Most people who start college don't finish. In fact, in many places, most people who start high school don't even finish that.

This is an undeniable, horribly true, fact.

The question is why?

There isn't an easy, single answer, but from professor Wayne Hogue's observations (who has had the opportunity to observe, teach, and personally get to know hundreds of college students from incoming college freshmen to graduate students), a major missing component is that students don't seem to understand one of the most basic keys to succeeding in anything (maybe everything!), especially college. Too many students don't want to... or they don't know how to... play the game.

The original idea for the new book, Play the Game!, began in a college survival and success class for incoming freshmen.   Attempting to get his students to understand what it takes to succeed in college, Professor Hogue explained how each and every class, and each and every teacher, has a set of rules and a game. The rules may not be written down, public, or even obvious, but no matter, to be successful in any class, learn the rules and play that teacher's game.

You begin learning the rules before classes even begin by listenting to what other students say about the class and the teacher. The most important rules generally revolve around what the teacher considers to be most important. For example, Professor Hogue values work ethic most (because he sees the lack of it as the biggest detriment for most students). Therefore, his number-one rule is work hard. That means attend all classes, actively participate, never have excuses, and do all the assigned active learning work. If you play his game, even if you don't do well on tests, you will be successful in his class.

The same holds true for every class.

The concept has been so helpful to the students that it was an easy task to expand it to other areas of life.   Nearly everything students deal with outside school also fits under the Play the Game! idea, from relationships, to business, to their jobs.

Professor Hogue has spent over fours years working on this book attempting to make it as complete and concise a reference as possible.   It is written blunt and to the point specifically in order to keep teens and young adults tuned in.

Play the Game! is packed full of great tips, advice, and undeniable truths. Some may seem to be common sense or common knowledge, but most are not necessarily common practice in today's world.  Older wiser readers will find themselves continuosly shaking their head in agreement at the truths in the book.