ABSTRACT

 

Games as Texts provides an overview and practical steps for analysing games in terms of their representations of social structures, class, power, race, sexuality, gender, animals, nature, and ability. Each chapter applies a traditional literary theory to the narrative and mechanics of games and explores the social commentary the games encourage. This approach demonstrates to players, researchers, games media, and non-gamers how they can engage with these cultural artefacts through both critical reading and theoretical interpretations.

Key Features:

  • Explores games through various literary and theoretical lenses
  • Provides exemplar analysis and guiding questions to help readers think critically about games
  • Highlights the social commentary that all texts can reveal—including games—and how this impacts narrative and mechanics

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

chapter Chapter 1|12 pages

Games and Universal Truths

chapter |10 pages

Games and Structure

chapter Chapter 2|10 pages

Games and Class

chapter Chapter 4|16 pages

Games and Women

chapter Chapter 5|14 pages

Games and Queerness

chapter Chapter 6|14 pages

Games and Race

chapter Chapter 7|14 pages

Games and Chronic Health Conditions

chapter Chapter 8|12 pages

Games and the Environment

chapter |2 pages

Intersectionality

chapter |4 pages

Games Cited