Social Games

In 2018, the gaming industry made over 100 billion dollars worldwide. Professional gamers, designers, programmers, and writers all received some of that money. Learn about the different jobs in video games, and maybe someday you'll get paid to game.

It’s bad enough that Mom and Dad are going on a trip without Judy and Stink and leaving them in the care of Aunt Awful (er, Opal). Now two of Judy’s friends are going Splitsville, too! Just when it looks like her summer is going to be the boringest, snoringest ever, Judy concocts a THRILL-a-delic plan. Judy Moody and Frank Pearl dive headlong into nonstop action in pursuit of the Judy Moodiest summer ever! Based on a screenplay by Megan McDonald and Kathy Waugh, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer will take listeners on a totally awesome adventure – RARE!

The ghast king Malacoda and the terrible enderman Erebus have led their monster army to the server that houses the Source: a virus with plans to destroy Minecraft and all the digital lives on its servers before escaping once and for all into the real world. Only Gameknight999, the user-that-is-not-a-user, and his small army of NPCs can stop them. But the monster horde is growing bigger by the day, as if they are being helped by an unknown someone...or something.

Stevie is in for a big surprise while building his treehouse: He's first attacked by a creeper, and then must take on a group of zombies! The near miss has him feeling like the worst mob fighter in Minecraft, so when he finds a portal into a brand-new world, he's willing to take his chances. He steps out of a computer screen and into the room of a sixth-grade girl Maison, who's a talented Minecraft builder.

Harriet, Jack, and Toby are treasure hunters, searching the Minecraft world for its most valuable hidden secrets. In an abandoned mineshaft, they discover what they hope is an enchanted book. But what they've found turns out to be much more valuable. William is one of Minecraft's most renowned explorers. He's a legend in the world of Minecraft, but, under suspicious circumstances, he's gone missing.

Four sports. Four friends. In Game Face, each girl gets to narrate her own story, focusing on their sport of choice. Whether it’s a softball tournament or a hockey tryout, Rana, Maya, Alana, and Louie each face their weaknesses and find their strengths. They’ll confront the overwhelming pressure of sports and the ups and downs of friendships. But with focus, perseverance, and support, these middle-schoolers won’t just win the big game, they’ll win over listeners!

Valentina loves playing video games, and she’s really good at them. When a local esports team asks her to join them for an upcoming tournament, she’s thrilled. There’s just one problem—Valentina has great skills in first-person action games, but winning Kings and Castles relies on teamwork and strategy.

In Game of Life, Kin Lau examines disparate ideas from philosophy, psychology, and religions from both East and West that can engage the individual on a common path. The game of life is to be played in two modes. One mode is playing as a human, which is the mode we are exerting all of our time and effort. For a more complete and integrated way of living, human beings need to rediscover the other mode. The other mode is about our being, which involves understanding the nature of reality.

Danny and Jenny met during a kickball game in gym class. After Danny makes a mistake, Jenny makes everything better. What does Jenny do to win Danny’s friendship?

In this riveting suspense thriller, two children race the clock to stop a futuristic murderer and his plan to enslave the world. In 30 days, a coldhearted corporate tycoon will unleash a deadly biological computer virus on the entire world. As the public eagerly awaits his invention that promises ultimate relaxation, harmony, and community, the evil big-business sorcerer plans to put an end to freedom. Can he be stopped?

George R. R. Martin's New York Times best-selling epic fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the HBO television show adapted from it, have earned critical acclaim and inspired fanatic devotion. This book delves into the many philosophical questions that arise in this complex, character-driven series, including: Is it right for a "good" king to usurp the throne of a "bad" one and murder his family? How far should you go to protect your family and its secrets?

A look at how commercialization has transformed youth sports from fun into a heavily commercialized and profitable venture. Examining the youth sports economy from many sides - the major corporations, the small entrepreneurs, the coaches, the parents, and, of course, the kids - Hyman probes the reasons for rapid changes in what gets bought and sold in this lucrative marketplace. He reveals the effects on kids and profiles the individuals and communities bucking this destructive trend of commercialization.

Sinn Féin is the most popular political party in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. A movement once synonymous with a paramilitary campaign is on the brink of taking real power through purely democratic means. But if Sinn Féin has mastered the art of electoral politics, it remains strangely opaque. Who really runs the party? How is it funded? And what can we expect of it as a party of government? Aoife Moore, Irish Journalist of the Year in 2021, explores these and other burning questions in The Long Game.

Life is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call fun. But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In Play Anything, visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games.

Will Noah and Violet find the griefers who escaped to the Overworld? Noah and Violet are busy rebuilding their town when the Ender Dragon flies above the village streets. The following day the Wither attacks them. As the town battles these harsh hostile mobs, Noah and Violet, with their good friends, Hannah and Ben, set out to search for Daniel, whom they suspect is behind these vicious attacks.

The inside story of the rise, fall, and rise of FanDuel and DraftKings - two companies that began as obscure startups and, seemingly overnight, became billion dollar companies, and just as quickly found themselves the target of the FBI and Department of Justice and the center of a national scandal.

Danny Owens is dedicating his seventh-grade season to his Super Bowl champion father, who recently passed away. Danny promises everyone that, just like his dad, he’ll dominate the big game at the end of the season and earn a spot on the high school varsity team. Then his English teacher catches him cheating on a test. Even though Danny can retake it, he knows there’s no point. He can’t read. And if Danny can’t pass this class, he won’t be eligible to play in the championship game that could unlock his future.

Katie Flanagan, Lucy Andia, Isabella Clemente, Keith Evans, Artie Lieberman, and Tony Andia are best friends at Peabody Middle School. Join them as they learn about life and themselves through playing the sports they love!

Katie Flanagan, Lucy Andia, Isabella Clemente, Keith Evans, Artie Lieberman, and Tony Andia are best friends at Peabody Middle School. Join them as they learn about life and themselves through playing the sports they love!

In a time of sweeping media change, the four major networks struggle for the attention of American viewers increasingly distracted by cable, video games, and the Internet. Behind boardroom doors, tempers flare in the search for hit shows, which often get on the air purely by accident. The fierce competition creates a pressure-cooker environment where anything can happen.