Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

2006

Publication Title

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Volume

6

Issue

4

Pages

1-4 pp.

Abstract

Recognizing the growing importance (at least for consumers) of video games as a popular form of narrative fiction, Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska situate their collection, ScreenPlay: cinema/videogames/interfaces as a text which is corrective, informative and explorative. In the first case, the editors sought essays which would move the critical discourse on video games away from the more familiar but reductive debates surrounding the "effects" of video games (especially on children) and their modes of representation (especially of the female form and violence). Indeed, these have become the sine qua non of video game criticism and one feeds the other in a tautological fashion. As such, King and Krzywinska fulfill the second part of the contract by limiting the essays to those considering a) video games in terms of film; b) games diverge from film which further delineates (i) games as games, (ii) films as films; c) games in terms of film makes us question our u/s of film. As far as I understand it, this means how (a) produces or influences (b). The third part of the formula rests in offering new approaches to new media.

Comments

© Marc Ouellette. Posted with permission of the author.

Original Publication Citation

Ouellette, M. (2006). [Review of ScreenPlay: Cinema/videogames/interfaces by G. King & T. Krzywinska (Eds.)]. Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture 6(4). http://reconstruction.digitalodu.com/Issues/064/ouellette2.shtml

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