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'Dungeons and Dreamers' History Computer Video Gaming

TO BOOK AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:

   New Book Chronicles the History and Culture of Computer and Video Gaming

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Recognizing the vast cultural impact computer and video games have had on popular culture, Brad King and John Borland have researched the roots, the icons, and the growth of computer gaming from the early 1970s to the present day in their book "Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic," published by McGraw-Hill/Osborne. The book examines the history, culture, and heroes of the 10-plus billion dollar computer and video game industry.

King and Borland explore the phenomenon of gamers, and most specifically, the communities of computer game players that have sprung up and matured over the past 30 years. The book is about the people who comprise these communities, and how early computer game creators helped form them. The authors describe how computer gaming reaches back to Dungeons and Dragons, the still-popular paper role-playing game that lets storytellers lead their charges through mystical worlds where the only limitation is imagination.

From the dreamers who created the platform to the players who made it a worldwide phenomenon, readers will witness computer games' rise from blips on university computer science program screens to their presence in our everyday lives. Based on numerous interviews with Richard Garriott, the developer of the first commercially successful online role-playing game Ultima Online, King and Borland tell the fascinating story of the icon's start and ascent in the industry. The authors also profile other prominent creators, crusaders, and celebrity players, including:


     * Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, masterminds behind Dungeons and Dragons --
       the role-playing game that inspired generations of computer game
       developers

     * Willie Crowther and Don Woods, creators of the early text-based
       computer role-playing game Adventure, which eventually became Zork!

     * Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, creators of the first MUD, a place
       where gamers could meet online and go adventuring in a shared world

     * John Carmack and John Romero, the programming geniuses who created
       DOOM, the ultimate visceral experience of kill-or-be-killed

     * "Thresh," whose deathmatch skills were so great he won Carmack's
       Ferrari and earned a front-page profile in The Wall Street Journal

     * Henry Jenkins, the media critic who found himself unexpectedly
       defending such violent games as Mortal Kombat before a Senate
       subcommittee.

Additional information about the book and authors, a sample chapter, and related news can be found on the companion Web site at www.dungeonsanddreamers.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Brad King is currently a freelancer writer in Austin, Texas, where he pens stories about technology and culture, and where he will be teaching a class on new media journalism at the University of Texas this coming fall. Brad was the digital entertainment reporter for Wired News for three years, where he covered the video game, movie, and music industries. An expert on digital entertainment issues, Brad has delivered speeches on the emerging, new media trends in London, San Francisco, and New York and regularly appears on national television and radio programs. Throughout his nine-year career, his work has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, Hits Magazine, Business 2.0, Variety's eV and MP3 Magazine. Long before he became a journalist, Brad was a gamer, playing Lemonade Stand and M.U.L.E. on a Commodore Pet in 1985. For two years, Brad spent every Saturday morning at his math teacher's house, programming sports simulations in BASIC and saving them on cassette tapes. Brad has a Masters degree in journalism from the University of California.

John Borland is a senior writer at CNET Networks News.com in San Francisco, California, where he covers digital entertainment, including music, movies and video games. John routinely appears on television and radio programs as an invited technology expert, including CBS Evening News, NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and BBC Radio. Throughout his ten-year career, John's work has appeared in Fortune Magazine, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner, and The New York Times Online. In July of 2003, the Society of Professional Journalism awarded him the Sigma Delta Chi prize. In 2001, John won several industry awards, including Best Online Article in the Western Publications Association's "Maggie" awards, and he was named to Technology Marketing's list of most influential online journalists. John has a Masters degree in journalism from the University of California.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

McGraw-Hill/Osborne, a unit of McGraw-Hill Education, is a leading publisher of self-paced computer training materials, including user and reference guides, best-selling series on computer certification, titles on business & technology, and high-level but practical titles on networking, programming, and Web development tools. McGraw-Hill/Osborne is the official press of Oracle, Corel, and Intuit. McGraw-Hill/Osborne is focusing on consumer support, emerging technologies, and innovative applications for developing future computer books. For more information, visit www.osborne.com.

McGraw-Hill Education is a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's and BusinessWeek. The Corporation has more than 320 offices in 34 countries. Sales in 2002 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

"Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to

Chic"

By Brad King and John Borland,

Pages: 296 pp / Price: $24.99 / Publication Date: August 15, 2003 /

ISBN: 0-07-222888-1

A McGraw-Hill/Osborne Book

SOURCE  McGraw-Hill/Osborne

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