Play Book Tag discussion

I don’t know much about Felicia Day, and I know even less about online gaming. But I’ve seen her on Will Wheaton’s Tabletop show and stumbled across her memoir here on GR. Oh no, that doesn’t happen very often. I haven’t added hundreds of books to my TBR from browsing GR. Nope!

She had an isolated upbringing, being home-schooled and barely leaving the house without being accompanied by her mother. She was very shy and lacked social skills. Bright though. Bright enough to get a Maths degree and talented enough as a violinist to get a music scholarship for college. Her success in both of those things was partly because she had the introvert’s quite typical ability to focus intensely on anything she thought worth her attention. Plus she was so shy at college that she was happy to spend hours studying calculus and practising her music when other students might have been in the pub.

When she discovered online gaming, she was in her element. She explains “When we graduate from childhood into adulthood, we’re thrown into this confusing Cthulhu-like miasma of life, filled with social and career problems, all with branching choices and no correct answers. Sometimes gaming feels like going back to that simple kid world.” But it becomes addictive, to a point where she is spending 12 hours a day every day on World of Warcraft. Fortunately she breaks that habit and turns her talents to creating her own online video series. Her account of how she does this on a negligible budget is really funny. She scavenges for finds on Freecycle for example “ “Broken electronics on curb near Glenoaks Ave and Hubbard St in Sylmak, Come before 6pm.” Perfect set dressing for Bladez’s gaming space. BAM! GET YOUR FAST AND FURIOUS ON FELICIA!”

There’s lots of ALL CAPS and jokey comments. It’s written in a very light blog-like style that’s easy to read. She doesn’t take herself too seriously, although she’s proud of what she has achieved. She’s very honest about her problems and how they have held her back, and how she has tried to overcome them - some more successfully than others. I really liked the character who came across in this book. She has great energy and enthusiasm for life, whilst never glossing over how hard it can be to make a career in what is mostly a man’s world. She refers to the issue of #gamergate in which women were victimised online by male gamers (I hope I’m summarising that correctly. I know so little about social media that it’s taken me several minutes to find out how to type a hash tag here!!) and tells how her personal information such as her home address has been deliberately circulated on the internet, leaving her vulnerable to face to face threats. Some of what she says about trolling reminds me of the book I read recently by Mary Beard Women & Power: A Manifesto in which she talks of the same thing. Not the internet’s proudest achievement. Nevertheless she created a successful business / career on her own terms, mostly, and passes on some tips to the reader about how to go about doing the same.

Overall this was an enjoyable look at a lifestyle I know nothing about and which couldn’t be further from my own. And to some extent, that’s why we read biographies isn’t it? To see a different life from the inside, to see the world through their eyes for a while? I wouldn’t want to live her life, but is was fun to spend a short time there at least. I enjoyed it.

I gave this 4 stars as well. Since reading this Felicia Day has been more on my radar. I bingewatched 'The Guild', her online webseries, and it was pretty funny. An even greater look into the online gaming community.

I hadn't heard of #gamergate until this book too-and had to google it. Pretty interesting stuff, and I found the part about doxxing really interesting as well.

I also liked this but was totally lost over #gamergate. She wrote about it like it was some kind of world news that everyone should have heard about, but I think it was just big news in her profession.

Nicole R wrote: "I also liked this but was totally lost over #gamergate. She wrote about it like it was some kind of world news that everyone should have heard about, but I think it was just big news in her profess..."

Nicole I just read your review and I bet listening to her narrating the audio version herself was a hoot! But anyway, yes I imagine she lives every day in a gaming 'bubble' that I don't inhabit. I suppose we all do that a bit mind you, it's just that mine would be... well... lots of numbers, and then some more numbers. Oh and numbers. ;-)

Thank you for reading and commenting.

I have heard a lot about gamergate and I am definitely not in the gaming community. Perhaps that is because I follow a lot of science fiction and fantasy authors on twitter and there is some overlap???

Joi wrote: "I gave this 4 stars as well. Since reading this Felicia Day has been more on my radar. I bingewatched 'The Guild', her online webseries, and it was pretty funny. An even greater look into the onlin..."

Joi, thank you for commenting! I read your review of this book and, as you say, she gives a clear picture of the downs as well as the ups of being famous.

Cora wrote: "I have heard a lot about gamergate and I am definitely not in the gaming community. Perhaps that is because I follow a lot of science fiction and fantasy authors on twitter and there is some overla..."

Hi Cora, thanks for your comment. I'm interested that you read fantasy. It's a genre I'm trying to get myself into. Could I pick your brains about good books to start with? I find a lot of fantasy books just bewilderingly complicated and then give up because I can't get all the names and characters straight in my head.

Sue wrote: "Cora wrote: "I have heard a lot about gamergate and I am definitely not in the gaming community. Perhaps that is because I follow a lot of science fiction and fantasy authors on twitter and there i..."

I will open a new thread in footnotes with some recommendations. Hopefully some other fantasy readers will notice it there and comment too.

Cora wrote: "Sue wrote: "Cora wrote: "I have heard a lot about gamergate and I am definitely not in the gaming community. Perhaps that is because I follow a lot of science fiction and fantasy authors on twitter..."

Perfect, thank you!