Abstract

The study of digital games is a lively area of research and theorising which draws upon perspectives from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including sociology, psychology, media and film studies, economics and business, gender studies and computer science. This book brings together all these perspectives to offer a unique survey of this highly multidisciplinary field. Each chapter looks at the key theoretical perspectives and provides a review of the relevant literatures in order to demonstrate their relevance to study of digital games. Each chapter also considers the potential limitations and problems associated with a particular theoretical or methodological approach. The content of each chapter is illustrated by the use of a game text or case study, and each includes a definition of key terms, a topic-specific bibliography, and suggestions for further reading. The emphasis of the collection is on providing a single comprehensive text for students and other readers new to the field of digital games. The text is organised so that each chapter can be read individually or sequentially in order to build a complete overview of the field.