Powering Up: Are Computer Games Changing Our Lives
By Rebecca Mileham
To be published by Wiley on 1st May 2008
Is there a hidden plague of game addiction in our society?
Can computer games improve your vocabulary?
Are car-driving games turning us into boy racers?
Could games help patients fight cancer?
Should you feel guilty for killing pixel people?
All these questions and more are addressed in Rebecca Mileham’s thought provoking book, Powering Up. She takes us on a global journey to find out how contemporary games are changing the way we think and learn, our identity and health, our propensity for addiction, violence or brain-washing, and even our future, from a time when computer games were a nerd’s niche to a cultural, multimillion pound global industry, generating a heady mix of wonder and mistrust.
Mileham goes beyond the fear and hype to examine the latest scientific research to see what effect the epidemic of game-playing is really having on us and on our society. For the first time, this book brings together all the players in computer games research to see where games could take us next and reveals their enormous potential.
Should we be worried or not? Although the book explores the risky side of games in depth, Mileham is convinced that the positive questions are actually the more important ones. Rather than repeatedly asking what effects computer games are having on teenagers’ propensity for violence, she suggests, shouldn’t we explore how games can help to beat bullying and empower the young? Instead of endless concern about the neurological effects of “game addiction”, why don’t we try to take advantage of the idea that our brains find games a wonderful way to learn?
Powering Up is one of the first books in the TechKnow series, published in conjunction with the Dana Centre – the Science Museum’s café/bar venue for contemporary science events. The book will be launched at the Dana Centre with a free event on 1 May where audience members can discuss, challenge and contribute to the issues in Powering Up with Rebecca Mileham and other speakers from the gaming world.
Powering Up presents evidence from experts and gamers alike to discover, question and provoke new debate on one of the most fascinating technological developments of our lifetime.
Rebecca Mileham has written for the Sunday Times, She magazine and for museums all over the UK. In 10 years at the Science Museum, she’s developed exhibitions on topics as diverse as Charles Babbage’s Different Engines, robotic submarines, face transplants and the male pill.
For further information, to request a review copy or arrange an interview, please contact Julia Lampam
For US queries, please contact Lori Sayde-Merhtens
The TechKnow books will get you up to speed with the most-thought provoking issues of the day. And leave you wanting more.... Each book brings to life a particular area of technology and takes an informal, sometimes controversial yet always challenging look at where we are now, where future developments will take us - and how they'll affect as individuals and as a society. Peppered with real-life stories from across the globe and interviews with those at the cutting edge, these books will fuel your mind and get you thinking beyond the technology headlines!
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for 200 years; helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Since 1901, Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley’s global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company’s Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
About the Dana Centre
The Dana centre is the Science Museum’s purpose built, adults-only venue for interactive events that explore how advances in contemporary science, technology, engineering and medicine impact on our culture and society. Every week the Dana Centre hosts free events which bring together experts from many disciplines, including art, history and sociology, as well as science and technology. Their viewpoints are contrasted with personal opinions to provide different and often controversial perspectives on issues that affect us all. For further information, or to book free tickets, visit www.danacentre.org.uk or call 020 7942 4040.
Powering Up: Are Computer Games Changing Our Lives? By Rebecca Mileham
To be published by Wiley on 1st May 2008
9780470723104 £12.99 Paperback Original
To buy the book, click here
Other books publishing in the series are
Being Virtual: Who You Really Are Online by Davey Winder May 2008
Enhancing Me: The Hope and Hype of Human Enhancement by Pete Moore May 2008
Higher, Further, Faster: Is Technology Improving Sport? By Stewart Ross September 2008
Desirable Future? Consumer Electronics in Tomorrow’s World by Jack Challoner October 2008
