How to Play Video Games (User's Guides to Popular Culture, 1)

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. Cover HOW TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES Title Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword Introduction: A Game Genie for Game Studies I. Game Form: Aesthetics and Style 1. FIFA: Magic Circle 2. Tetris: Rules 3. King’s Quest: Narrative 4. Grand Theft Auto V: Avatars 5. Sid Meier’s Civilization: Realism 6. Planescape: Torment: Immersion 7. Don’t Starve: Temporality 8. Braid: Indies 9. BioShock Infinite: World-building 10. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Music II. Representation: Social Identity and Cultural Politics 11. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood: Feminism 12. The Last of Us: Masculinity 13. Leisure Suit Larry: LGBTQ Representation 14. The Queerness and Games Conference: Community 15. NBA 2K16: Race 16. PaRappa the Rapper: Emotion 17. Sniper Elite III: Death 18. Papers, Please: Ethics 19. Age of Empires: Postcolonialism 20. Borderlands: Capitalism III. Industry: Industrial Practices and Structures 21. Miyamoto/Kojima: Authorship 22. Clash Royale: Gaming Capital 23. Game Dev Tycoon: Labor 24. Cookie Clicker: Gamification 25. Ball-and-Paddle Games: Domesticity 26. Angry Birds: Mobile Gaming 27. LEGO Dimensions: Licensing 28. Tomb Raider: Transmedia 29. Medal of Honor: Militarism 30. Pokémon Go: Globalization IV. Game Practices: Medium, Technology, and Everyday Life 31. Pelé’s Soccer: Platform 32. NES D-pad: Interface 33. Minecraft: User-Generated Content 34. Quake: Movies 35. Counter-Strike: Spectatorship 36. Eve Online: Cheating 37. Night Trap: Moral Panic 38. Shovel Knight: Nostalgia 39. Tempest: Archive 40. Walden, a game: Reflection Acknowledgments Appendix: Video Games Discussed in this Volume Contributors Index How To Play Video Games Explores The Phenomena Of Video Games And Its Impact On Modern Society-- Edited By Matthew Thomas Payne And Nina B. Huntemann. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "How to Play Video Games explores the phenomena of video games and its impact on modern society"-- Provided by publisher