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.

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Yes, you can access Computer Games by Diane Carr, David Buckingham, Andrew Burn, Gareth Schott in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Media Studies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher

Polity

Year

2014

ISBN

9780745687506

Edition

Topic

Social Sciences

Subtopic

Media Studies

Index

Social Sciences

Cover
Half Page
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
1 Studying Computer Game
2 Defining Game Genres
3 Games and Narrative
4 Play and Pleasure
5 Space, Navigation and Affect
6 Playing Roles
7 Reworking the Text: Online Fandom
8 Motivation and Online Gaming
9 Social Play and Learning
10 Agency in and around Play
11 Film, Adaptation and Computer Games
12 Games and Gender
13 Doing Game Analysis
Notes
Games Cited
References
Index