Introduction to Game Analysis

by Clara Fernandez-Vara

Game analysis allows us to understand games better, providing insight into the player-game relationship, the construction of the game, and its sociocultural relevance. As the field of game studies grows, videogame writing is evolving from the mere evaluation of gameplay, graphics, sound, and replayablity, to more reflective writing that manages to convey the complexity of a game and the way it is played in a cultural context. Introduction to Game Analysis serves as an accessible guide to analyzing games using strategies borrowed from textual analysis. Clara Fernández-Vara’s concise primer provides instruction on the basic building blocks of game analysis―examination of context, content and reception, and formal qualities―as well as the vocabulary necessary for talking about videogames' distinguishing characteristics. Examples are drawn from a range of games, both digital and non-digital―from Bioshock and World of Warcraft to Monopoly―and the book provides a variety of exercises and sample analyses, as well as a comprehensive ludography and glossary.

Genres: Games, Video Games, Nonfiction, Gaming, Game Design

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 17, 2014

Reviews

[Iris Besseling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very clear, easy to follow introduction to Game Analysis. Through a lot of helpful examples it shows what makes Game Analysis different from other types of analyses (such as literature or film). It offers the reader clear building blocks one could use when writing an analysis. I would definitely recommend this to people new to the field! However, the book also focusses a lot on the basics of writing an analysis in general. To me, having three years of experience with (and having written over a dozen of) them, these parts did not really help me much, so the interesting part only took up around 1/3 of the book for me.

[Kristine Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering it for our game studies/analysis class, and for that audience I believe this is a valuable read. The book is generally a good read; in particular the contextualization chapters and the general take on game analysis, what separates it from literary and film analyses, and why this kind of analysis is important are good.

[Goncalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Há já alguns anos que vou colaborando com portais escrevendo sobre jogos. Parte essencial do meu trabalho são as análises. Não tenho qualquer formação em escrita ou em jornalismo, escrevo como falo e sem qualquer método aparente. Este livro apareceu-me nas recomendações (hoje em dia o Google sabe tudo sobre nós) e, mesmo considerando o preço ridículo, acabei por comprá-lo. Introduction to Game Analysis é um excelente livro se for encarado na perspectiva académica. Embora haja muita teoria conceptual sobre escrita massificada de análises de jogos, há uma propositada embirrância com a realidade com que os editores se deparam.
Não considerem estas palavras com desdém, apenas um alerta para moderação de expectativas. Este livro foi importante para a maneira como comecei a encarar os jogos e a maneira como escrevo sobre eles, apenas temos de saber o que extrair consoante o tipo de escrita que fazemos.
Se o preço não for problema para vocês, acaba por ser uma leitura interessante, em nenhum ponto aborrecida, e capaz de providenciar excelentes dicas capazes de focarem as tuas análises.

[Kristian Bjørkelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent read. I inherited a class that includes a game studies portion that used this book. While it is not the book I would choose as the only text on games for a class, it reads well as an introductory text and gives very practical advise on how to actually do an analysis of a game. Paired with texts introducing the reader to game studies as a field, it would work brilliantly.

[Cemile (blushingbookkeeper) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simplified and very approachable book for scholars in other fields.

[Filipe Urriça · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muito bom para quem quer melhorar na crítica cultural a videojogos. Não é um guia mas uma bússola para os diferentes caminhos que existem para seguir.