I saw this book — Cool Careers in Video Games — in our latest Scholastic Book order catalogue and used some of my “classroom points” to pick it up. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but given my students’ high interest in gaming, it makes sense to have it as a resource. I’m glad I grabbed it. The book is full of short non-fiction profiles of people in the video gaming industry, from writers to programmers to animators and more, with a nice balance of men and women.
The questions often have a focus on advice for students who are interested in gaming, and while most riffed on the theme of “follow your passion and dream,” there were a few who noted how math skills and writing/communication skills are critical.
What I most liked about the book (its former title apparently was Hot Jobs in Video Games) was the introduction overview of the world of the gaming industry, as it provides a handy progression of how a game goes from an idea to being published, and all the work that goes on in-between. And I like the glossary at the end, where there is a multi-page list of all of the different kinds of jobs and skills one would need to become part of that emerging job market.
As far as I can tell, you can only get Cool Careers in Video Games through Scholastic books.
Peace (in the game),
Kevin
Kevin,
I’m curious. Did you receive the 2010 edition or the 2015 edition that was advertised in the book order form? the 2015 edition includes a Minecraft section. Scholastic is having a difficult time sending me the correct edition as advertised in the book order form. Just curious.
I believe I received the 2015 edition ….