Author looks at movie and gaming industries in fifth book

A former film critic, who now lives in Shrewsbury, is celebrating the publication of his fifth book.

Author Jamie Russell, 37, of Copthorne, has written his latest book on the relationship between the film and gaming industry.

'Generation Xbox: How Videogames Invaded Hollywood' charts the growing popularity of video games since the 1970s and how this has affected the film industry.

Mr Russell said: "Even in the 1970s video games were dwarfing movie releases and this has continued. Last year box office takings were at their lowest for 16 years."

The book also reveals the impact video game technology has had on blockbuster films. Mr Russell said: "The CGI capture of the character Gollum

in The Lord of the Rings films had been used in video games since the 1990s."

The father-of-two, originally from London, moved to Shrewsbury five years ago to bring up his children.

He had previously worked as a film critic for Total Film as well as the BBC movies website.

"I love Shrewsbury, moving here was the best thing I ever did," he said.

In 2002, Mr Russell published a book about zombies in movies, called Book of the Dead: Zombie Cinema, which sold 25,000 copies worldwide.

His latest book will be on the shelves in bookshops and online on April 16.

It has been published by Yellow Ant. For more information visit http://jamierussell.co.uk/?p=1261