wrong.
Chapter 6, Are Violent Video Games Bad For Us? has Etchells looks at the issue and how scientific methodology to answer this question have not been stringent. Etchells discusses the various studies and explains how they are flawed but mentions that generally, the research shown does not link correlation with causation.
Chapter 7, Moral Panics, talks about how there are periods of time where 'folk devils' are created. This is where a narrative is pushed that an individual, group or idea is deviant and is to blame for societies ills. This occurred with the printing press, women in theatre, books, comics, rock music, Dungeons and Dragons ,
and now video games and the Internet. Etchells says that often moral panics are, more often than not, based on anecdotal data and that the scientists who pursue new media as a 'folk devil' do so because they feel like they want to better society and often have a halcyon view of their morality, childhood as a whole and their childhood. Generally, those who had more experience and interactions with youth and video games were more positive than those who didn't.
Chapter 8, Are Video Games Addictive? looks at how the usual way to measure addiction is by creating a facsimile of alcohol and drug addiction. However, whereas there is plenty of evidence about substance related harm there is very little evidence as regards harm and gaming addiction. Etchells discusses the issues raised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) categorising Gaming Addiction alongside these other addiction- primarily that there is no clear evidence to support this fact. The fact that there are Bootcamps to overcome this 'addiction' is worrying, especially when news of ‘correctional camps’ in China with some suicides comes into play *cough* Uyghur *cough*
Etchells does discuss the worrying trend of loot boxes, gambling mechanics and freemium models entering the gaming space and how, in the long run, this could cause societal problems for those with addictive personalities or neurodivergent. He wrote the book in 2018 and so the recent House of Commons discussion regarding gambling mechanics hasn't been covered but he was very prescient.
Chapter 9, Screen Time, looks at the concerns surrounding screen time. Much like in chapter 8, Etchells argues that the headline grabbing hot-takes dominate the mainstream news media but actually they somewhat misrepresent the data as it is not as clear cut as they are presented. Many of the concerns are based on anecdotal rather than empirical data and this raises concerns as the conversation is affecting policies without careful thought. Etchells isn't saying that there isn't an issue with screen time or addiction but rather than the quality of research and discourse needs to be better.
Chapter 10, Immersion and Virtual Reality, has Etchells looking at the way people see virtual reality- either Matrix style subjugation by the machines, of people plugging in and dropping out of society like in Ready Player One or of a way to play games to deal with real world issues like PTSD. Etchells worries that companies will create exploitative VR worlds that maximises profit rather than build worlds that would be for the embetterment of society. We shall see but I don't disagree with him.
Chapter 11, Wayfaring and Wayfinding, looks at how video games can be used to collect data, not for nefarious means, but for scientific endeavours. Etchells talks about how the data gained from Sea Hero Quest provided lots of data for scientists researching dementia. The findings were fascinating and shows how video games can be a force for good.
I've spoken about how crowdsourcing work has helped solve problems that would have taken many years to resolve. This collective effort to solve problems could have huge real world problem solving implications.
Chapter 12, Digital Spectator Sports, looks at the rise and dominance of esports. Etchells looks at the nascent beginnings in South Korea to worldwide viewing figures surpassing the NFL viewership. He also discusses how schools and organisations are using esports to develop communication and teamworking skills. Etchells discusses how, rather than being a leveller, the leagues often have huge majority of male players, even if there are excellent female players. He cites the exclusion of an outstanding South Korean Overwatch player who wasn't picked up by any team and the lame excuses they gave.
I don't always get esports but then I rarely watch sports except the World Cup and Olympics. However, I can see the attraction of esports as it has heroes and villains in its cast and I don't mean the online avatars. I just wish the homophobic, xenophobic and mysogyny wasn't a huge part of the game. In light of the #MeToo and #BLM movement esports should be a great equaliser but it rarely is.
Chapter 13, Loss, looks at the precarious situation regarding video games. Because they are part of a planned obsolescence many studios don't keep the code or materials and as a result much is lost to time. Where games have been stored they slowly deteriorate, for example many cassettes, carts and cds don't work anymore. Rather than dwell on this Etchells believes that we should be preserving the stories surrounding the games as their cultural relevance and impact lies in this, not just the tangible objects slowly deteriorating behind perspex. I'm reminded of a small local library exhibition I used to often take my pupils to, it shared the story of 5 immigrants into England. Behind the glass were shabby suitcases, old passports and paperwork and faded fuzzy photos but what stuck with me were the phones where you could listen to the people who these items belonged to. It brought the items to life and rathe than just see these things as artifacts they became something more-that dirty old teddy with the eye missing was the most precious thing to this old lady on the phone when she was 5, escaping Austria and the Nazis. Context is everything and so, letting the artifacts die is sad but inevitable with gaming but its the larger story we should be preserving.
I like this attitude as with recent retro games prices it makes the most sense. With YouTube this is happening as some fans have started to create portfolios including Jeremy Parish with his Gameboy series and Frank Cifaldi with the Video Game History Foundation. I've kind of spoken about my personal journey with video games through my ‘Nintendo- My One True Constant’, 'What Video Games Can Teach Us’ and ‘Did Videogames Just Save the World?’
Videogames are an artform whose primary form is agency but, more than that, they offer an escape and some hold up truths within. In some story-based video games, we get to understand people and gain a deeper level of understanding of humanity and ourselves. Etchells’ book looks at a myriad of different issues and eloquently discusses them. I loved the book and would highly recommend it for anyone looking at a deep dive into the medium.
LINK- The Last Guardian- Video Games As Art
LINK- The Stone Tapes (BBC)- Cult TV Review
LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid
LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK- An English Geek in Saudi