Tom Bissell

Last updated
Tom Bissell
Tom Bissell SDCC 2012.jpg
Bissell at the 2012 Comic-Con International
Born (1974-01-09) January 9, 1974 (age 50)
Escanaba, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation Journalist, author, screenwriter
GenreJournalism, fiction, criticism, video games
Notable works The Disaster Artist
The Mosquito Coast
Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

Tom Bissell (born January 9, 1974) is an American journalist, critic, and writer, best known for his extensive work as a writer of video games, including The Vanishing of Ethan Carter , Battlefield Hardline , and Gears 5 . His work has been adapted into films by Julia Loktev, Werner Herzog and James Franco.

Contents

Personal life

Bissell studied English at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. In 1996, when he was 22 years old, Bissell went to Uzbekistan as a volunteer for the Peace Corps. [1] He was there for seven months before returning home. He worked as a book editor in New York City and edited, among other books, The Collected Stories of Richard Yates and Paula Fox's memoir Borrowed Finery. [2] He is a frequent reviewer for The New York Times Book Review .

Bissell's father served in the Marines during the Vietnam War, alongside author and journalist Philip Caputo. The two remained friends during Bissell's childhood and Caputo read Bissell's work and encouraged him in his early writing efforts. [3]

Career

Bissell has written for Harper's Magazine , Slate , The New Republic, [4] and The Virginia Quarterly Review, where he is a contributing editor. While much of Bissell's magazine writing could be considered travel writing, his articles are more concerned with politics, history, and autobiography than tourism. [5]

As a journalist he traveled to Iraq [6] and Afghanistan during wartime.

Bissell's literary work has been recognized and highlighted at Michigan State University in their Michigan Writers Series. [7]

His book in collaboration with Jeff Alexander, "Speak, Commentary", is a collection of fake DVD commentaries for popular films by political figures and pundits such as Noam Chomsky, Dinesh D'Souza and Ann Coulter.

His other books have earned him several prizes, including the Rome Prize, the Anna Akhmatova Prize, and the Best Travel Writing Award from Peace Corps Writers. His journalism has been anthologized in The Best American Travel Writing, and The Best American Science Writing. [8]

In 2005, Pantheon published a collection of Bissell's short fiction, God Lives in St. Petersburg: and Other Stories. In the same year, his story "Death Defier" was published in the Best American Short Stories. His story "Aral" inspired Werner Herzog's 2016 film Salt and Fire . [9]

In Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter (2010), Bissell explored the subject of the video game industry. Part memoir, part genre criticism, the book features a profile of Gears of War series game designer Cliff Bleszinski, who had achieved celebrity-like status for the hit video game Gears of War , and a chapter on the appeal of games like Grand Theft Auto IV , including Bissell's own simultaneous struggles with addiction to video games and cocaine. Many of the book's essays were written on assignment by established publications such as The Observer [10] and The New Yorker , [11] and argued the importance of videogames as a cultural and social movement. That year, Bissell was recognized as one of the video game industry's most influential voices [12] opening the door to more opportunities in video games. Bissell went on to write for many hit game franchises, and in 2019, would become the lead writer and an executive producer for an anthology television series based on the non-fiction book Masters of Doom based on the industry's early days. [13]

Bissell wrote about the cult film The Room in a 2010 article ("Cinema Crudité") published in Harper's Magazine. [14] In May 2011, he signed on to co-write (with actor Greg Sestero) a closer look at the film – the resultant book, The Disaster Artist , was published by Simon and Schuster in October 2013. [15] It was later adapted into the feature film The Disaster Artist directed by James Franco and released in 2017. The script adaption of the book was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2017.

Bissell's story "Expensive Trips Nowhere" was filmed as The Loneliest Planet (2011). In 2021, he co-developed the television series The Mosquito Coast based on the novel of the same name.

Approach and influences

While Bissell has been critical of neo-conservatism, the Bush administration, and American unilateralism, his politics often do not fit within established categories of American liberalism and conservatism. Much of his work is concerned with the legacy of the Soviet Union and Communism. [16] He has cited Philip Caputo as a major influence, along with Michigan writers Jim Harrison and Thomas McGuane. [17] He has called Martin Amis his favorite living writer, and he has praised Inside Story as Amis' most beautiful book. [18]

Awards

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ↑ Briefly reviewed in the April 25, 2016 issue of The New Yorker , p.95.

Video game scripts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Eugenides</span> American novelist and short story writer (born 1960)

Jeffrey Kent Eugenides is an American author. He has written numerous short stories and essays, as well as three novels: The Virgin Suicides (1993), Middlesex (2002), and The Marriage Plot (2011). The Virgin Suicides served as the basis of the 1999 film of the same name, while Middlesex received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in addition to being a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the International Dublin Literary Award, and France's Prix Médicis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Bleszinski</span> American video game designer

Cliff Bleszinski, popularly known as CliffyB, is an American video game designer, known for his work on the Unreal and Gears of War series while at Epic Games. After leaving Epic in 2012, he co-founded Boss Key Productions in 2014 which closed in 2018 after the commercial failure of the multiplayer shooter LawBreakers. Since Boss Key's closure, Bleszinski has spent his time with theater and writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hayter</span> Canadian-American actor

David Hayter is a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is well known as the English-language voice actor for Solid Snake and Naked Snake in the Metal Gear video game series. He wrote the film X-Men and co-wrote X2 and Watchmen, and was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Writing in 2000 for his work on X-Men. Hayter voiced King Shark on The Flash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Hale</span> American voice actress

Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-born American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, BioShock Infinite, Metroid Prime, Halo, Overwatch, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In 2013, she was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most prolific video game voice actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novelization</span> Adaptation of another work into a novel

A novelization is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of home video, but continue to find commercial success as part of marketing campaigns for major films. They are often written by accomplished writers based on an early draft of the film's script and on a tight deadline.

<i>Gears of War</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Gears of War is a 2006 third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It is the first installment of the Gears of War series, and was initially released as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 in November 2006. A Microsoft Windows version, developed in conjunction with People Can Fly, was released in November 2007. The game's main story, which can be played in single or co-operative play, focuses on a squad of troops who assist in completing a desperate, last-ditch attempt to end a war against a genocidal subterranean enemy, the Locust, and save the remaining human inhabitants of their planet Sera. The game's multiplayer mode allows up to eight players to control characters from one of the two factions in a variety of online game modes. Gameplay features players using cover and strategic fire in order to win battles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Wiseau</span> American director, actor, producer and screenwriter

Thomas Pierre Wiseau is a Polish-American actor and filmmaker. He is known for writing, producing, directing, and starring in the 2003 film The Room, which has been described by many critics as one of the worst films ever made and has gained cult status. He also co-directed the 2004 documentary Homeless in America and created the 2015 sitcom The Neighbors.

<i>The Room</i> 2003 film by Tommy Wiseau

The Room is a 2003 American independent romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. Set in San Francisco, the film is centered around a melodramatic love triangle between amiable banker Johnny (Wiseau), his deceptive fiancée Lisa (Danielle), and his conflicted best friend Mark (Sestero). The work was reportedly intended to be semi-autobiographical in nature. According to Wiseau, the title alludes to the potential of a room to be the site of both good and bad events. The stage play from which the film is derived was so named due to its events taking place entirely in a single room.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Baird</span> Fictional character in the Gears of War video game series

Damon S. Baird is a fictional character in the Gears of War franchise. He first appeared in the first and eponymous video game of the series as a supporting character. He has since appeared in every mainline installment of the Gears franchise, and is featured as the main protagonist of the spin-off title, Gears of War: Judgment. He is voiced by Fred Tatasciore in all video game appearances.

Iris Burton was an American dancer and talent agent, who discovered and represented many famous child actors during her career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Sestero</span> American actor and model

Greg Sestero is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author, best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room, as well as for his well-received memoir The Disaster Artist, detailing his experiences making The Room, which itself was later adapted into a 2017 film.

<i>The Room Tribute</i> 2010 flash video game

The Room Tribute is a point-and-click adventure game released on September 3, 2010, that serves as an unofficial adaptation of the 2003 film The Room directed by Tommy Wiseau. It was programmed by Newgrounds founder Tom Fulp, with artwork by Newgrounds staff member Jeff "JohnnyUtah" Bandelin, and music by animator Chris "OneyNG" O'Neill. The game was designed in the style of 16-bit graphics, much like similar games based on the films Tremors and The Hunger Games for Newgrounds' own 2010 and 2012 April Fools jokes.

<i>Gears of War: Judgment</i> 2013 video game

Gears of War: Judgment is a third-person shooter video game developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America and Australia on March 19, 2013, and in Europe on March 22. It is a spin-off of the Gears of War series and a prequel to the entire franchise. The game follows Damon Baird, Augustus Cole and their squad Kilo as they are put on trial for disobeying orders just six weeks after Emergence Day.

<i>The Disaster Artist</i> Non-fiction book

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made is a 2013 non-fiction book written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. Sestero details the troubled development and production of the 2003 cult film The Room, his own struggles as a young actor, and his relationship with The Room director Tommy Wiseau.

<i>The Disaster Artist</i> (film) 2017 film directed by James Franco

The Disaster Artist is a 2017 American biographical comedy-drama film starring, co-produced and directed by James Franco. It was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's 2013 non-fiction book of the same title. The film chronicles an unlikely friendship between aspiring actors Tommy Wiseau and Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau's 2003 film The Room, widely considered one of the worst films ever made. The Disaster Artist stars brothers James and Dave Franco as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively, alongside a supporting cast featuring Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver, and Seth Rogen.

<i>Gears of War</i> Third-person shooter video game series

Gears of War is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter video games, which has been supplemented by spin-off video game titles, a DC comic book series, seven novels, a board game adaptation and various merchandise.

<i>Kill Screen</i> Defunct online magazine

Kill Screen is an online magazine founded in 2009 by Jamin Warren and Chris Dahlen and owned by Kill Screen Media, Inc. It focused on video games and culture, but also included articles based on entertainment. The name is based on the video game term of the same name.

Scott Gairdner is an American comedy writer, director, and podcaster, known for having created the viral YouTube video "Sex Offender Shuffle", the animated parody Tiny Fuppets, the Comedy Central animated series Moonbeam City, and Netflix's Saturday Morning All Star Hits!. He also co-created and has co-hosted the theme park podcast Podcast: The Ride since 2017.

<i>The Writer Will Do Something</i> 2015 video game

The Writer Will Do Something is an interactive fiction video game written by Matthew S. Burns and Tom Bissell and created using Twine.

Simon Parkin is an English writer. He is a contributing writer for The New Yorker, a critic for The Observer, and the author of three non-fiction books. His work has appeared in The New York Times, the New Statesman, 1843, and he is a frequent contributor to The Long Read in The Guardian. He also hosts a podcast called My Perfect Console where guests talk about five video games that were meaningful to their life.

References

  1. ↑ Tom Bissell, Rolf Potts' Vagabonding
  2. ↑ McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Tom Bissell, Mcsweeneys.net Archived 2004-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "March/April 2007 | Poets & Writers". Pw.org. Archived from the original on 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  4. ↑ Bissell, Tom (14 January 2010). "The Bunny Revolution | The New Republic". The New Republic. Tnr.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  5. ↑ "Travel Writers: Tom Bissell". Rolfpotts.com. March 2004. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  6. ↑ Day to Day (2006-01-11). "A Search for Military Strategy in Iraq". NPR. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  7. ↑ "Michigan Writers Series". Michigan State University Libraries. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  8. ↑ Random House, Authors, Tom Bissell, Randomhouse.com
  9. ↑ The Film Stage
  10. ↑ "Video Games: The Addiction" by Tom Bissell, The Observer March 21, 2010 The Guardian
  11. ↑ Bissell, Tom (November 3, 2008). "The Grammar of Fun: CliffyB and the world of the video game". The New Yorker. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  12. ↑ Sheffield, Brandon; Fleming, Jeffrey (November 17, 2010). "The Game Developer 50". Gamasutra. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  13. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (June 27, 2019). "James and Dave Franco to Exec Produce USA Network Anthology: 'Masters of Doom,' currently a pilot order, will be based on David Kushner's nonfiction book of the same name". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Bissell, Tom (August 2010). "Cinema Crudité: The mysterious appeal of the post-camp cult film". Harper's . Vol. 321, no. 1923. Harper's Foundation. pp. 58–65. Retrieved December 4, 2018.(subscription required)
  15. ↑ Ruland, Jim (September 27, 2013). "Worst movie ever? 'The Disaster Artist' explores 'The Room'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  16. ↑ Believermag.com
  17. ↑ Outsideonline.com
  18. ↑ Bissell, Tom (October 26, 2020). "In Fiction, Martin Amis Summons His Literary Friends and Role Models". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  19. ↑ Kotaku
  20. ↑ Idlethumbs.net
  21. ↑ Mobygames.com
  22. ↑ Giantbomb.com
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.