The Ultimate Game Guide To Your Life: Or, The Video Game As Existential Metaphor

by Christopher Monks

For anyone who has ever felt like life is like a video game comes this faux game guide for a fictional adventure video game titled ''Your Life.'' Fans of videogames or anyone who has ever held a controller will love this romp through life's challenges from the formative Toddler Years all the way to the Retirement Home. Complete with navigation, instructions for which buttons to press on your gamepad, and secret codes for success, you'll find out all the tricks to win such challenges as ''Navigating the School Cafeteria on the First Day of High School'' and ''Temp Job Derby.'' Plus you'll learn the important skill of fending off giant robots. Gamepad not included.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My life needs a robot war cheat.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some sections were a bit tedious and/or silly, but the same can be said about both life and video games! I enjoyed seeing how many mini games I have lost so far ("Not Getting Poison Ivy At Summer Camp", for example), and what I still have to look forward to, though most of the child-related ones are irrelevant to me, since I don't want children. The author does address the fact that the character of "you" is a middle-class white guy at the beginning of Level II (Your Childhood) by saying that it was "the only available version of the game" at press time. Even though I couldn't identify with everything the character goes through, I still liked the author's instructions for completing each challenge. The ending had just the right mix of humor and sentimentality.

[Megatronic · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has some good laughs in it but ultimately it doesn't deliver what it promises. The analogy is surprisingly weak - it's mostly a case of "if we put a picture of a game controller next to a bunch of pretty generic writing about life, it's a metaphor, right?"

I really think this book could have been something. The author is clearly a funny guy. Way too much filler material though. 2.5 out of 5.

[Simone Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harharharharhar
Though I kind of lost interest by the college section, I did power through and finish it. I mean, I felt compelled to read all of it- I like finishing things. And the concept is amusing.

[jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gets a five becuase the author is a friend but it is a lovely book, gentle and kind and funny. Like the author.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, the last part of the book is exactly what you think it'll be: The End. But everything leading up to that is a lot of fun, and just might give you some insight into Your Life®.