Video Game Theory Reader

Mark J. P. Wolf is Assistant Professor of Communications at Concordia University, Wisconsin. A pioneering scholar of video game studies, he is editor of The Medium of theVideo Game. Bernard Perron is Assistant Professor of Cinema at the University of Montréal.

"If anyone has doubts that video games warrant serious reflection and examination as a creative medium, TheVideo Game Theory Reader will dispel them. If anyone involved in the creation of video games is looking for fresh perspectives on their art, they'll find them right here." -- D.B. Weiss, author of Lucky Wander Boy"Computer and video games have been with us for only a few short decades. As with any young medium, important questions remain unanswered: What exactly are video games and how do they function? How do video games relate to other forms of media and culture? What is their effect on the minds and lives of players? And what are the larger implications for society? The Video Game Theory Reader begins to answer these questions, and in doing so, sketches out an exciting, emerging field of vital importance for the future of design, technology, and culture." -- Eric Zimmerman, CEO of gameLab, co-author of Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals"The Video Game Theory Reader is a crucial and timely edited volume which focuses exclusively on the theorization of video games, and thereby makes great strides towards ameliorating a persisting gap in the academic literature." -- Robert T. Wood, University of Lethbridge--New Media & Society"The Video Game Theory Reader serves as an excellent introduction to video game studies, the current positions in the field, and the current problems with video game studies." -- Laurie Taylor, University of Florida, Journal of Film and Video

• Introduction, Mark J. P. Wolf, Bernard Perron; Chapter 1 Theory by Design, Walter Holland, Henry Jenkins, Kurt Squire; Chapter 2 Abstraction in the Video Game, Mark J. P. Wolf; Chapter 3 Immersion, Engagement, and Presence, Alison McMahan; Chapter 4 Hyperidentities, Miroslaw Filiciak; Chapter 5 Playing at Being, Bob Rehak; Chapter 6 Stories for Eye, Ear, and Muscles, Torben Grodal; Chapter 7 As We Become Machines, Martti Lahti; Chapter 8 Hot Dates and Fairy-Tale Romances, Mia Consalvo; Chapter 9 Video Games and Configurative Performances, Markku Eskelinen, Ragnhild Tronstad; Chapter 10 Simulation versus Narrative, Gonzalo Frasca; Chapter 11 From Gamers to Players and Gameplayers, Bernard Perron; Chapter 12 Interactive Storytelling, Chris Crawford; Chapter 13 Gametime, Patrick Crogan;