Book Review: The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games – First Person Scholar

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Today I’ve had a book review I wrote of Christopher A. Paul’s The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games posted on First Person Scholar. Here’s a sample: My difficulties with conceptualizing a non-meritocratic review, perhaps, illustrate just how hard-wired meritocratic norms are—especially in academia—which demonstrates that this book makes a very good point about thinking more […]

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book reviews

Inside The Las Vegas Strip’s Overnight Ultra-Luxe Changeover | Forbes

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My latest for Forbes.com describes a very hectic night in Las Vegas: The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas opened in December 2009, bringing a different kind of non-gaming luxury to the Strip. When it was sold earlier this year to Andrew and Peggy Cherng and Tiffany Lam, the property’s management shifted to Hilton, owners of the

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forbes

Look Beyond Las Vegas To See Casino Gaming’s Large Local Impact | Forbes

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My latest for Forbes.com considers the ultimate impact of casino gaming: Even though Nevada lost its monopoly on casino gaming in 1976, many Americans still think of the national casino gaming industry as being mostly in—and benefiting—Las Vegas. But most of the $72 billion or so tribal and commercial casinos make each year comes from

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forbes

Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor Could Be Las Vegas Turning Point For Wrestling | Forbes

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My latest for Forbes.com consider the return of Ring of Honor to Las Vegas: Part sport, part theater, pro wrestling has evolved along with other forms of entertainment. While World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has been for many years the dominant promotion in the United States, there are an increasing number of alternatives for wrestling fans.

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forbes

How Las Vegas Casinos Are Getting More With Fewer Employees | Forbes

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My latest from Forbes.com looks at trends in casino employment: Las Vegas casinos, like any hospitality business, owe everything to their employees. After all, they are the ones that provide the hospitality that guests are paying for, the link between the product and the people who buy it. And those employees are more valuable than

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forbes

The Story Behind The Most Famous Missing Apostrophe in Las Vegas

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My latest from Forbes.com looks at a Vegas not-so-insider tip: It’s one of those insider Vegas tricks that’s actually right in front of your face in big letters: If you’re talking about the hotel casino that Evel Knievel made famous and The Hangover reminded us of, you never use an apostrophe. It’s Caesars, not Caesar’s

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forbes

Getting Ready For The Las Vegas Raiders, The North Strip Gets A Multibillion-Dollar Makeover | Forbes

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My latest for Forbes looks at how the landscape of the North Strip is about to change: The three operators looking to turn the North Strip from afterthought to epicenter are fighting against history, but they have the potential to disrupt Las Vegas. Read it here: Getting Ready For The Las Vegas Raiders, The North

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forbes

Las Vegas Casinos Hope Sports Betting Will Change Their Luck

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My latest for Forbes.com looks at where sports betting fits into the modern casino industry: With rising displeasure at added fees and charges, as well as more competition from casinos around the world, Las Vegas-based gaming operators need a new way to stay profitable. Some believe that sports betting is the solution, and a new

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forbes

The Robot Invasion Of Las Vegas Might Be Horrifying (Or No Big Deal) | Forbes

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My latest for Forbes looks at what impact robots will have on the Las Vegas hospitality experience–and what it means for those who work there: Robots are taking an increasing role in all aspects of the Las Vegas visitor experience, with some resort operators banking on automation and artificial intelligence to reduce labor costs and

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forbes

Casinos Are Getting Nervous As Las Vegas Revenues Drop And Their Stocks Slump

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My latest for Forbes puts the recent Wall Street jitters into historical context: Las Vegas casino operators seemed to be cruising earlier this year, but the summer has turned into a bit of a bummer for them. Whether this is a temporary decline or the start of a bigger reshaping remains to be seen, but

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forbes

Las Vegas Strip Comedian Brings Celebrity Touch To Museum Outreach | Forbes

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My latest for Forbes looks at how one of my favorite places, the Natural History Museum, is getting the word out: Las Vegas is famous for its casinos, of course, and its nightlife, restaurants, and Cirque shows. But Jeff Civillico, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum’s new celebrity ambassador, would like you to think of

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forbes

Wynn’s Reversal On Paid Parking A Sign Of Las Vegas Future | Forbes

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My latest (and most viewed to date) for Forbes reveals what Wynn’s parking validation plan means for the future of paid parking: To say that visitors were outraged is putting it lightly. Prices in Las Vegas, especially on the Strip, are as high as they’ve ever been, and adding another charge on top of resort

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forbes

Blackjack’s Rise And Fall Shows What Drives Customers Away | Forbes

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My latest for Forbes considers possible downsides of changes to blackjack: For about two hundred years, blackjack was the casino equivalent of a benchwarmer. Into the 1950s, the most popular casino game in Las Vegas was craps, a rollicking, social game that was seen at its most colorful in Guys and Dolls. When the dice

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forbes

What You Don’t Know About The Man Behind That Moonwalk DDT | Forbes

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One thing I liked about writing for Vegas Seven was being able to write about pro wrestlers, who are consistently the best interviews for me. When I saw a video of a Vegas-based wrestler and tribute artist had gone viral, I knew had a springboard for my first, and hopefully not last, wrestling column for

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forbes

The Surprisingly Humble, Forgotten Roots Of Poker’s Biggest Game | Forbes

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With the World Series of poker underway, I decided to look first at the history of the game: The World Series of Poker, whose Main Event got underway last Monday, is today a global phenomenon, with thousands of players hoping to bluff and raise their way towards the millions of dollars at stake. Its first

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forbes

The Stardust Hotel debuted 60 years ago  | The Mob Museum

Vegas Seven • • • , ,

I wrote a little something to commemorate the Stardust’s 60th birthday for the Mob Museum: The Stardust opened in a blaze of fireworks on July 2, 1958. With its 1,000 guest rooms, it was bigger than any hotel previously opened in Las Vegas. Size, rather than style, was the hotel’s most prominent feature. Its 16,000-square-foot

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Vegas Seven

The Mentalist Behind The Las Vegas Strip’s First All-Spanish Show | Forbes

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As a teacher, one of the most gratifying things is seeing your students go out and make their own success. So writing this story for Forbes about one of my former students was a delight: Since last December, Michel, billed as “El Mentalista Meixcano” (the Mexican Mentalist) has starred in Ilusión Mental, a mind-reading show

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forbes