Computer Games Text, Narrative and Play

by Carr, Diane; Buckingham, David; Burn, Andrew; Schott, Gareth

• ISBN13: 9780745634012
• ISBN10: 074563401X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-31
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

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.

Author Biography

David Buckingham is Professor of Education and head of the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media (CSCYM) at the University of London.


Andrew Burn is Reader in Education and New Media and Associate Director of the CSCYM at the University of London.


Diane Carr is Research Officer of the CSCYM at the University of London.


Gareth Schott is Senior Lecturer of Screen and Media Studies at the University of Waikato.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	vii
Acknowledgements	viii
1 Studying Computer Games	1	(13)
David Buckingham
2 Defining Game Genres	14	(16)
Andrew Burn and Diane Carr
3 Games and Narrative	30	(15)
Diane Carr
4 Play and Pleasure	45	(14)
Diane Carr
5 Space, Navigation and Affect	59	(13)
Diane Carr
6 Playing Roles	72	(16)
Andrew Burn
7 Reworking the Text: Online Fandom	88	(15)
Andrew Burn
8 Motivation and Online Gaming	103	(16)
Andrew Burn and Diane Carr
9 Social Play and Learning	119	(14)
Gareth Schott and Maria Kambouri
10 Agency in and around Play	133	(16)
Gareth Schott
11 Film, Adaptation and Computer Games	149	(13)
Diane Carr with Diarmid Campbell and Katie Ellwood
12 Games and Gender	162	(17)
Diane Carr
13 Doing Game Analysis	179	(12)
David Buckingham
Notes	191	(4)
Games Cited	195	(2)
References	197	(11)
Index	208