Debugging Game History: A Critical Lexicon

by Henry Lowood (Editor), Raiford Guins (Editor)

Overview

Essays discuss the terminology, etymology, and history of key terms, offering a foundation for critical historical studies of games.

Even as the field of game studies has flourished, critical historical studies of games have lagged behind other areas of research. Histories have generally been fact-by-fact chronicles; fundamental terms of game design and development, technology, and play have rarely been examined in the context of their historical, etymological, and conceptual underpinnings. This volume attempts to "debug" the flawed historiography of video games. It offers original essays on key concepts in game studies, arranged as in a lexicon--from "Amusement Arcade" to "Embodiment" and "Game Art" to "Simulation" and "World Building."

Written by scholars and practitioners from a variety of disciplines, including game development, curatorship, media archaeology, cultural studies, and technology studies, the essays offer a series of distinctive critical "takes" on historical topics. The majority of essays look at game history from the outside in; some take deep dives into the histories of play and simulation to provide context for the development of electronic and digital games; others take on such technological components of games as code and audio. Not all essays are history or historical etymology--there is an analysis of game design, and a discussion of intellectual property--but they nonetheless raise questions for historians to consider. Taken together, the essays offer a foundation for the emerging study of game history.

Contributors
Marcelo Aranda, Brooke Belisle, Caetlin Benson-Allott, Stephanie Boluk, Jennifer deWinter, J. P. Dyson, Kate Edwards, Mary Flanagan, Jacob Gaboury, William Gibbons, Raiford Guins, Erkki Huhtamo, Don Ihde, Jon Ippolito, Katherine Isbister, Mikael Jakobsson, Steven E. Jones, Jesper Juul, Eric Kaltman, Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, Carly A. Kocurek, Peter Krapp, Patrick LeMieux, Henry Lowood, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Ken S. McAllister, Nick Monfort, David Myers, James Newman, Jenna Ng, Michael Nitsche, Laine Nooney, Hector Postigo, Jas Purewal, Reneé H. Reynolds, Judd Ethan Ruggill, Marie-Laure Ryan, Katie Salen Tekinbaş, Anastasia Salter, Mark Sample, Bobby Schweizer, John Sharp, Miguel Sicart, Rebecca Elisabeth Skinner, Melanie Swalwell, David Thomas, Samuel Tobin, Emma Witkowski, Mark J.P. Wolf

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262551106
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	02/06/2024
Series:	Game Histories
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Henry Lowood is Curator for History of Science and Technology and for Film and Media collections at Stanford University and the coeditor of The Machinima Reader (MIT Press).

Raiford Guins is Professor of Culture and Technology at Stony Brook University and the author of Game After: A Cultural Study of Video Game Afterlife (MIT Press).

Table of Contents

Series Foreword xi

Introduction: Why We Are Debugging Henry Lowood Raiford Guins xiii

1 Achievements Mikael Jakobsson 1

2 Adventure Nick Montfort 13

3 Amusement Arcade Erkki Huhtamo 21

4 Artificial Intelligence Rebecca E. Skinner 29

5 Character Katherine Isbister 37

6 Classic Gaming Melanie Swalwell 45

7 Code Mark Sample 53

8 Console Raiford Guins 63

9 Control Peter Krapp 73

10 Controller Steven E. Jones 81

11 Cooperative Play Emma Witkowski 89

12 Culturalization Kate Edwards 97

13 Demo Michael Nitsche 103

14 Difficulty Bobby Schweizer 109

15 Educational Games Anastasia Salter 119

16 Embodiment Don Ihade 127

17 Emulation Jon Ippolito 133

18 Fun David Thomas 143

19 Game Art Mary Flanagan 151

20 Game Audio William Gibbons 159

21 Game Balance David Sirlin 169

22 Game Camera Jennifer deWinter 177

23 Game Culture Reneé H. Reynolds Ken S. McAllister Judd Ethan Ruggill 187

24 Game Development Katie Salen Tekinbas 195

25 Game Engine Henry Lowood 203

26 Game Glitch Peter Krapp 211

27 Games as a Medium Mary Flanagan 221

28 Genre Mark J. P. Wolf 229

29 Identities Carly A. Kocurek 237

30 Immersion Brooke Belisle 247

31 Independent Games John Sharp 259

32 Intellectual Property Jas Purewal 269

33 Kriegsspiel Matthew Kirschenbaum 279

34 Machinima Jenna Ng 287

35 Mechanics Miguel Sicart 297

36 Menu Laine Nooney 305

37 Metagame Stephanie Boluk Patrick LeMieux 313

38 Modification Hector Postigo 325

39 Narrative Marie-Laure Ryan 335

40 Platform Caetlin Benson-Allott 343

41 Playing Jesper Juul 351

42 Perspective Jacob Gaboury 359

43 Procedurally Eric Kaltman 369

44 Role-Play Esther MacCallum-Stewart 377

45 Save Samuel Tobin 385

46 Simulation David Myers 393

47 Toys Jon-Paul C. Dyson 401

48 Walkthrough James Newman 409

49 World Building Marcelo Alejandro Aranda 419

Contributors 425

Index 437

What People are Saying About This

Jeremy K. Saucier

Lowood and Guins have marshaled an impressive group of emerging and preeminent scholars from a multitude of disciplines to examine games as art, artifacts, culture, intellectual property, play, technologies, and toys (among other things). A foundational work, Debugging Game History presses start on the critical historical study of games.

Endorsement

Lowood and Guins have marshaled an impressive group of emerging and preeminent scholars from a multitude of disciplines to examine games as art, artifacts, culture, intellectual property, play, technologies, and toys (among other things). A foundational work, Debugging Game History presses start on the critical historical study of games.

—Jeremy K. Saucier, Assistant Director, International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong

From the Publisher

Lowood and Guins have crafted an impressive foundational volume, bringing together a highly talented and diverse group of authors. The book's many intriguing essays collectively provide a critical reset that is sure to establish a deeply meaningful new iteration—and wider play—for the young field of game studies.

—Jeffrey R. Yost, Associate Director, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota

Lowood and Guins have marshaled an impressive group of emerging and preeminent scholars from a multitude of disciplines to examine games as art, artifacts, culture, intellectual property, play, technologies, and toys (among other things). A foundational work, Debugging Game History presses start on the critical historical study of games.

—Jeremy K. Saucier, Assistant Director, International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong

Jeffrey R. Yost

Lowood and Guins have crafted an impressive foundational volume, bringing together a highly talented and diverse group of authors. The book's many intriguing essays collectively provide a critical reset that is sure to establish a deeply meaningful new iteration—and wider play—for the young field of game studies.