Well Played 1.0: Video Games, Value and MeaningDrew Davidson Video games can be "well played" in two senses. On the one hand, well played is to games as well read is to books. On the other hand, well played as in well done. This book is full of in-depth close readings of video games that parse out the various meanings to be found in the experience of playing a game. 22 contributors (developers, scholars, reviewers and bloggers) look at video games through both senses of "well played." The goal is to help develop and define a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value as an experience. Video games are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis |
Contents
What makes a game good? or bad? or better? | 1 |
Know About Game Design | 13 |
Advance Wars | 37 |
A Storyteller explores the narrative | 55 |
Bully | 67 |
Being Gordon Freeman | 81 |
Europa Universalis | 111 |
Zork to the Kingdom of Loathing | 133 |
Portal of Ivory Passage of Horn | 221 |
Staring Into The Abyss A Close Reading of Silent Hill 2 | 234 |
Ludonarrative Dissonance in Bioshock | 255 |
Written by H P Lovecraft 12th January 1919 | 277 |
JASON VANDENBERGHE | 293 |
Each Link in the Chain is a Journey | 297 |
CLARA FERNÁNDEZVARA | 354 |
From Experiment Gameplay to the Wonderful World of | 362 |
Futility and Dramatic Necessity | 171 |
NICK FORTUGNO | 188 |
Parappa the Rapper or how I learned to love | 208 |
BRETT E SHELTON | 410 |
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Common terms and phrases
2D Boy adventure games Angela attack avatar battle Bioshock build button camera challenges chapter character Civilization colossus combat complete create cut scenes cutscene dćmons Darunia defeat Deku Tree dungeon enemies environment experience explore feel fight final futile interactivity game design game developers game mechanics game's gameplay mechanics gamers Ganondorf give the player goal Goo Corporation Guybrush headcrabs Hero Hyrule Image reproduced interactive fiction IslandTM James Josh jump kill Kurt LeChuck Link look metagame MGS4 Monkey Island monsters Morgan move narrative pace Parappa Phoenix Wright pirate playing the game Portal puzzles Pyramid Head quest reproduced with permission reward rights reserved robot screen sense Sign Painter Silent Hill simply skills Snake story strategy Super Mario Bros sword things throughout the game Tower of Goo video game videogames Wander World of Goo Yorda Zelda Zork