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Storytelling in Video Games
Beginning with the structural features of design and play, this book explores video games as both compelling examples of story-telling and important cultural artifacts. The author analyzes fundamentals like immersion, world building and player agency and their role in crafting narratives in the Mass Effect series, BioShock, The Last of Us, Fallout 4 and many more. The text-focused “visual novel” genre is discussed as a form of interactive fiction.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Trauma, and History in Metal Gear Solid V
This book explores the video game Metal Gear Solid V’s exploration of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through a careful analysis of its thematic elements and characters. It also considers the game’s complex take on post-9/11 history. Metal Gear Solid V consists of two interrelated titles, Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. Ground Zeroes is examined as a post-9/11 narrative exploring America’s use of Guantanamo Bay and the extraordinary rendition program as tools in the War on Terror. The Phantom Pain is examined as a work exploring post-9/11 in trauma, especially in returning soldiers. The characters appearing in both games are given substantial consideration and analysis as embodiments of different forms of PTSD and trauma. This book appeals especially to those interested in video game study, to those who are enthusiasts of video games, and those interested in post-9/11 narratives.
Longing, Ruin, and Connection in Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding
This volume provides an in-depth examination of the video game Death Stranding, focusing on the game’s exploration of ruin, nostalgia, and atonement as its primary symbolic, narrative, and mechanical language. Offering the first close examination of Death Stranding’s narrative, the book also incorporates a strong foundation in game studies, most especially related to the concepts of immersion and embodiment. The focus of the book lies in considering how Death Stranding expands on the themes of ruin, longing, and the need for connection, and whether a reconciliation—on a community level, national level, or even global level—might be possible. This book will appeal to scholars in a variety of disciplines in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, from video game studies and media studies to English, history, philosophy, and popular culture.
Kingsglaive's Exploration of World War II, Cultural Trauma, and the Plight of Refugees: An Animated Film as Complex Narrative
Kingsglaive's Exploration of World War II, Cultural Trauma, and the Plight of Refugees: An Animated Film as Complex Narrative posits that the 2016 film, tied narratively to the video game Final Fantasy XV, merits far more critical attention that it has received. Given that Kingsglaive is both CGI animated and erroneously seen as only a video game tie-in, it has tended to be consistently dismissed by critics. A closer examination of the film reveals a deeply complex narrative, one that contends with the lingering cultural trauma of WWII in Japan, as especially evidenced by images of fire and burning. The film also contends with the plight of refugees and immigrants, both in Japan and around t...
Longing, Ruin, and Connection in Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding
"This volume provides an in-depth examination of the video game Death Stranding, focusing on the game's exploration of ruin, nostalgia, and atonement as its primary symbolic, narrative, and mechanical language. Offering the first close examination of Death Stranding's narrative, the book also incorporates a strong foundation in game studies, most especially related to the concepts of immersion and embodiment. The focus of the book lies in considering how Death Stranding expands on the themes of ruin, longing, and the need for connection, and whether a reconciliation - on a community level, national level, or even global level - might be possible. This book will appeal to scholars in a variety of disciplines in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, from video game studies and media studies to English, history, philosophy, and popular culture"--
Popular Culture Review: Vol. 32, No. 1, Winter 2021
Popular Culture Review seeks to publish compelling, well-argued, and well-researched articles on a variety of topics related to popular culture. While film, television, literature, and video games are common popular culture subjects, we wish to broaden the journal's exploration of popular culture as well. Examples might include regional popular cultures, popular culture and food, popular culture in previous decades or eras, popular culture and social media, popular culture and music, and the like. Table of Contents: From the Editor's DeskAmy M. Green "A Prison of Our Own Sins" The Unacknowledged Legacy of 19th Century Slave Narratives in HBO's Westworld and Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale Paul Reich and Emily O'Malley Spaces of Critique & Transformation in Bande de fillesNoah McLaughlin The Revolution Was Televised: Reimagining the Islamic Revolution as a Primetime Performance Kevin Greene The Use of Poetry in Horizon Zero Dawn Todd O. Williams
Popular Culture Review
SPECIAL ISSUE 33.2 COVID-19 AND POPULAR CULTURE Editor's Note Amy M. Green Toward a "New Normal" A Case Study of the Pandemic's Effect on Film Exhibition Kimberly Owczarski No Time to Die, Literally: Risk, Fandom, and Theatergoing During the COVID-19 Pandemic Tyler Johnson and Lisa Funnell The Disease Becomes the Host: Cattle Decapitation's Pandemic Discourse from Song to Music Video Anna Marini and Michael Fuchs Satirical Comedy Does COVID-19: John Oliver as Science Journalist Shelly Galliah "See Ya Real Soon" Destaging Fantasy in COVID-Era Disney World Vicky Pettersen Lantz "Alternate Universe - No COVID-19" Fanfiction and Cultural Trauma Sarah Breyfogle Book Reviews Protectress by Kendra Preston Leonard Reviewed by Madison Kooba Pop Culture Freaks by Dustin Kidd Reviewed by Carlos Tkacz
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The Play Versus Story Divide in Game Studies
Since the emergence of digital game studies, a number of debates have engaged scholars. The debate between ludic (play) and narrative (story) paradigms remains the one that famously "never happened." This collection of new essays critically frames that debate and urges game scholars to consider it central to the field. The essayists examine various digital games, assessing the applicability of play-versus-narrative approaches or considering the failure of each. The essays reflect the broader history while applying notions of play and story to recent games in an attempt to propel serious analysis.
Rules of the Father in The Last of Us
Widely regarded by critics and fans as one of the best games ever produced for the Sony Playstation, The Last of Us is remarkable for offering players a narratively rich experience within the parameters of cultural and gaming genres that often prioritize frenetic violence by straight white male heroes. The Last of Us is also a milestone among mainstream, big-budget (AAA) games because its development team self-consciously intervened in videogames’ historical exclusion of women and girls by creating complex and agentive female characters. The game’s co-protagonist, Ellie, is a teenage girl who is revealed to be queer in The Last of Us: Left Behind (DLC, 2014) and The Last of Us II (2020)....
