GAME BOYS by Michael Kane
In the history of professional gaming, there have been very few books written on the subject, and even less that actually showed readers the real "behind the scenes" story. This June, that trend comes to an end when the full length book Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise From the Basement to the Bigtime hits bookstores nationwide.
Written by Michael Kane of the New York Post, Game Boys is the true behind the scenes story of the rise of compLexity and Team3D. Mr. Kane followed the teams for a year and a half, staying in players' homes, attending team meetings, and interviewing everyone along the way. From all indications, he has been able to completely capture the true story of the famous eSports rivalry, and show both teams in a rare light that has never before been visible to the public.
Here is the official description of the book:
Michigan vs. Ohio State. And now . . . Team
3D vs. CompLexity. That would be America’s
next celebrated rivalry if the men in Game
Boys have their way.
We’ve come a long way since Pac-Man. Videogames
are more elaborate, popular, and addictive than ever,
and for the “cyberathletes” on the adult pro circuit,
gaming isn’t just a hobby—it’s a career.
Team 3D and CompLexity are two of the world’s top
professional e-sports clans competing in the 5v5 team
game Counter-Strike. Their battle for dominance, as
juicy as any feud in “real” sports, leads the action
in Game Boys, Michael Kane’s pioneering chronicle
of the lifestyle and business of hardcore gaming.
Gamers on the pro circuit win, lose, scout opponents,
cheat, quarrel, skip practice, sign with rival teams,
and get berated by sideline-pacing coaches. Some
use performance-enhancing ADD drugs. And now
they’re going on TV. Are they really the “athletes” of
tomorrow? They act like they are.
Looming behind the gaming tables the competition
is fiercer still, with archrival team owners on a
collision course for bragging rights and big-money
sponsorships. Jason Lake, the suit-and-tie, fiery,
foot-stomping manager of underdog CompLexity, is
risking it all—even the financial security of his young
family at home—to make a champion of his misfit
squad of gaming outcasts. To be number one, he’ll
have to vanquish nemesis Craig Levine of Team 3D,
the deep-pocketed “George Steinbrenner of e-sports,”
a cutthroat one-man front office with the world’s
most fearsome roster of All Stars. And win or lose,
both men are staking their futures on the hope not
just that their team will win, but that pro gaming, like
televised poker before it, will be the next success story
of competitive entertainment.
An engrossing tour inside the rivalries, quirks, and
dramas of a subculture on the cusp of big things,
Game Boys puts a techie spin on the classic sports tale
of victory and defeat, and offers a never-before-seen
look at the business of playing games.
For the first time in eSports' history, the true stories of top gaming teams are going to be told. Check the next page for a snippet of the book, and Page 3 for an interview with author Michael Kane.
MORE ON THE NEXT PAGE
Staff Member
Pro Gamer
Team GM
haha
Pro Gamer
now its impressive if a coL vs anyone matchup can get 1k spec's
Congrats on the book.
Loituma Champion