Space And Play In Japanese Videogame Arcades Case Studies Of Play And Space In Japanese Game Centres

This book presents a scholarly investigation of the development and culture of Japanese videogame arcades, both from a historical and contemporary point of view. Providing an overview of the historical evolution of public amusement spaces from the early rooftop amusement spaces from the early nineteenth century to the modern multi‐floor and interconnected arcade complexes that characterize the urban fabric of contemporary Japan, the book argues that arcade videogames and their associated practices must be examined in the context in which they are played, situated in the interrelation between the game software, the cabinets as material conditions of play, and the space of the venue that frames the experience. Including three case studies of distinct and significant game centres located in Tokyo and Kyoto, the book addresses of play in public, including the notion of performance and observation as play practices, spatial appropriation, as well as the compartmentalization of the play experience. In treating videogames as sets of circumstances, the book identifies the opportunities for ludic practices that videogame arcades provide in Japan. As such, it will appeal to students and scholars of Game Studies and Digital Media Studies, as well as those of Japanese Culture and Society.

"This book presents a scholarly investigation of the development and culture of Japanese videogame arcades, both from a historical and contemporary point of view. Providing an overview of the historical evolution of public amusement spaces from the early rooftop amusement spaces from the early 19th century to the modern multi-floor and interconnected arcade complexes that characterizes the urban fabric of contemporary Japan, the book argues that arcade videogames and their associated practices must be examined in the context in which they are played, situated in the interrelation between the game software, the cabinets as material conditions of play, and the space of the venue that frames the experience . Including three case studies of distinct and significant game centres located in Tokyo and Kyoto, the book addresses of play in public, including the notion of performance and observation as play practices, spatial appropriation, as well as the compartmentalization of the play experience. In treating videogames as sets of circumstances, the book identifies the opportunities for ludic practices that videogame arcades provide in Japan. As such, it will appeal to students and scholars of Game Studies and Digital Media Studies, as well as those of Japanese Culture and Society"--

Now in its second edition, the Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming is the definitive, go-to resource for anyone interested in the diverse and expanding video game industry. This three-volume encyclopedia covers all things video games, including the games themselves, the companies that make them, and the people who play them. Written by scholars who are exceptionally knowledgeable in the field of video game studies, it notes genres, institutions, important concepts, theoretical concerns, and more and is the most comprehensive encyclopedia of video games of its kind, covering video games throughout all periods of their existence and geographically around the world. This is the second edition of Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming, originally published in 2012. All of the entries have been revised to accommodate changes in the industry, and an additional volume has been added to address the recent developments, advances, and changes that have occurred in this ever-evolving field. This set is a vital resource for scholars and video game aficionados alike.

This book considers videogames as spaces of political philosophy. Emerging from a negotiation between designers, player and computer, they prompt us to rethink life in common and imagine alternatives to the status quo. Several case studies on science fictional videogames from Japan serve to demonstrate this potential for thought-provoking play.

This book is the first one to describe the entire history of the video game industry in Japan. The industry consists of multiple markets-for PCs, home consoles, arcades, cellular phones and smart phones-and it is very difficult to see the complete picture. The book deals comprehensively with the history of the Japanese game industry from the beginning of the non-computer age to the present. The video game industry in Japan was established in the arcade game market when Space Invaders was released by Taito in 1978. Game markets for both PCs and home consoles followed in the early 1980s. The platform that occupies a central market position started with the arcade and shifted, in order, to the home console, handheld consoles, and smart phones. In the video game industry in the twentieth century each platform had a clear identity, and the relationships among platforms were "interactions". In the twenty-first century, with the improvement of computer performance, the platform identity has disappeared, thus the relationship among platforms is highly competitive. Since the "crash of 1983" in the United States, the Japanese game industry has one of the largest market shares in the world and has developed without being influenced by other countries. It reached its peak in the late 1990s, and then its relative position declined due to the growth of foreign markets and the failure of emerging markets such as online PC games. Even today, Japan's gaming industry holds a dominant position in the world, but it is not the superpower it once was. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, game research has become active worldwide. Among game researchers, there is a large demand for research on games in Japan, but there is still little dissemination of research in English. The original version of this book published in Japan is highly regarded and received an award for excellence from the Society of Socio-Informatics in 2017.

The Meaning of Video Games takes a textual studies approach to an increasingly important form of expression in today’s culture. It begins by assuming that video games are meaningful–not just as sociological or economic or cultural evidence, but in their own right, as cultural expressions worthy of scholarly attention. In this way, this book makes a contribution to the study of video games, but it also aims to enrich textual studies. Early video game studies scholars were quick to point out that a game should never be reduced to merely its "story" or narrative content and they rightly insist on the importance of studying games as games. But here Steven E. Jones demonstrates that textual studies–which grows historically out of ancient questions of textual recension, multiple versions, production, reproduction, and reception–can fruitfully be applied to the study of video games. Citing specific examples such as Myst and Lost, Katamari Damacy, Halo, Façade, Nintendo’s Wii, and Will Wright’s Spore, the book explores the ways in which textual studies concepts–authorial intention, textual variability and performance, the paratext, publishing history and the social text–can shed light on video games as more than formal systems. It treats video games as cultural forms of expression that are received as they are played, out in the world, where their meanings get made.

The Digital Gaming Handbook covers the state-of-the-art in video and digital game research and development, from traditional to emerging elements of gaming across multiple disciplines. Chapters are presented with applicability across all gaming platforms over a broad range of topics, from game content creation through gameplay at a level accessible for the professional game developer while being deep enough to provide a valuable reference of the state-of-the-art research in this field. Key Features: International experts share their research and experience in game development and design Provides readers with inside perspectives on the cross-disciplinary aspects of the industry Includes retrospective and forward-looking examinations of gaming Editor: Dr. Roberto Dillon is a leading game studies educator with more than 15 years of experience in the field of game design and development.