Wildfire wins George E Osborn's 'astounding' book on how video games influence the world

Wildfire has signed an "essential exploration" of how video games influence the world by George E Osborn. Osborn is former head of campaigns and communications at Ukie, a trade association for the games and entertainment sector. 

Commissioning editor and deputy publicity director Joe Thomas won UK and Commonwealth rights in a two-way auction from Max Edwards, then at Aevitas Creative Management and now at Apple Tree Literary. Power Play: The Inside Story of How Video Games Influence the World will be published in hardback in spring 2026. 

Billed as an "accessible guide to how video games are shaping the modern world" and what that means for the future, Power Play tells the "inside story" of how video games have evolved into a "channel of influence contested by Big Tech, governments and non-government actors". It also will feature interviews with policy makers, public health officials, counter terror experts and game developers. 

Osborn commented: “Throughout my time at Ukie, I regularly found myself explaining video games to those who didn’t play them but sought to understand their power over wider society—and I often wished for a book that could pithily and effectively explain the significance of video games and their role in the modern world. Power Play aims to tell that story by demonstrating how a once niche entertainment medium transformed into a global behemoth capable of reshaping digital life and, as a result, wider society.”

Thomas added: “Power Play is a brilliant, eye-opening and timely book, packed with astounding examples of the unseen ways that video games influence the modern world, from US presidential elections to competition law, AI to the gamification of dating. With an eye for fascinating detail, a phenomenal range of expert interviews and years of experience helping explain video games to a broad audience, George truly is the perfect guide to help all of us understand the influence of video games on modern society, whether we play games or not.”