The word "control" has many implications for video games. On a basic level, without player control, there is no experience. Much of the video game industry focuses on questions of control and ways to improve play to make the gamer feel more connected to the virtual world. The sixteen essays in this collection offer critical examinations of the issue of control in video games, including different ways to theorize and define control within video gaming and how control impacts game design and game play. Close readings of specific games--including Grand Theft Auto IV, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Dragon Age: Origins--consider how each locates elements of control in their structures. As video games increasingly become a major force in the media landscape, this important contribution to the field of game studies provides a valuable framework for understanding their growing impact.
The word "control" has many implications for video games. On a basic level, without player control, there is no experience. Much of the video game industry focuses on questions of control and ways to improve play to make the gamer feel more connected to the virtual world. The sixteen essays in this collection offer critical examinations of the issue of control in video games, including different ways to theorize and define control within video gaming and how control impacts game design and game play. Close readings of specific games--including Grand Theft Auto IV, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Dragon Age: Origins--consider how each locates elements of control in their structures. As video games increasingly become a major force in the media landscape, this important contribution to the field of game studies provides a valuable framework for understanding their growing impact.
Emma Gannon was born in 1989, the year the World Wide Web was conceived, so she’s literally grown up alongside the Internet. There’ve been late night chat room experiments, sexting from a Nokia and dubious webcam exchanges. And let’s not forget catfishing, MSN, digital friendships and #feminism. She was basically social networking way before it was a thing – and she’s even made a successful career from it. Ctrl Alt Delete is Emma’s painfully funny and timely memoir, in which she aims to bring a little hope to anybody who has played out a significant part of their life online. Her confessions, revelations and honesty may even make you log off social media (at least for an hour).
What kind of day are you having? Is it a ****ing day? Or is it a ****ing day? What are you going to do about it? Mike Bonifer and Jessie Shternshus, who teach companies around the world how to apply improvisation to business, have created 50 original improv games tailored to the kind of ****ing day you're having. From the bathroom to the board room, and every stop in between, this fun and engaging book helps you get the craziness under control.
The Rough Guide to iPods and iTunes is the ultimate companion to the defining gadget of the digital music era - and an essential guide to music and video on the Net, on your PC or Mac. Fully updated and revised, The Rough Guide to iPods and iTunes covers the full iPod range of products: from the best of the iTunes App Store, iPod Touch, iTunes 8 to practical information for the iPod Nano and Classic Shuffle. Written by Peter Buckley, author of the best-selling Rough Guides to the Internet and Rough Guide to Macs & OSX, this guide will suit novices and experts alike. Complete with reviews of all the latest gadgets and extras; including the new Apple Headphones, the latest home stereo and TV systems that work with iPods, history of the iPod and the truth about iTunes going DRM-free. Discover how to import your CDs and DVDs, manage your music and video library, how to digitize music from vinyl or cassette and download from the best online sites and stores, all this plus much, much more. Whether you already have an iPod or you’re thinking of buying one, you need The Rough Guide to iPods and iTunes!
Since the emergence of digital game studies, a number of debates have engaged scholars. The debate between ludic (play) and narrative (story) paradigms remains the one that famously "never happened." This collection of new essays critically frames that debate and urges game scholars to consider it central to the field. The essayists examine various digital games, assessing the applicability of play-versus-narrative approaches or considering the failure of each. The essays reflect the broader history while applying notions of play and story to recent games in an attempt to propel serious analysis.
Atari is one of the most recognized names in the world. Since its formation in 1972, the company pioneered hundreds of iconic titles including Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command. In addition to hundreds of games created for arcades, home video systems, and computers, original artwork was specially commissioned to enhance the Atari experience, further enticing children and adults to embrace and enjoy the new era of electronic entertainment. The Art of Atari is the first official collection of such artwork. Sourced from private collections worldwide, this book spans over 40 years of the company's unique illustrations used in packaging, advertisements, catalogs, and more. Co-written by Robert V. Conte and Tim Lapetino, The Art of Atari includes behind-the-scenes details on how dozens of games featured within were conceived of, illustrated, approved (or rejected), and brought to life! Includes a special Foreword by New York Times bestseller Ernest Cline author of Armada and Ready Player One, soon to be a motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. Whether you're a fan, collector, enthusiast, or new to the world of Atari, this book offers the most complete collection of Atari artwork ever produced!
This booklet addresses the origins and rise of the so-called "alt-right," the fascistic movement that grabbed headlines in the months leading up to the 2016 election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. The first essay, Matthew Lyons's "CTRL-ALT-DELETE," is a thorough survey of the origins of the alt-right, a look at its constituent parts and beliefs at the present time, as well as observations about how its future relationship with the Trump administration may play out. Of particular interest, Lyons draws attention to the importance of sexism and misogyny within this movement, to its long-term "metapolitical" strategy, as well as to the tensions between the disparate groups that have found their home under its banner. Supplementing "CTRL-ALT-DELETE" is an essay written by comrades from the Its Going Down website, "The Rich Kids of Fascism." This is a view from activists currently involved in opposing both the far right and the state, on the streets. As its title would imply, "Rich Kids" focuses on the elitist class politics of the alt right, and how that sets it apart from other far right phenomenon like boneheads or militias. Looking at the alt-right's fortunes over the past few years, IGD show the role played by both the media, and white racist fears about the ongoing struggles of Black people and immigrants, in feeding this threat. An appendix, "Notes on Trump," by Bromma, serves not so much as a counterpoint, as a contextualization. Not directly addressing the alt-right itself, Bromma's Notes posit that the election of Trump and the rise of the far right are not simple accidents of history, nor the result of some single failure on our side or success on theirs, but are conjoined expressions of a deep shift within the world economy. As he argues, "What's coming into view, semi-hidden underneath the frenzied soap opera of reactionary populism, is that the tide of globalization has crested and started to recede." The alt right in one expression of this reactionary moment. We must oppose them, but also prepare ourselves to oppose what might come next. Understanding one's enemy can only help in this regard, and indeed a thorough understanding of an opposing political force can also help us prepare for future far right iterations. That is why this booklet is being offered now. A tool for work that needs doing. Let's get started.
For Windows users, 7 might just be their lucky number! This guide offers a smoother transition for users moving from an older version to Windows 7. Along with simple step-by-step instructions and numerous useful examples, readers will learn how to: use new tools; find applications and files instantly; navigate efficiently; use wizards and dialogue boxes better; use the improved Windows firewall; get the most out of the new Explorer; and use the many new options. ?More than 90% of new Intel-based PCs - by far the dominant type - ship with Windows pre-installed ?Many users soon must update, with Microsoft no longer supporting XP after 2009 ?Author teaches basic skills to newcomers and is widely recognized as an expert on Windows
