SIMON PARKIN

Este libro, una historia visual de los videojuegos, ofrece al lector una visión general de la industria del videojuego, desde el primer juego creado a mediados del siglo XX hasta nuestros días. Se presta especial atencion a los avances que se han producido en la industria durante este tiempo, como las nuevas tecnologias, la jugabilidad innovadora, los graficos nunca vistos y el diseño. Una introduccion de Simon Parkin ofrece una vision general de la historia de los videojuegos y explora como juegos emblematicos han ampliado los limites del medio. 300 entradas, seleccionadas por un panel de expertos de la industria, muestran los juegos, consolas, editores, etc. mas influyentes y celebres. Cada entrada va acompañada de un texto que informa al lector sobre el juego y su historia, su lugar en la cultura popular en general, e incluye informacion y datos utiles, con maridajes emocionantes y a veces inesperados proporcionados por la organizacion de la A a la Z. Un glosario de palabras clave y biografias seleccionadas de creadores y desarrolladores influyentes proporcionan mas contexto, y un sistema de iconos e infografias permite a los lectores ver las conexiones entre las 300 entradas del libro. Tambien se analiza la cultura del juego en general y como ha pasado de ser una aficion de nicho a convertirse en un fenomeno mundial que influye en la cultura popular, lo que lo convierte en el estudio mas amplio sobre juegos y videojuegos disponible en la actualidad.

From the winner of the 2023 Wingate Literary Prize comes a fascinating and moving untold story of the Leningrad scientists who risked everything for the future of humanity An astonishing story brilliantly told It is as moving as it is gripping to read Jonathan Dimbleby author of Endgame 1944 A gripping original and important story of courage and science in wartime Roland Philipps author of A Spy Named Orphan In the summer of 1941 German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad now St Petersburg and began the longest blockade in recorded history By the most conservative estimates the siege would claim the lives of three quarters of a million people Most died of starvation At the centre of the embattled city stood a converted palace that housed the greatest living plant library ever amassed the world s first seed bank After attempts to evacuate the collection failed and as supplies dwindled the scientists responsible faced a terrible decision should they distribute the specimens to the starving population or preserve them in the hope that they held the key to ending global famine Drawing on previously unseen sources The Forbidden Garden tells the remarkable and moving story of the botanists who remained at the Plant Institute during t

FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2025 An Economist Book of the Year An astonishing story brilliantly told It is as moving as it is gripping to read Jonathan Dimbleby author of Endgame 1944 A richly researched and meticulously observed account of a little explored corner of 20th century history Guardian A fantastically well researched history of science and sacrifice saturated in drama i WINNER OF THE CBHL LITERATURE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HISTORY In the summer of 1941 German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad now St Petersburg and began the longest blockade in recorded history By the most conservative estimates the siege would claim the lives of three quarters of a million people Most died of starvation At the centre of the embattled city stood a converted palace that housed the greatest living plant library ever amassed the world s first seed bank After attempts to evacuate the collection failed and as supplies dwindled the scientists responsible faced a terrible decision should they distribute the specimens to the starving population or preserve them in the hope that they held the key to ending global famine Drawing on previously unseen sources The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad tells the remarkabl

Matamos el tiempo con los videojuegos pero ¿qué pasa cuando los videojuegos nos matan a nosotros?La pregunta da mucho de sí, y Simon Parkin intenta responderla sin olvidar que, para algunos, EVE Online, Grand Theft Auto y League of Legends tienen poderes salvificos.Jugamos por muchos motivos, y Muerte por videojuego es, a su manera, una teoria estetica y politica del diseño, la programacion y ese aparente contrasentido que es la vida en los mundos virtuales. Un estado de la cuestion y el relato de una promesa. Por algo el ultimo capitulo se titula "Utopia".Parkin da cuenta de todo lo que usted queria saber sobre videojuegos y no sabia a quien preguntar, y lo hace interrogandose tambien a si mismo. Mientras tanto, aprovecha para entrevistar al cirujano neoyorquino que, a estas alturas, trata de batir el record mundial de Donkey Kong, al heroico viajero que lleva tres años intentando alcanzar los confines de Minecraft y al hacker aleman que casi acabo en la carcel por hacerse con el codigo de Half-Life 2. Fiel al espiritu de los videojuegos, he aqui la cronica de una ola de muertes ocurridas en diversos cibercafes asiaticos, y no solo alli. Pero sobre todo se trata de "una carta de amor en forma de libro de viajes y una introduccion que hace pensar a la religion que mas se extiende por el planeta" (The Times).

¿Qué tienen en común un padre abrumado por la enfermedad de su hijo, una mujer maltratada, un joven bisexual al que la madre no quiere ni ver, una depresiva crónica y un taiwanés que cae muerto tras casi un dia entero ante el ordenador? Efectivamente, los videojuegos. A los que tambien juega la gente feliz. Los videojuegos pueden aislarte de la realidad e incluso pueden matarte (y la cronica de las muchas muertes literalmente debidas a los videojuegos es una parte importante e irresistible- de este libro), pero los mundos virtuales tambien permiten desarrollar la mente (eso que algunos llaman la capacidad cognitiva), en ellos se pueden crear comunidades y vinculos afectivos y hay incluso quien se libera de sus traumas en lugar de encadenarse a una adiccion. He aqui una teoria estetica y hasta politica del videojuego, escrita paradojicamente sin juicios de valor: no hay libro sobre el tema libro mas completo ni mejor. Tampoco creemos que haya uno mas entretenido.

WINNER OF THE WINGATE PRIZEVivid and moving Max Hastings, Sunday TimesExcellent . . . a powerful tributeGuardianIn the summer of 1940, faced with national paranoia, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the internment of all German, Austrian and Italian citizens living in Britain. Most were refugees who had fled Nazi oppression. They now faced imprisonment by the country in which they had staked their trust. Among the inmates of Hutchinson Internment Camp, on the Isle of Man, were world-renowned artists, musicians and intellectuals: despite their unjust captivity, they remained resilient, transforming their prison into an artistic and academic community. Meticulously researched and grippingly recounted, The Island of Extraordinary Captives tells the story of historys most remarkable group of prisoners - and how they found hope even in the most challenging of circumstances.Riveting . . . an account of cinematic vividnessNew York Times Book ReviewEye-opening, insightful and brilliantly writtenDaily Mirror

FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2025 An Economist Book of the YearAn astonishing story brilliantly told . . . It is as moving as it is gripping to readJonathan Dimbleby, author of Endgame 1944A richly researched and meticulously observed account of a little-explored corner of 20th-century historyGuardianA fantastically well-researched history of science and sacrifice saturated in dramaiIn the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad - now St Petersburg - and began the longest blockade in recorded history. By the most conservative estimates, the siege would claim the lives of three-quarters of a million people. Most died of starvation.At the centre of the embattled city stood a converted palace that housed the greatest living plant library ever amassed - the worlds first seed bank. After attempts to evacuate the collection failed, and as supplies dwindled, the scientists responsible faced a terrible decision: should they distribute the specimens to the starving population, or preserve them in the hope that they held the key to ending global famine?Drawing on previously unseen sources, The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad tells the remarkable and moving story of the botanists who remained at the Plant Institute during the darkest days of the siege, risking their lives in the name of science.A compelling account . . . a remarkable work of literary exhumation. The first full account of the Plant Institute in any language, its a fitting testimony to an extraordinary project and the bravery of the ordinary individuals who kept it goingDaily TelegraphA beautifully-written account of one of the most extraordinary and little-known episodes of the Second World War -- a scientific feat and act of collective self-sacrifice the consequences of which continue to be felt todayAdam Higginbotham, author of ChallengerA gripping, original and important story of courage and science in wartimeRoland Philipps, author of A Spy Named Orphan

CompellingSunday TimesA triumphDaily MirrorGripping Jonathan Dimbleby1941. The Battle of the Atlantic is a disaster. Thousands of supply ships ferrying vital food and fuel from North America to Britain are being torpedoed by German U-boats. Britain is only weeks away from starvation - and with that, crushing defeat.In the first week of 1942 a group of unlikely heroes - a retired naval captain and a clutch of brilliant young women - gather to form a secret strategy unit. On the top floor of a bomb-bruised HQ in Liverpool, the Western Approaches Tactical Unit spends days and nights designing and playing wargames in an effort to crack the U-boat tactics. As the U-boat wolfpacks continue to prey upon the supply ships, the Wrens race against time to save Britain.With novelistic flair, investigative journalist Simon Parkin shines a light on Operation Raspberry and these unsung heroines in this riveting true story of war at sea. History writing at its bestBooklistSplendid . . . Simon Parkins book rips along at full sail and is full of personality and personalitiesSunday ExpressVivid, engagingNew Yorker