Understanding Video Games The Essential Introduction

Name: Understanding Video Games The Essential Introduction
Price: 6.75 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780415896979

ISBN-10: 0415896975

ISBN-13: 9780415896979

Edition: 2nd 2013 (Revised)

Authors: Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Jonas Heide Smith, Susana Pajares Tosca

List price: $54.95

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Description:

From Pong to PlayStation 3 and beyond, Understanding Video Gamesis the first general introduction to the exciting new field of video game studies. This textbook traces the history of video games, introduces the major theories used to analyze games such as ludology and narratology, reviews the economics of the game industry, examines the aesthetics of game design, surveys the broad range of game genres, explores player culture, and addresses the major debates surrounding the medium, from educational benefits to the effects of violence. Throughout the book, the authors ask readers to consider larger questions about the medium: what defines a video game? who plays games? why do we play games?…

Book details

List price: $54.95
Edition: 2nd
Copyright year: 2013
Publisher: Routledge
Publication date: 7/26/2012
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 336
Size: 7.00" wide x 9.75" long x 0.75" tall
Weight: 1.298
Language: English



List of Illustrations


Acknowledgments


Introduction


About the Reader


Structure of the Book


The Larger Questions



Studying Video Games


Who Studies Video Games?


How do you Study Video Games?


Types of Analysis


Schools of Thought?



The Game Industry


The Size of the Game Industry


The Structure of the Game Industry


The Development Process


Roles in Game Development



What is a Game?


General Models for Understanding Games


The Issue of Genre



History


A Brief Pre-history of Video Games


Does History Matter?


A History of Video Games


The 1970s


The 1980s


The 1990s


The 2000s


The 2010s and Beyond


Perspectives



Video Game Aesthetics


Rules


Geography and Representation


Number of Players


Games without Boundaries



Video Games in Culture


The Cultural Position of Video Games


Players



Narrative


Storytelling


Reception-The Player's Experience of a Story


A Brief History of Literary Theory and Video Games



Serious Games-When Entertainment is Not Enough


Traditional Games for Serious Purposes


Categorizing Educational Computer Games


The Rationale Behind Edutainment


The Instructional Approach to Edutainment


The Modern Approach to the Educational Use of Computer Games


The Educational Effectiveness of Video Games


Political Games and Newsgames


Advertainment


Gamification-Plug'n'Play Games for Real?


Games-for-change-Revolutionaries Rise


Final Remarks



Video Games and Risks


Two Research Perspectives


The Active Media Perspective


The Active User Perspective


Other Questions


Final Remarks


Video Game Timeline


Glossary


Games Cited


Bibliography


Index