What should we ask Wark?
Reporter's Notebook
What should we ask Wark? Suggest questions you'd like to see answered in the interview.
Background
McKenzie Wark, Author of 'GAM3R 7H30RY'
When author McKenzie Wark asked himself, what's the best way to “unlock the curious character of video games as allegories for the world we live in,” the answer was a simple one: Invite the crowd. The result? GAM3R 7H30RY.
Before he published GAM3R 7H30RY, he posted his draft online and invited readers to offer feedback, which he used to help shape the book. He did this in coordination with the Institute for the Future of the Book, an organization that seeks to explore, understand and influence the shift of intellectual discourse from printed page to networked screen. Here's an interview with Wark and the Creative Commons.
Let's expand on what Nichole Altmix has already reported.
Below is what Nichole Altmix reported for NewAssignment.Net
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Open Source Publishing Hits Video Games
Open source is moving beyond software to book editing. McKenzie Wark, author of the draft networked book, GAM3R 7H3ORY 1.1, is turning to fellow computer game lovers to help write his book.
In collaboration with The Institute for the Future of the Book, Wark made his book available for discussion and revisions online. Gamer geeks can view the book's nine chapters, comment on the content, create new topics and make suggestions in regards to game play. Contributors will receive credit for anything that makes it into the final version of the book, which is trying to "unlock the curious character of video games as allegories for the world we live in," according to Wark. The newest print edition is due out in the spring, but it might not be the last. The book will remain online and will evolve along with the gaming communities comments.
And this is not the only open source book in the works. "We Are Smarter than Me," has wrangled several universities to donate brain power in writing a book on the future of business.
I have to imagine that GAM3R 7H3ORY has a unique advantage because of its subject matter. It's not a stretch to assume the gaming community is familiar with the ideas behind open source so they're likely to be more inclined to participate in the editing process. I'm not sure the same thing can be said about the general community of academics that study business.
Either way, both books have an advantage over closed books when they reach market. Through the open editing process they aren't just refining text, they are building an audience eagerly waiting for the book to hit Amazon.
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Nichole Altmix works in the IT Department of a law firm as an applications trainer. She freelkances for Block Magazine in Brooklyn and a Midwest publication, Marion Living.
