The Video Game Theory Reader [Paperback]

Mark J. P. Wolf (Author), Bernard Perron (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415965799 | ISBN-13: 978-0415965798 | Publication Date: August 21, 2003 | Edition: 1

The Video Game Theory Reader brings together exciting new work on video games as a unique medium and nascent field of study - one that is rapidly developing new modes of understanding and analysis, like film studies in the 1960s and television studies in the 1980s. This pioneering collection addresses the many ways video games are reshaping the face of entertainment and our relationship with technology. In the volume, leading media studies scholars develop new theoretical tools and concepts to study video games. Drawing upon examples from a number of popular games ranging from Space Invaders to Final Fantasy , the contributors discuss the relationship between video games and other media; the shift from third- to first-person games; gamers and the gaming community; and the important sociological, cultural, industrial, and economic issues that surround gaming.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If anyone has doubts that video games warrant serious reflection and examination as a creative medium, The Video Game Theory Reader will dispel them. If anyone involved in the creation of video games is looking for fresh perspectives on their art, they'll find them right here.
–D.B. Weiss, author of Lucky Wander Boy

Computer and video games have been with us for only a few short decades. As with any young medium, important questions remain unanswered: What exactly are video games and how do they function? How do video games relate to other forms of media and culture? What is their effect on the minds and lives of players? And what are the larger implications for society? The Video Game Theory Reader begins to answer these questions, and in doing so, sketches out an exciting, emerging field of vital importance for the future of design, technology, and culture.
–Eric Zimmerman, CEO of gameLab, co-author of Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

The Video Game Theory Reader is a crucial and timely edited volume which focuses exclusively on the theorization of video games, and thereby makes great strides towards ameliorating a persisting gap in the academic literature..
–Robert T. Wood, University of Lethbridge--New Media & Society

The Video Game Theory Reader serves as an excellent introduction to video game studies, the current positions in the field, and the current problems with video game studies..
–Laurie Taylor, University of Florida, Journal of Film and Video, Winter 2003

About the Author

Mark J. P. Wolf is Assistant Professor of Communications at Concordia University, Wisconsin. A pioneering scholar of video game studies, he is editor of The Medium of the Video Game. Bernard Perron is Assistant Professor of Cinema at the University of Montréal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (August 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415965799
• ISBN-13: 978-0415965798
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars hit-or-miss, November 18, 2005

By 

Yoshi A. Salaverry "bibliovore" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Video Game Theory Reader (Paperback)

This book is an introduction to a nascent field within new media studies: video game theory, or ludology. As such, many of the essays contained herein are trying to get a grasp on what constitutes video game studies, period. Some of the questions broached are as follows:

What would constitute a formal analysis of a video game?
What features do all video games share (what can we classify as a video game, anyhow?)
Which approaches are best for the analysis of video games: semiotics, psychoanalysis, cinema studies, cognitive psychology?

This volume takes a few baby steps towards answering those questions. Gonzalo Frasca, for instance, makes the important argument that even the simplest games cannot be considered in mere narratological terms, but must be considered as a simulation. He then uses Roger Caillois's terms paidia and ludus to establish a tentative typology of video games.

Other essays, such as Mia Consalvo's essay on the Sims and Final Fantasy IX, are more shallow and contribute little beyond a superficial plot analysis and trite comments about how radical it is that a guy can have a girl avatar (and vice-versa) in a video game.

I found Patrick Crogan's essay on Combat Flight Simulator 2 and Pearl Harbor (the movie) especially insightful, as it drew some fascinating connections between Manuel De Landa, Paul Virilio, and the simulation representational ethos (as opposed to narrative).

In conclusion, this is a really hit-or-miss collection, which is perhaps to be expected considering how marginal video game studies currently is within the academy. Nevertheless, it contains some valuable contributions to this inchoate field between its covers, which will certainly help to legitimate game studies in the future.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative and interesting, April 13, 2006

By 

Derek R. Hansell (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Video Game Theory Reader (Paperback)

The social impact of video games as a new media has been my focus this semester at the University of Minnesota and this book has been my bible.

The articles are not only informative and thought-provoking, but very interesting. As a long-time gamer, this was an opportunity for me to look differently at a medium I thought was purely for entertainment and really see the far reaching effect that video games have not only our media and consumer culture, but also on the individual's psyche and perception of the world around him/her.

If you're a researcher or just a gamer looking for a fresh perspective on this medium, you need to buy this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, January 18, 2012

By 

Nick - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Video Game Theory Reader (Paperback)

The book was delivered quickly and although the book was advertised as used I would easily believed that the book was brand new. In addition, the seller included the shipping information with a small handwritten note on it wishing me a happy new year. This small detail was a step above and beyond most other sellers. I will absolutely be buying from this seller again.