Computer Games (ePub)

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.