The Medium of the Video Game - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 029279150X ISBN 13: 9780292791503

Publisher: University of Texas Press, 2002

Synopsis

Over a mere three decades, the video game became the entertainment medium of choice for millions of people, who now spend more time in the interactive virtual world of games than they do in watching movies or even television. The release of new games or game-playing equipment, such as the PlayStation 2, generates great excitement and even buying frenzies. Yet, until now, this giant on the popular culture landscape has received little in-depth study or analysis.

In this book, Mark J. P. Wolf and four other scholars conduct the first thorough investigation of the video game as an artistic medium. The book begins with an attempt to define what is meant by the term "video game" and the variety of modes of production within the medium. It moves on to a brief history of the video game, then applies the tools of film studies to look at the medium in terms of the formal aspects of space, time, narrative, and genre. The book also considers the video game as a cultural entity, object of museum curation, and repository of psychological archetypes. It closes with a list of video game research resources for further study.

About this title

About the Author

Mark J. P. Wolf is Professor of Communication at Concordia University Wisconsin.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 029279150X
• ISBN 13: 9780292791503
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 223
• Editor: Wolf Mark J. P.