Description
Book SynopsisLeading expert Paul Booth explores the growth in popularity of board games today, and unpacks what it means to read a board game. What does a game communicate? How do games play us? And how do we decide which games to play and which are just wastes of cardboard? With little scholarly research in this still-emerging field,
Board Games as Media underscores the importance of board games in the ever-evolving world of media.
Trade ReviewBoard Games as Media is a thorough introduction to the academic study of board games, and the book showcases numerous methodological approaches to this topic. This book will appeal not only to scholars interested in board games themselves, but also scholars of adjacent fields of study, such as video games, fandom studies, and textual criticism. * Popular Culture Studies Journal *
The future of media studies lies off the screen. So says Paul Booth in this excellent book on board games, the board game industry, and the designers and players who make up the scene. An essential read for anyone curious about what comes next in media and game studies and those who just yearn to roll the dice. * Aaron Trammell, Editor-in-Chief, Analog Game Studies *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Board Games as Media 1. Meeples, Miniatures, and Cubes: Ludo-Textual Analyses of Board Games 2. A Depressing Choose-Your-Own-Adventure: The Interactive Potentiality of Board Games 3. Colonizing Mars: Ludic Discourse Analysis 4. The Designer as Créateur: The Board Game Industry and Constructed Authorship 5. The Player as Fan: Ludic Fandom in Board Game Cultures 6. Surveying Board Game Players: Who Plays What… 7. …and Why: Examining Motivations and Popularity of Board Games 8. Cultural Studies of Games: Diversity and Inclusion in the Board Game Industry and Hobby 9. The Epic Adventure of Grundy and Trixie: An Autoethnographic Journey Through Gloomhaven Conclusion: The Board Gaming Environment References Appendix 1. Survey Questions Appendix 2. Data from Survey Bibliography Index
