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Cultural Code: Video Games and Latin America
How culture uses games and how games use culture: an examination of Latin America's gaming practices and the representation of the region's cultures in games.
Video games are becoming an ever more ubiquitous element of daily life, played by millions on devices that range from smart phones to desktop computers. An examination of this phenomenon reveals that video games are increasingly being converted into cultural currency. For video game designers, culture is a resource that can be incorporated into games; for players, local gaming practices and specific social contexts can affect their playing experiences. In Cultural Code, Phillip Penix-Tadsen shows how culture uses games and how games use culture, looking at examples related to Latin America. Both static code and subjective play have been shown to contribute to the meaning of games; Penix-Tadsen introduces culture as a third level of creating meaning.
Penix-Tadsen focuses first on how culture uses games, looking at the diverse practices of play in Latin America, the ideological and intellectual uses of games, and the creative and economic possibilities opened up by video games in Latin America—the evolution of regional game design and development. Examining how games use culture, Penix-Tadsen discusses in-game cultural representations of Latin America in a range of popular titles (pointing out, for example, appearances of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue in games from Call of Duty to the tourism-promoting Brasil Quest). He analyzes this through semiotics, the signifying systems of video games and the specific signifiers of Latin American culture; space, how culture is incorporated into different types of game environments; and simulation, the ways that cultural meaning is conveyed procedurally and algorithmically through gameplay mechanics.
Video games are becoming an ever more ubiquitous element of daily life, played by millions on devices that range from smart phones to desktop computers. An examination of this phenomenon reveals that video games are increasingly being converted into cultural currency. For video game designers, culture is a resource that can be incorporated into games; for players, local gaming practices and specific social contexts can affect their playing experiences. In Cultural Code, Phillip Penix-Tadsen shows how culture uses games and how games use culture, looking at examples related to Latin America. Both static code and subjective play have been shown to contribute to the meaning of games; Penix-Tadsen introduces culture as a third level of creating meaning.
Penix-Tadsen focuses first on how culture uses games, looking at the diverse practices of play in Latin America, the ideological and intellectual uses of games, and the creative and economic possibilities opened up by video games in Latin America—the evolution of regional game design and development. Examining how games use culture, Penix-Tadsen discusses in-game cultural representations of Latin America in a range of popular titles (pointing out, for example, appearances of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue in games from Call of Duty to the tourism-promoting Brasil Quest). He analyzes this through semiotics, the signifying systems of video games and the specific signifiers of Latin American culture; space, how culture is incorporated into different types of game environments; and simulation, the ways that cultural meaning is conveyed procedurally and algorithmically through gameplay mechanics.
- GenresNonfiction
344 pages, Hardcover
Published February 12, 2016
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About the author
Phillip Penix-Tadsen
7 books3 followersPhillip Penix-Tadsen is Assistant Professor of Spanish in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Delaware.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 28, 2018
I couldn't finish it entirely but this is a really insight book. I learnt a lot and is so easy to follow. I'll keep it up next time. Still great read!
June 26, 2020
A far more academic lens than expected. The audience here are anthropologists with no background in video games. In this way the book does a good job of introducing video games and documenting its history in Latam. The second section of the book is better from my POV and the approach (semiotics, space and simulation) used could be equally applied to any culture. A major take-away is how advanced Rockstar is in depicting Latam culture in GTA. Latin quarters see Hispanics with and without papers, 2nd and 3rd generations, Spanglish and non English speakers. All from non player characters. Amazing for a game that receives so much controversy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews