The Video Game Theory Reader

by Mark J.P. Wolf (editor), Bernard Perron (Editor)

In the early days of Pong and Pac Man, video games appeared to be little more than an idle pastime. Today, video games make up a multi-billion dollar industry that rivals television and film.
"The Video Game Theory Reader" brings together exciting new work on the many ways video games are reshaping the face of entertainment and our relationship with technology. Drawing upon examples from widely popular games ranging from "Space Invaders" to "Final Fantasy IX" and "Combat Flight Simulator 2," the contributors discuss the relationship between video games and other media; the shift from third- to first-person games; gamers and the gaming community; and the important sociological, cultural, industrial, and economic issues that surround gaming.
"The Video Game Theory Reader" is the essential introduction to a fascinating and rapidly expanding new field of media studies.

Genres: Games, Nonfiction, Video Games, Theory, Gaming, History, Research

366 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2003

About the author

Mark J. P. Wolf is Professor in the Communication Department at Concordia University Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found some neat stuff about immersion and presence. Apart from that, it is a pretty average book.

[BVC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Praticamente quasi nessun articolo interessante e, purtroppo, quasi nulla dedicato al game design.

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too much to list. It uses film theory to discuss the emerging technology of the video game.

[lbh. · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's dated already, but still a good text, and maybe showcases some voices other than the big ones in "First Person", etc.

[Tommy Rousse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Mostly from the perspective of film studies. Sort of missing the point, really.