ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses readers to consider the unique opportunities and challenges of writing about video games, from the conceptual recognition of medium specificity and how analyzing video games is different from, say, analyzing films or novels to logistical challenges like accessing playable versions of the games one is writing about. It examines readers to additional resources for learning game studies terminology and for accessing older video games. Video games are a major site of commerce, ideology, culture, education, and art, and the world needs many more sharp thinkers writing analytically about the medium. Writers need to be more generous in explaining the basics about their texts when writing about video games. To progress into video game analysis, they would need to further consider the computational nature of video games, which usually have all of the familiar elements – plots, characters, themes, dialogue, cinematography, sound, editing – and also player actions, machine actions, game mechanics, controller configurations, informational interfaces.