Through interviews with developers, gamers, and journalists examining the phenomena of bedroom coding, arcade gaming, and format wars, mapped onto enquiry into the seminal genres of the time including driving, shooting, and maze chase, Playback: A Genealogy of 1980s British Videogames examines how 1980s Britain has become the culture of work in the 21st century and considers its meaning to contemporary society. This crucial and timely work fills a lacuna for students and researchers of sociology, media, and games studies and will be of interest to employees of the videogames and media industries. Research into videogames have never been greater, but exploration of their historic drivers is as elided as the technology is influential, giving rise to a range of questions. What were the social and economic conditions that gave rise to a billion dollar industry? What were the motivations of the early 'bedroom coders'? What are the legacies of the seminal videogames of the 1980s and how do they inform the current social, political and cultural landscape? With a focus on the characteristics of the UK videogame industry in the 1980s, Wade explores these questions from perspectives of consumption, production and leisure, outlining the construction of a habitus unique to this time.

An eclectic mix of exciting stories every surfer will love

This eclectic mix has something for everyone, from classic tales of monster waves and epic battles to stories of when life among the breakers goes wrong. There are accounts of death and disaster, as well as bravery and triumph. The bizarre and the extreme rub shoulders with perfect breaks and beautiful beaches.

Be thrilled by legendary surfers like Laird Hamilton and Shane Dorian as well as learning about local heroes who never made the headlines. Epic battles among pros like Rob Machado and Kelly Slater are recounted alongside stories of weird waves and secret surf spots. There are fascinating encounters with surfing's true characters, men like Dave Rastovich and big wave world record holder Garrett McNamara; appearances by deadly sharks; stories of big wave surfing by night; and an account of how Agatha Christie's famous disappearance for 11 days in December 1926 might just have been because she was on a surf trip.

Travel from giants like California's Maverick's and Maui's Jaws to tales of Dungeons, dolphins and the derring-do of a man like Colonel 'Mad Jack' Churchill. Turn the pages to flick between the left and rights of Britain, Europe, USA, Australia and many strange places in between.

Each compelling tale has been chosen to stoke the fire of armchair surfers and hardcore wave-riders alike, and some are illustrated with colour photographs.

A Season on the Med: Riviera Football in Italy and France (With a Trip to Athens for Stan) is a story of football where the sun always shines - with a difference. In the wake of Brexit, writer Alex Wade decamped to Menton, the last town on the Cote d'Azur. During a swim from France to Italy, he realised two things. An array of great football clubs - from Nice, Marseille and Monaco to Genoa, Sampdoria and Spezia - were on his doorstep on the French and Italian Rivieras. Plus his hero, Queens Park Rangers talisman Stan Bowles, once played on the Med. Wade embarked on a journey of discovery to experience Riviera football over the 2021/22 season, with two questions in mind. Is football on the Med more laid-back, languid and amiable than elsewhere? And could he make it to Athens in a tribute to Bowles? Eloquently written with a blend of reportage, travelogue and memoir, A Season on the Med ends unexpectedly inland, in Brumano, Italy, as Wade captures the spirit of Riviera football and grapples with the meaning of heroes, and home.

In spite of being well into middle-age, Pac-Man's popularity shows no sign of decline and the character has appeared in over sixty games on virtually every games platform ever released. According to the David Brown celebrity index, in 2008, nearly three decades after initial release, 94% of Americans were able to recognise Pac-Man, which gave the character greater brand awareness than Super Mario. Pac-Man, with its avowed commitment to non-violence was a videogame of many firsts, including being designed to appeal to children and females and providing the first narrative interlude in a videogame. Although iconic, Pac-Man has not been subject to sustained critical analysis. This book helps to fill that gap, providing an extensive, sophisticated, but accessible analysis of the influence of Pac-Man on the way that we live in contemporary western societies.

Harry Flack is reliable and his judgement is cast-iron. For years, as the longest-serving night-lawyer for The Record, he has kept the newspaper out of court. But on the last day of his working life, a new editor arrives. It's Eddie Conrad, and Flack has reasons to seek revenge on him for affairs between them and others that are set deep in the past Eliminating legal problems has been Flack's life. He knows them intimately; he is Fleet Street's finest. But will creating legal blunders to incriminate Conrad be as easy? Can he do it without implicating himself? And can anyone stop him?

Harry Flack is reliable and his judgement is cast-iron. For years, as the longest-serving night-lawyer for The Record, he has kept the newspaper out of court. But on the last day of his working life, a new editor arrives. It's Eddie Conrad, and Flack has reasons to seek revenge on him for affairs between them and others that are set deep in the past...Eliminating legal problems has been Flack's life-blood for a quarter of a century. He knows them intimately; he is Fleet Street's finest. But will creating legal blunders to incriminate Conrad be as easy? Can he do it without implicating himself? And can anyone stop him? With newsroom twists and turns and a rare sense of absurdist wit, Flack's Last Shift blurs fact and fiction, shining a light on what goes on behind the scenes on Fleet Street. It is a deft portrayal of the newspaper world at a time of unprecedented change and upheaval. Next time you pick up a paper, you'll think twice about how it's ended up on the newsstand.

No Good Way To Die is the dramatic story of Pryson Dare, a seasoned United Nations diplomat who seeks answers to his son's mysterious death, the result of a supposed scuba diving accident in The Bahamas. With the aid of his son's girlfriend, a private investigator, and a handful of kindly Bahamian locals, he uncovers the ugly truth. Despite thwarting the international arms dealer behind his son's disappearance, Dare is ultimately unable to cope with his loss. Inspired by Dante's The Inferno, No Good Way To Die is a tale of heartbreak and redemption in which the hero descends through his own circles of hell, then finds his only salvation at the bottom of the sea.

Being a cop isn't easy. Just ask motorcycle patrolman Adam King, who has just been suspended following a shooting incident. Worse yet, he is unable to assist in the investigation into the stabbing of his childhood pal. Luckily, his brethren in the department have got his back. Is it fate, or divine intervention that sees him through the ordeal? "Knifing through the gridlock at high speed, silently pushing his way past pedestrians, a motorcycle patrolman weaves his way to the scene. In one fluid motion he dismounts his bike ans sprints toward the center of the action..." "What's that saying about keeping your friends close..."Mundy says with a twinkle in his eye. ..".and your enemies even closer?" "The others form a circle around Johnny, as the doctors unplug him from life support. "Lord," the priest begins Last Rites. "We deliver unto You...Your faithful servant..." HIGH SPEED SILENCE grips the reader tightly from the word GO, and never lets go.

Iron Rain takes the reader on a wild ride through the heart of Northern California''s Emerald Triangle alongside the notorious Iron Madness Motorcycle Club. This epic tale chronicles the adventures of Lonny, an angry young loner who falls in with the club. Inevitably, he must prove himself worthy of becoming a full patch member, as he faces both his real world enemies and inner demons. Destined to become a classic, Iron Rain captures the essence of the outlaw biker code.

Through interviews with developers, gamers, and journalists examining the phenomena of bedroom coding, arcade gaming, and format wars, mapped onto enquiry into the seminal genres of the time including driving, shooting, and maze chase, Playback: A Genealogy of 1980s British Videogames examines how 1980s Britain has become the culture of work in the 21st century and considers its meaning to contemporary society. This crucial and timely work fills a lacuna for students and researchers of sociology, media, and games studies and will be of interest to employees of the videogames and media industries. Research into videogames have never been greater, but exploration of their historic drivers is as elided as the technology is influential, giving rise to a range of questions. What were the social and economic conditions that gave rise to a billion dollar industry? What were the motivations of the early 'bedroom coders'? What are the legacies of the seminal videogames of the 1980s and how do they inform the current social, political and cultural landscape? With a focus on the characteristics of the UK videogame industry in the 1980s, Wade explores these questions from perspectives of consumption, production and leisure, outlining the construction of a habitus unique to this time.