Oliver Haydock at The New York Observer has recently released his review of Michael Kane's GameBoys. The review highlights the finer points of the book while picking it apart at the same time. Below is an except:
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To write Gameboys, Mr. Kane spent 18 months on the professional videogaming circuit, where he dutifully tracked the premier players of a videogame called Counter-Strike as they attempted to popularize their "sport." For the uninitiated—which included me before I read this book—Counter-Strike is a computer-based competition, played by two teams of five. Teams alternate between defense and offense, and the primary objective, of course, is to kill your opponent. The team with the last person standing wins a game, and matches are won when a team wins 15 games.
Aided by his extensive reporting and familiarity with his subjects, Mr. Kane departs from the familiar and clichéd tropes used by many writers when they discuss the videogame subculture. He disdains the N-word (nerd) and favorably compares top-level videogame players to professional athletes. While that argument is excessive, the book is well served by Mr. Kane’s earnest tone, and readers will be surprised by the fleshed-out personalities of the videogamers, many of whom defy the typical characterizations of computer geeks.
One such character is 20-something Danny Montaner, a Cuban-American living in Miami. Like virtually all of the elite Counter-Strike players, Danny has a self-invented nickname—fRoD, for those who are wondering—and he plays the game despite his parents’ objections. Danny is a BMW-driving college dropout, who also happens to be the best Counter-Strike player in the world. He was a standout baseball player as a teenager, but gave up sports after breaking his arm.
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To visit the GameBoys Website, click here
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