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Fifty Key Video Games
This volume examines fifty of the most important video games that have contributed significantly to the history, development, or culture of the medium, providing an overview of video games from their beginning to the present day.
This volume covers a variety of historical periods and platforms, genres, commercial impact, artistic choices, contexts of play, typical and atypical representations, uses of games for specific purposes, uses of materials or techniques, specific subcultures, repurposing, transgressive aesthetics, interfaces, moral or ethical impact, and more. Key video games featured include Animal Crossing, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, PONG, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft. Each game is closely analyzed in order to properly contextualize it, to emphasize its prominent features, to show how it creates a unique experience of gameplay, and to outline the ways it might speak about society and culture. The book also acts as a highly accessible showcase to a range of disciplinary perspectives that are found and practiced in the field of game studies.
With each entry supplemented by references and suggestions for further reading, Fifty Key Video Games is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in video games.
This volume covers a variety of historical periods and platforms, genres, commercial impact, artistic choices, contexts of play, typical and atypical representations, uses of games for specific purposes, uses of materials or techniques, specific subcultures, repurposing, transgressive aesthetics, interfaces, moral or ethical impact, and more. Key video games featured include Animal Crossing, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, PONG, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft. Each game is closely analyzed in order to properly contextualize it, to emphasize its prominent features, to show how it creates a unique experience of gameplay, and to outline the ways it might speak about society and culture. The book also acts as a highly accessible showcase to a range of disciplinary perspectives that are found and practiced in the field of game studies.
With each entry supplemented by references and suggestions for further reading, Fifty Key Video Games is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in video games.
- GenresVideo Games
350 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 24, 2024
Well, that only took seven months :P
This is a pretty good book about 50 key video games, from The Oregon Trail to Fortnite, and how they influenced not just the video games that came after them, but also music, art, critical studies, education, gamer psychology, culture at large, etc.
Every essay had some interesting and previously unknown-to-me information about the game being discussed. For example, did you know the original version of The Oregon Trail predates PONG by a year? I sure didn’t.
The only thing that annoyed me about this book is that the essays were arranged alphabetically by game instead of chronologically, which made for a strange reading experience. I read about Super Mario 64 before I read about Super Mario Bros., and that makes no sense as the latter clearly inspired the former.
This is a pretty good book about 50 key video games, from The Oregon Trail to Fortnite, and how they influenced not just the video games that came after them, but also music, art, critical studies, education, gamer psychology, culture at large, etc.
Every essay had some interesting and previously unknown-to-me information about the game being discussed. For example, did you know the original version of The Oregon Trail predates PONG by a year? I sure didn’t.
The only thing that annoyed me about this book is that the essays were arranged alphabetically by game instead of chronologically, which made for a strange reading experience. I read about Super Mario 64 before I read about Super Mario Bros., and that makes no sense as the latter clearly inspired the former.
September 11, 2022
The book covers a canon of fifty video games and includes 325 pages, each with a short essay by various authors critiquing each work. Not everyone will agree with the selection, as in any canon, but I found them intrinsically successful and the book left a positive impression. Furthermore, for each entry there is an extensive list of sources and information on further reading.
You don't have to have played every game, but it doesn't hurt to know at least the milestones of the industry, as well as their innovation and impact.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
You don't have to have played every game, but it doesn't hurt to know at least the milestones of the industry, as well as their innovation and impact.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews