Returning Home: South Florida TV Comedy Writer Releases New Video-Game Memoir

aspect, where there were moments I remember playing games with friends where I felt cool, even though in reality no one older would have thought of me that way. It absolutely gave me a social currency and it gave me friends. It’s like this secret society where suddenly you, like, speak a different language.
Q: How did video games help you break your own rules?
A: Games put you in control and give you an alternate reality where you are someone else, someone achieving great things or saving the world. I think video games are a great way to break our own rules or realize we’ve created them for ourselves. It’s living a dream, embodying that kind of hero that you wish you could have been or are in your mind when you don’t have to do your homework.
Q: What would you say to parents with video-game-obsessed kids today?
A: I would say that maybe if those parents play games with their kids, they might understand their kid more. It’s a great way to communicate in a different form. And most of the popular games these days have elements that are beautiful, that are about storytelling, that are about growth, even if it’s violent or fast-paced. I’d tell parents to try it, and then after a while maybe lead by example by putting down the phone or turning off the TV or whatever distracts them from their kids, so that they can then communicate back. It’s a great way of showing them that they want to interact with their kids on their level. So, there’s something there that can translate across generations.
Q: Is technology changing the nature of gaming?
A: Technology is changing everything. I think the way we look at gaming now is completely different than it was when I was a kid. Watching some of these streamers or YouTubers is definitely something I never would have thought I would do as a kid. But times change, and we have to change with them. Video games are the literature of the future right now.

From the voice in his book, Drucker is genuinely optimistic, funny and wise about video games and life. Whether angling for the highest score in “Tetris” or embracing the collective task confronting players in “World of Warcraft,” the arc of “Good Game, No Rematch” is never inconsequential. It’s about what he learned stomping Bowser with a generation of friends; what he had to learn to defeat Raid Bosses with buddies who stayed behind when others had moved on.