The Post-9/11 Video Game

A Critical Examination

Marc A. Ouellette, Jason C. Thompson (Autoren)

Buch | Softcover

200 Seiten

2017
McFarland & Co Inc (Verlag)
978-0-7864-9902-1 (ISBN)

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Demonstrates that a new genre of video games arises from the American experience of 9/11. The representations reflect reshaped notions of the (sub)urban spaces, identity and the role of the citizen as a consumer and as a producer of culture. Ouellette and Thompson combine semiotic and rhetorical analysis to bridge the gap between the narratology and ludology strands of game studies.

This critical study of video games since 9/11 shows how a distinct genre emerged following the terrorist attacks and their aftermath. Comparisons of pre and post-9/11 titles of popular game franchises--Call of Duty, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Grand Theft Auto and Syphon Filter--reveal reshaped notions of identity, urban and suburban spaces and the citizen's role as both a producer and consumer of culture: New York represents America; the mall embodies American values; zombies symbolize foreign invasion. By revisiting a national trauma, these games offer a therapeutic solution to the geopolitical upheaval of 9/11 and, along with film and television, help redefine American identity and masculinity in a time of conflict.

Marc A. Ouellette is an award-winning educator who teaches cultural and gender studies at Old Dominion University, where he is the Learning Games Initiative Research Fellow. Jason C. Thompson is an associate professor of English at the University of Wyoming. and an active member of the Learning Games Initiative. He lives in Laramie, Wyoming.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgmentsviii

Preface

Introduction: Pedagogy and Allegory in “Post–9/11” Video Games

One. The City: Metonymies and Allegories of New York

Two. Showrooming the “War on Terror”: Consumerism and the Marketplace as Battlefield

Three. The War Game: Life and Death

Four. War Brothers: Letters Home

Five. Being with the Guys: Masculinity as Apprenticeship and the Homosocial

Six. Ready for Deployment: Masculinity and Technology in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Conclusion

Chapter Notes

Works Cited

Games Cited

Index

Erscheinungsdatum	03.12.2016
Zusatzinfo	8 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Verlagsort	Jefferson, NC
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	268 g
Themenwelt	Informatik ► Weitere Themen ► Computerspiele
Themenwelt	Sozialwissenschaften
ISBN-10	0-7864-9902-8 / 0786499028
ISBN-13	978-0-7864-9902-1 / 9780786499021
Zustand	Neuware