ABSTRACT

This collection of essays is devoted to the philosophical examination of the aesthetics of videogames. Videogames represent one of the most significant developments in the modern popular arts, and it is a topic that is attracting much attention among philosophers of art and aestheticians. As a burgeoning medium of artistic expression, videogames raise entirely new aesthetic concerns, particularly concerning their ontology, interactivity, and aesthetic value. The essays in this volume address a number of pressing theoretical issues related to these areas, including but not limited to: the nature of performance and identity in videogames; their status as an interactive form of art; the ethical problems raised by violence in videogames; and the representation of women in videogames and the gaming community. The Aesthetics of Videogames is an important contribution to analytic aesthetics that deals with an important and growing art form.

chapter 1|8 pages

Introduction

chapter 3|18 pages

Videogames as Neither Video nor Games

A Negative Ontology

chapter 5|18 pages

Appreciating Videogames

chapter 6|17 pages

The Beautiful Gamer?

On the Aesthetics of Videogame Performances

chapter 7|17 pages

Videogames and Creativity

chapter 9|18 pages

Why Gamers Are Not Narrators

chapter 10|15 pages

Videogames and Virtual Media

chapter 14|16 pages

Pornographic Videogames

A Feminist Examination