Although that may be all well and good for academics to share their insights with one another, who else wants to read that? We believe that the vast majority of people who watch television or play video games, whether they are students in a course or inquisitive everyday readers, have something to learn about popular culture from us media scholars if only we presented our ideas in a style designed to be more broadly read and understood. Most of these authors are academics, who typically publish their work as 25-plus-page essays in journals or 200-plus-page monographs, often with hundreds of citations, detailed sections on methodology, and commentary on insider debates within the field. The premise behind both of these books is to assemble essays written by very smart people with very smart things to say about popular culture, such as television and video games.
Instead, How to Play Video Games features 40 essays, each focusing on a particular video game and modeling a critical approach to understanding video games as popular culture. Look elsewhere for walkthroughs, cheats, and speedruns. That is, our book didn’t teach people how to watch television (who needs a book for that?), and these essays do not teach you how to play video games. The title of that book was the same kind of joke. We know because the format of this book is modeled on our own book, How to Watch Television. Walden, a game: Reflection Tracy FullertonĪppendix: Video Games Discussed in this Volumeįoreword Ethan Thomp s on a n d Jason M it tel l To avoid confusion, we, the writers of the foreword, wish to clarify one thing up front: the title of this book, How to Play Video Games, is a joke.
Tempest: Archive Judd Ethan Ruggill and Ken S.
Shovel Knight: Nostalgia John Vanderhoefģ9. Counter-Strike: Spectatorship Emma Witkowskiģ7. Minecraft: User-Generated Content James Newmanģ5. Game Practices: medium, technology, and everyday life 31. Medal of Honor: Militarism Tanner Mirrleesģ0. Tomb Raider: Transmedia Jessica AldredĢ9. LEGO Dimensions: Licensing Derek JohnsonĢ8. Angry Birds: Mobile Gaming Gregory Steirer and Jeremy BarnesĢ7. Ball-and-Paddle Games: Domesticity Michael Z. Cookie Clicker: Gamification Sebastian DeterdingĢ5. Game Dev Tycoon: Labor Casey O’DonnellĢ4. Clash Royale: Gaming Capital Mia ConsalvoĢ3. Miyamoto/Kojima: Authorship Jennifer deWinterĢ2. industry: industrial Practices and structures 21. Borderlands: Capitalism Matthew Thomas Payne and Michael Fleisch Age of Empires: Postcolonialism Souvik MukherjeeĢ0. Sniper Elite III: Death Amanda Phillipsġ9. PaRappa the Rapper: Emotion Katherine Isbisterġ7. The Queerness and Games Conference: Community Bonnie Rubergġ5. Leisure Suit Larry: LGBTQ Representation Adrienne Shawġ4. The Last of Us: Masculinity Soraya Murrayġ3. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood: Feminism Shira Chessġ2. Representation: social identity and Cultural Politics 11. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Music Dan Golding BioShock Infinite: World-building Mark J. Don’t Starve: Temporality Christopher Hansonĩ. Planescape: Torment: Immersion Evan Tornerħ. Sid Meier’s Civilization: Realism Peter KrappĦ. Grand Theft Auto V: Avatars Harrison Gishĥ. King’s Quest: Narrative Anastasia SalterĤ. Introduction: A Game Genie for Game Studies Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Also available as an ebook We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Classification: LCC GV1469.34.S | DDC 794.8-dc23 LC record available at New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. | Video games- Moral and ethical aspects. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Video games-Social aspects.
Description: New York : New York University Press, | Includes bibliographical references and index. Title: How to play video games / Edited by Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Payne, Matthew Thomas, editor. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. N EW YORK U N I VE RSI T Y PRE S S New York © 2019 by New York University All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. How to Play Video Games EditEd by mattHew tHomas Payne and nina B.