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Press Reset

Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry

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Press Reset

By: Jason Schreier
Narrated by: Ray Chase
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About this listen

 From the bestselling author of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels comes the next definitive, behind-the-scenes account of the video game industry: how some of the past decade's most renowned studios fell apart—and the stories, both triumphant and tragic, of what happened next.

Jason Schreier's groundbreaking reporting has earned him a place among the preeminent investigative journalists covering the world of video games. In his eagerly anticipated, deeply researched new book, Schreier trains his investigative eye on the volatility of the video game industry and the resilience of the people who work in it.

The business of videogames is both a prestige industry and an opaque one. Based on dozens of first-hand interviews that cover the development of landmark games—Bioshock Infinite, Epic Mickey, Dead Space, and more—on to the shocking closures of the studios that made them, Press Reset tells the stories of how real people are affected by game studio shutdowns, and how they recover, move on, or escape the industry entirely.

Schreier's insider interviews cover hostile takeovers, abusive bosses, corporate drama, bounced checks, and that one time the Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling decided he was going to lead a game studio that would take out World of Warcraft. Along the way, he asks pressing questions about why, when the video game industry is more successful than ever, it's become so hard to make a stable living making video games—and whether the business of making games can change before it's too late. Programming Programming & Software Development Social Sciences Software Development & Engineering Technology Game Software Development Software Video Game Video Game Industry

Critic Reviews

“Schreier covers the notoriously secretive gaming industry [and] knows it well.”

—GQ

“Jason Schreier is a huge fan of video games, and his enthusiasm is contagious.”

—Booklist

“My only complaint about Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is that there wasn't more to read.”

—Forbes
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If you have read or heard about Jason’s previous book, Blood Sweat and Pixels, then you are probably already familiar with the happenings in the games industry. From crunch, horrible pay and so on. However this book tells a different story. Rather than focusing on these topics as a whole, Press Reset focuses on the real developers affected by these practices. Both from developers who have to lay off staff, are laid off themselves or even who have to recreate their lives halfway across a country. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to get into the games industry, to educate yourself more about it or just love the people who make their favourite titles and want to see their working conditions improve.

A real depressing tale of video game workers careers, but with hope still in the industry to fix it.

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My only complaint is the book has a weaker structure than Blood, Sweat and Pixels

Otherwise, this book has amazing content which is brutally honest and accurate from mine and my friends' experiences. This book has content thats triggers too many feelings. The move to more remote might be the only solution to these problems.

I'd listen to this if you're in your early days in the game industry and know you're not trapped there.

Thus hits too hard after I had my first layoff

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Really enjoyed this book though it wasn't as interesting as the first but definitely is a key piece that highlights and potentially motivate change within the gaming industry.

another great book by Schreier

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Jason Schreier has done it again with an uncompromising glimpse in to the darker side of Video Game development and studio shut-downs and how it affects people, their families and the overall potential for success in a video game launch.

An uncompromising glimpse!

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A must listen for anyone thinking about working or already working in the video game industry

just as good if not better than the first

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