Computer games are one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving media of our time. Revenues from console and computer games have now overtaken those from Hollywood movies; and online gaming is one of the fastest-growing areas of the internet. Games are no longer just kids' stuff: the majority of players are now adults, and the market is constantly broadening. The visual style of games has become increasingly sophisticated, and the complexities of game-play are ever more challenging. Meanwhile, the iconography and generic forms of games are increasingly influencing a whole range of other media, from films and television to books and toys. This book provides a systematic, comprehensive introduction to the analysis of computer and video games. It introduces key concepts and approaches drawn from literary, film and media theory in an accessible and concrete manner; and it tests their use and relevance by applying them to a small but representative selection of role-playing and action-adventure games. It combines methods of textual analysis and audience research, showing how the combination of such methods can give a more complete picture of these playable texts and the fan cultures they generate. Clearly written and engaging, it will be a key text for students in the field and for all those with an interest in taking games seriously.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Polity Press
ISBN-13
9780745634005
eBay Product ID (ePID)
94970965
Product Key Features
Book Title
Computer Games: Text, Narrative and Play
Author
David Buckingham, Gareth Schott, Diane Carr, Andrew Burn
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Publication Year
2006
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
224 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
262mm
Item Width
178mm
Item Weight
584g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
David Buckingham, Diane Carr, Andrew Burn, Gareth Schott