How to Play Video Games

How to Play Video Games PDF Author: Matthew Thomas Payne
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479805920
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 376

Get Book

Book Description
Forty original contributions on games and gaming culture What does Pokémon Go tell us about globalization? What does Tetris teach us about rules? Is feminism boosted or bashed by Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? How does BioShock Infinite help us navigate world-building? From arcades to Atari, and phone apps to virtual reality headsets, video games have been at the epicenter of our ever-evolving technological reality. Unlike other media technologies, video games demand engagement like no other, which begs the question—what is the role that video games play in our lives, from our homes, to our phones, and on global culture writ large? How to Play Video Games brings together forty original essays from today’s leading scholars on video game culture, writing about the games they know best and what they mean in broader social and cultural contexts. Read about avatars in Grand Theft Auto V, or music in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. See how Age of Empires taught a generation about postcolonialism, and how Borderlands exposes the seedy underbelly of capitalism. These essays suggest that understanding video games in a critical context provides a new way to engage in contemporary culture. They are a must read for fans and students of the medium.

How to Play Video Games

How to Play Video Games PDF Author: Matthew Thomas Payne
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479805920
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 376

Get Book

Book Description
Forty original contributions on games and gaming culture What does Pokémon Go tell us about globalization? What does Tetris teach us about rules? Is feminism boosted or bashed by Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? How does BioShock Infinite help us navigate world-building? From arcades to Atari, and phone apps to virtual reality headsets, video games have been at the epicenter of our ever-evolving technological reality. Unlike other media technologies, video games demand engagement like no other, which begs the question—what is the role that video games play in our lives, from our homes, to our phones, and on global culture writ large? How to Play Video Games brings together forty original essays from today’s leading scholars on video game culture, writing about the games they know best and what they mean in broader social and cultural contexts. Read about avatars in Grand Theft Auto V, or music in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. See how Age of Empires taught a generation about postcolonialism, and how Borderlands exposes the seedy underbelly of capitalism. These essays suggest that understanding video games in a critical context provides a new way to engage in contemporary culture. They are a must read for fans and students of the medium.

The Debate about Playing Video Games

The Debate about Playing Video Games PDF Author: Rachel Seigel
Publisher: North Star Editions, Inc.
ISBN: 1635176689
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 48

Get Book

Book Description
Provides a thorough overview of the major pros and cons of playing video games. Readable text, interesting sidebars, and illuminating infographics invite readers to jump in and join the debate.

The State of Play

The State of Play PDF Author: Daniel Goldberg
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
ISBN: 1609806409
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Get Book

Book Description
FEATURING: IAN BOGOST - LEIGH ALEXANDER - ZOE QUINN - ANITA SARKEESIAN & KATHERINE CROSS - IAN SHANAHAN - ANNA ANTHROPY - EVAN NARCISSE - HUSSEIN IBRAHIM - CARA ELLISON & BRENDAN KEOGH - DAN GOLDING - DAVID JOHNSTON - WILLIAM KNOBLAUCH - MERRITT KOPAS - OLA WIKANDER The State of Play is a call to consider the high stakes of video game culture and how our digital and real lives collide. Here, video games are not hobbies or pure recreation; they are vehicles for art, sex, and race and class politics. The sixteen contributors are entrenched—they are the video game creators themselves, media critics, and Internet celebrities. They share one thing: they are all players at heart, handpicked to form a superstar roster by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson, the authors of the bestselling Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything. The State of Play is essential reading for anyone interested in what may well be the defining form of cultural expression of our time. "If you want to explain to anyone why videogames are worth caring about, this is a single volume primer on where we are, how we got here and where we're going next. In every way, this is the state of play." —Kieron Gillen, author of The Wicked + the Divine, co-founder of Rock Paper Shotgun

The Effects of Video Games on Children

The Effects of Video Games on Children PDF Author: Barrie Gunter
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9781850758334
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 186

Get Book

Book Description
The rapid growth in popularity of computer and video games, particularly among children and teenagers, has given rise to public concern about the effects they might have on youngsters. The violent themes of many of these games, coupled with their interactive nature, have led to accusations that they may be worse than televised violence in affecting children's antisocial behaviour. Other allegations are that they have an addictive quality and that excessive playing results in a diminished social contact and poorer school performance. But how bad are video games? There are strong methodological reasons for not accepting the evidence for video games effects at face value. There are also positive signs that playing these games can enhance particular mental competencies in children. This book provides an up-to-date review and critique of research evidence from around the world in an attempt to put the issue of video game effects into perspective.

The Epic Evolution of Video Games

The Epic Evolution of Video Games PDF Author: Arie Kaplan
Publisher: Lerner Publications ™
ISBN: 1512452122
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Get Book

Book Description
Have you ever wondered what video games would be like if they never changed? The first games were little more than bouncing dots on a plain screen. Modern games include astonishing action, realistic environments, and epic story lines. Take a look at how video games have evolved over the years, and learn about the kinds of games we might be playing in the future.

Lost in a Good Game

Lost in a Good Game PDF Author: Pete Etchells
Publisher: Icon Books
ISBN: 1785785060
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Get Book

Book Description
'Etchells writes eloquently ... A heartfelt defence of a demonised pastime' The Times 'Once in an age, a piece of culture comes along that feels like it was specifically created for you, the beats and words and ideas are there because it is your life the creator is describing. Lost In A Good Game is exactly that. It will touch your heart and mind. And even if Bowser, Chun-li or Q-Bert weren't crucial parts of your youth, this is a flawless victory for everyone' Adam Rutherford When Pete Etchells was 14, his father died from motor neurone disease. In order to cope, he immersed himself in a virtual world - first as an escape, but later to try to understand what had happened. Etchells is now a researcher into the psychological effects of video games, and was co-author on a recent paper explaining why WHO plans to classify 'game addiction' as a danger to public health are based on bad science and (he thinks) are a bad idea. In this, his first book, he journeys through the history and development of video games - from Turing's chess machine to mass multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft- via scientific study, to investigate the highs and lows of playing and get to the bottom of our relationship with games - why we do it, and what they really mean to us. At the same time, Lost in a Good Game is a very unusual memoir of a writer coming to terms with his grief via virtual worlds, as he tries to work out what area of popular culture we should classify games (a relatively new technology) under.

Understanding Video Games

Understanding Video Games PDF Author: Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317533135
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 387

Get Book

Book Description
Understanding Video Games is a crucial guide for newcomers to video game studies and experienced game scholars alike. This revised and updated third edition of the pioneering text provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of game studies, and highlights changes in the gaming industry, advances in video game scholarship, and recent trends in game design and development—including mobile, casual, educational, and indie gaming. In the third edition of this textbook, students will: Learn the major theories and schools of thought used to study games, including ludology and narratology; Understand the commercial and organizational aspects of the game industry; Trace the history of games, from the board games of ancient Egypt to the rise of mobile gaming; Explore the aesthetics of game design, including rules, graphics, audio, and time; Analyze the narrative strategies and genre approaches used in video games; Consider the debate surrounding the effects of violent video games and the impact of "serious games." Featuring discussion questions, recommended games, a glossary of key terms, and an interactive online video game history timeline, Understanding Video Games provides a valuable resource for anyone interested in examining the ways video games are reshaping entertainment and society.

Well Played 1.0

Well Played 1.0 PDF Author: Drew Davidson
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN:
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 454

Get Book

Book Description
Video games can be well played in two senses. On the one hand, well played is to games as well read is to books. On the other hand, well played as in well done. This book is full of in-depth close readings of video games that parse out the various meanings to be found in the experience of playing a game. 22 contributors (developers, scholars, reviewers and bloggers) look at video games through both senses of well played. The goal is to help develop and define a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value as an experience. Video games are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis.

The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies

The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies PDF Author: Mark J.P. Wolf
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136290508
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 676

Get Book

Book Description
The number of publications dealing with video game studies has exploded over the course of the last decade, but the field has produced few comprehensive reference works. The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies, compiled by well-known video game scholars Mark J. P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, aims to address the ongoing theoretical and methodological development of game studies, providing students, scholars, and game designers with a definitive look at contemporary video game studies. Features include: comprehensive and interdisciplinary models and approaches for analyzing video games; new perspectives on video games both as art form and cultural phenomenon; explorations of the technical and creative dimensions of video games; accounts of the political, social, and cultural dynamics of video games. Each essay provides a lively and succinct summary of its target area, quickly bringing the reader up-to-date on the pertinent issues surrounding each aspect of the field, including references for further reading. Together, they provide an overview of the present state of game studies that will undoubtedly prove invaluable to student, scholar, and designer alike.

Playing Video Games

Playing Video Games PDF Author: Rachel Seigel
Publisher: Weigl Publishers
ISBN: 1489696105
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 48

Get Book

Book Description
While video games were traditionally for entertainment only, they are now becoming a teaching tool in the classroom. They can help to develop a person’s focus and concentration. Find out more in Playing Video Games, a title in the Debating the Issues series. Each title in the series features easy-to-read text, stunning visuals, and a challenging educational activity. A unique book code printed on page 2 unlocks multimedia content. These books come alive with video, audio, weblinks, slideshows, activities, hands-on experiments, and much more.