{"product_id":"player-vs-monster-the-making-and-breaking-of-video-game-monstrosity-playful-thinking-9780262047753","title":"Player vs. Monster The Making and Breaking of","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA study of the gruesome game characters we love to beat—and what they tell us about ourselves.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSince the early days of video games, monsters have played pivotal roles as dangers to be avoided, level bosses to be defeated, or targets to be destroyed for extra points. But why is the figure of the monster so important in gaming, and how have video games come to shape our culture’s conceptions of monstrosity? To answer these questions, \u003ci\u003ePlayer vs. Monster \u003c\/i\u003eexplores the past half-century of monsters in games, from the dragons of early tabletop role-playing games and the pixelated aliens of \u003ci\u003eSpace Invaders \u003c\/i\u003eto the malformed mutants of \u003ci\u003eThe Last of Us \u003c\/i\u003eand the bizarre beasts of \u003ci\u003eBloodborne\u003c\/i\u003e, and reveals the common threads among them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCovering examples from aliens to zombies, Jaroslav Švelch explores the art of monster design and traces its influences from mythology, visual arts, popular culture, and tabletop role-playing games. At th","brand":"MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400689164631,"sku":"9780262047753","price":22.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780262047753.jpg?v=1730471300","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/player-vs-monster-the-making-and-breaking-of-video-game-monstrosity-playful-thinking-9780262047753","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}