Book Description

This volume was first published by Inter-Disciplinary Press in 2011. Videogame Studies: Concepts, Cultures, and Communication explores the ever-expanding field of game studies. Included in this volume is the research and insights of experts in multiple interdisciplinary fields, focused on the construction of new frameworks for understanding games as narrative artifacts, technological systems, cultural indicators, social communities, educators, and works of art. Games and game-structures permeate every aspect of our lives, and provide more than simple entertainment to the millions of players immersed and engaged in games on a daily basis. The sixteen authors in this volume provide new thoughts on the rapid expansion of both the game industry and game academia, and cover a wide range of topics, including the rise and fall of in-game communities; the place of digital versus analog games in current methodology; the particular relationship between player, avatar, and identity; the design of educational and serious games; the social structures, needs, and desires of social game players; the performance aspect of interactive media; and the economic consequences of game production. This collection aims to inspire further research in numerous areas of game studies, and is a valuable addition to the growing discourse of a rapidly evolving field of study.