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The Medium of the Video Game
Contributor(s): Wolf, Mark J. P. (Editor), Baer, Ralph H. (Introduction by)
ISBN: 029279150X     ISBN-13: 9780292791503
Publisher: University of Texas Press
OUR PRICE:   $21.80  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: April 2002
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Annotation: "This book offers a historical, formal analysis of video games that no other book to date has provided in such detail.... Wolf also effectively investigates the scientific and market forces that aligned with the development of video games to create a powerful cultural force." -- Heather Gilmour, Executive Producer, American Film Institute New Media Ventures

Over a mere three decades, the video game has become 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.

Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Games & Activities | Video & Electronic
- Social Science | Popular Culture
Dewey: 794.809
LCCN: 2001037625
Physical Information: 0.58" H x 6.04" W x 9.03" (0.81 lbs) 223 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Over a mere three decades, the video game has become 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.

Contributor Bio(s): Wolf, Mark J.: - Mark J. P. Wolf is Professor of Communication at Concordia University Wisconsin.