This article discusses how some Star Wars video games break the boundaries of the traditional canon of Star Wars, and have became an important part of transmedial storytelling. This means that the bad characters don’t always have to be bad, and the good characters don’t always have to be good. It is an interesting way to approach Star Wars in a completely different way. Especially with LEGO now incorporating the Star Wars brand into its movies and games, the way that people see and interactive with Star Wars is completely different due to the complexity of these video games.
http://www.jstor.org.proxy-wcupa.klnpa.org/stable/pdf/j.ctt1df4h49.18.pdf
]]>This article outlines a study done on the affects that video game images have on adolescent attitudes and behavior. The study found that, in a week, males played games more than twice as much as females. The negative stereotypes portrayed through video games (especially as they pertain to gender roles), seemed to have less of an affect on males who played games often. Thus, males were less likely to evaluate video games in a negative way and, instead, took these stereotypes at face-value and tended not to question or critique them. This poses a problem for developing adolescents who are exposed to these stereotypes without issue.
http://www.jstor.org.proxy-wcupa.klnpa.org/stable/pdf/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.19.1.0170.pdf
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One of the most common stereotypes of modern games, especially video games, is that they have a highly aggressive and violent influence on their players, which is feared could mold young children into equally aggressive and violent adults. And though there are numerous studies on this subject, there are few that take a positivist approach to the discourse. This text however, does exactly that. Focusing on the idea of pro social games, this study concludes that those interacting with pro social games will be more likely to be altruistic and selfless with others in their real lives, Overall, it states that video game can be violent, but they can also foster interaction and social betterment, and that exists as a niche summation of an oft negatively viewed culture.
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Danforth, Liz. “Gender and Games.” Library Journal, vol. 136, no. 13, 8/1/2011, p. 53. EBSCOhost, proxy-wcupa.klnpa.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=64501689&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
]]>Folding Ideas is a YouTube channel who discusses and analyzes different forms of media, as well as other topics in depth. They do a video about Depression Quest and use examples of other, more popular video games to allow the audience to understand the aspects of the game. It discusses several elements that make up a game and compare and contrast Depression Quest‘s elements with World of Warcraft to help the audience connect the dots easier since WoW is a popular game played today.
]]>This article highlights a study done on the effects of motivational engagement in video games. Among these motivations were self-esteem boosts and enhanced competency (246). Because of these motivations, the article argues that gamers are more engaged in the gaming experience. The article then goes on to provide quantitative research and data regarding the study. What the study concludes is that gamers need to obtain a certain amount of control within the game in order to feel some type of psychological achievement. It also showed how much gamers depend on socializations within the game to satisfy certain needs.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40603176.pdf
]]>As denoted by the title of this text, the basic principles for understanding the culture of video gaming especially. It discusses the ground rules for being able to recognize and digest modern video games, with the boundaries of the discourse being implemented. However, it also discusses the reach that videogames can have; the lexical industry that has been created around the. Furthermore, it investigates the social implications that the discourse might have, both positive and negative. Though lengthy, it is a solid foundation for getting into the basic foundations of gaming and video gaming culture in general.
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In this article, M. Brandon Robbins writes about the evolution of puzzle games all the way from classics like Tetris to newer indie puzzle games like The Talos Principle. He talks about a newer puzzle game that hides it puzzle genre under the disguise of a first person shooter. Superhot is a level-based game where the player must shoot their way through different areas to move on to the next level. The player can slow down time amongst other video-game-esque mechanics but this time-slowing effect helps to figure out the puzzle aspect of the game. The player must identify patterns and manipulate elements within the shooting to maneuver through the levels. Robbins also cites the story to be a puzzle in a way. Players must piece the entire story together through clues and cryptic messages along the progression of the story. He says the game entices players that primarily stick to a first person shooter type game to go out of their comfort zone and take up a more puzzle based game while sticking to some of the mechanics they are used to.
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This article addresses video game addiction and treatment. It notes that video game addiction is defined similarly to gambling addiction, although emphasizes that certain skills translate online and offline. What is interesting is the emphasis the article puts on mental health professionals not to dismiss video games as having value. This is an interesting departure from the popular view that video games are time wasters, but this idea may be fading. The article suggests narrative therapy as a way to recover from video game addiction, which is a type of therapy in which the patient identifies their value and skills to help externalize the problem.
https://link-springer-com.proxy-wcupa.klnpa.org/article/10.1007%2Fs11469-014-9491-4#citeas
]]>Charley Reed investigates and dissects what really makes a horror video game incite a sense of dread and terror in his article Resident Evil’s Rhetoric: The Communication of Corruption in Survival Horror Video Games. Using different rhetoric theories and ideals, he delves into the different aspects and mechanisms of the game franchise that really add to the sense of dread and terror when a player invests themselves in the game. One characteristic that adds to a player’s sense of terror is how the aspects of play and story break our preconceived notions about behavior and life. Things are scarier to players when they don’t adhere to normal life, leaving the player out of control of the story and unable to expect what comes next. Another interesting point Reed pointed out is that in Resident Evil games, backstory and expositional information is normally found within non-digital objects. Players find information through books, paintings, pictures, or tape recordings found throughout the game. This grounds the game for the player making the aspect of finding information feel real. Finding information in a digital fashion like through computers in a digital outlet like an Xbox feels less real than finding physical information in a digital outlet.
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