Mazes in Videogames: Meaning, Metaphor and Design

by Alison Gazzard

Overview

From the text adventures of Zork, to the arcade game of Pac-Man, to the corridors of Doom, and on to the city streets of Grand Theft Auto IV, the maze has often been used as a space to trap and confuse players in their navigation of gameworlds. However, the maze as a construction on the landscape has a long history before the invention of the videogame. By examining the change in the maze from the landscapes of open spaces and closed gardens through to the screen of the videogame, both mazes and labyrinths are discussed in terms of historical reference, alongside the author's personal experiences of walking and playing these structures. This book shows how our cultural experiences of real world maze landscapes may have changed, and how we negotiate videogame worlds along the various paths and meanings they so often create for us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786467945
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	05/01/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Alison Gazzard is a senior lecturer in digital cultures and media in the School of Creative Arts at the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

Introduction 5

Part I Creating the Path

1 Routes, Paths and the Maze 19

2 Unfolding the Maze 45

3 Mapping the Maze 71

Part II Playing the Path

4 Ritual and Reward 95

5 Fictional Devices and Breaking the Path 125

6 Paths, Players, Places 149

Appendix: Mazes and Locations 163

Chapter Notes 164

Bibliography 174

Index 181