Audiobook9 hours
Significant Zero: Heroes, Villains, and the Fight for Art and Soul in Video Games
Written by Walt Williams
Narrated by Kevin T. Collins
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
When his satirical musings in a college newspaper got him discharged from the Air Force, it became clear to Walt Williams that his destiny in life was to be a writer-he just never thought he'd end up writing video games, let alone working on some of the most successful franchises in the industry-Bioshock, Civilization, Borderlands, and Mafia, among others.
Williams pulls back the curtain on an astonishingly profitable industry that has put its stamp on pop culture and yet is little known to those outside its walls. In his reflective yet comically-observant voice, Williams walks you through his unlikely and at times inglorious rise within one of the world's top gaming companies, exposing an industry abundant in brain power and out-sized egos, but struggling to stay innovative. Significant Zero also provides clear-eyed criticism of the industry's addiction to violence and explains how the role of the narrative designer-the poor soul responsible for harmonizing gameplay with storylines-is crucial for expanding the scope of video games into more immersive and emotional experiences.
Williams pulls back the curtain on an astonishingly profitable industry that has put its stamp on pop culture and yet is little known to those outside its walls. In his reflective yet comically-observant voice, Williams walks you through his unlikely and at times inglorious rise within one of the world's top gaming companies, exposing an industry abundant in brain power and out-sized egos, but struggling to stay innovative. Significant Zero also provides clear-eyed criticism of the industry's addiction to violence and explains how the role of the narrative designer-the poor soul responsible for harmonizing gameplay with storylines-is crucial for expanding the scope of video games into more immersive and emotional experiences.
Author
Walt Williams
Walt Williams is the award-winning video game writer known for his work on such beloved franchises as Star Wars Battlefront, Bioshock, Civilization, Borderlands, Mafia, The Darkness, and the acclaimed, genre-bending Spec Ops: The Line. His book, Significant Zero, explores the hardships and insanity of AAA game development. He lives in Louisiana with his family.
Related to Significant Zero
Related audiobooks
Lost in a Good Game: Why we play video games and what they can do for us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/58-Bit Apocalypse: The Untold Story of Atari's Missile Command Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Walkthrough: Insider Tales from a Life in Strategy Guides Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOtaku Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bored of the Rings: A Parody Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Replay: The History of Video Games Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prepare to Meet Thy Doom: And More True Gaming Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A History of Video Games in 64 Objects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stay Awhile and Listen: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire - Book I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting Gamers: The Psychology of Video Games and Their Impact on the People who Play Them Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Indie Game Publishing: A Practical Guide for Videogame Developers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Control Freak: My Epic Adventure Making Video Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gamelife: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Videogames and the Power of Play Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Psychology of Final Fantasy: Surpassing The Limit Break Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Explore/Create: My Life in Pursuit of New Frontiers, Hidden Worlds, and the Creative Spark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Industries For You
Burn Book: A Tech Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sam Walton: Made in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Age of Fentanyl: Ending the Opioid Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5NFTs Are a Scam / NFTs Are the Future: The Early Years: 2020-2023 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All You Need to Know About the Music Business: 11th Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living From Your Creativity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You): A How-To Guide from the First Family of Podcasting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind Your Mindset: The Science That Shows Success Starts with Your Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Setting the Table Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Significant Zero
Rating: 4.2333333133333335 out of 5 stars
4/5
15 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow. I know next to nothing about video games. When I try to play them, I usually get dizzy and have to stop, but Significant Zero was utterly engrossing. It starts out funny and irreverent, so that in parts I laughed out loud, and then, once Williams moves from NYC to California and starts getting sucked into the morass of working on Spec Ops: The Line, it gradually becomes more serious and troubling. Walt is honest about how narrow his life became when he was consumed by work, and how miserable he was as, every six months, the end point of the Alpha phase of development was extended another six months. The stuff about writing is fascinating, and the ending is profound.
I'm surprised at myself for liking this so much because it's unlike my usual reading, but the explication of moral choices in the games, and the parallels between the antagonist of the game and the developer of the game intrigued me. When, for instance, the player is confronted with a choice so disturbing that they have to step away from the game, but then they still come back, that's a very curious power dynamic.
I'll be thinking about this one for sure. I'm inspired to keep going with my own writing. I'm glad Williams ends up in a better, more balanced life, and I feel certain he'll make the world a better place.