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New Book: Well Played 1.0: Video Games, Value and Meaning
2009-05-21 20:20 | Posted by jpzagal | Permanent Link | GeneralWhat makes a game good? or bad? or better?
This book is full of in-depth close readings of video games that parse out the various meanings to be found in the experience of playing a game. Contributors analyze sequences in a game in detail in order to illustrate and interpret how the various components of a game can come together to create fulfilling a playing experience unique to this medium. Contributors have chosen the video games in which they're interested and then they play them well
To clarify, the term “well played” is being used in two senses. On the one hand, well played is to games as well read is to books. So, a person who reads books a lot is "well read" and a person who plays games a lot is "well played." On the other hand, well played as in well done. So, a hand of poker can be “well played” by a person, and a game can be “well played” by the development team.
Contributors are looking at video games through both senses of “well played.” So, with well played as in well read, contributors are looking closely at the experience of playing a game. And with well played as in well done, contributors are looking at a game in terms of how well it is designed and developed.
The goal of this book is to help develop and define a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value as an experience. Video games are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis. By inviting contributors to look closely at specific video games and the experience of playing them, we hope to clearly show how games are well played.
This book includes contributions from the following:
- Kirk Battle (L.B. Jeffries)
- Mia Consalvo
- Greg Costikyan
- Patrick Curry
- Drew Davidson
- Corvus Elrod
- Noah Falstein
- Clara Fernandez-Vara
- Mary Flanagan
- Nick Fortugno
- James Paul Gee
- Charles Herold
- Clint Hocking
- Katherine Isbister
- Nick Montfort
- Doris Rusch
- Jesse Schell
- Brett Shelton
- Mark Sivak
- Seth Sivak
- Kurt Squire
- Jason Vandenberghe
and the contributors analyze the following games:
- Advance Wars
- Bioshock
- Bully
- Civilization 4
- Europa Universalis
- Guitar Hero
- Half-Life 2
- Ico
- Kingdom of Loathing
- Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Mines of Minos
- Parappa the Rappa
- Passage
- Phoenix Wright
- Portal
- Secret of Monkey Island
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Silent Hill 2
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tempest
- Ultima Underworld
- World of Goo
- Zork