Description
Book SynopsisMedia narratives inform our ideas of the future - and Games are currently making a significant contribution to this medial reservoir. On the one hand, Games demonstrate a particular propensity for fantastic and futuristic scenarios. On the other hand, they often serve as an experimental field for the latest media technologies. However, while dystopias are part of the standard gaming repertoire, Games feature utopias much less frequently. Why? This anthology examines playful utopias from two perspectives. It investigates utopias in digital Games as well as utopias of the digital game; that is, the role of ludic elements in scenarios of the future.
Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements; Utopian Futures. A Brief History of Their Conception and Representation in Modern Media: From Literature to Digital Games; Utopias in Digital Games; Tinkering with Political Utopias and Dystopias in DEMOCRACY 3. An Educational Perspective; The Concept of Utopia in Digital Games; "Everything is true; nothing is permitted". Utopia, Religion and Conspiracy in ASSASSIN'S CREED; Beyond the Holonovel. The Holographic Interactive Digital Entertainment Utopia of STAR TREK; Utopias of Digital Games; Feminist Interventions for Better Futures of Digital Games; Ludopian Visions. On the Speculative Potential of Games in Times of Algorithmic Work and Play; Playful Utopias. Sandboxes for the Future; Building Utopia, Brick by Brick? Selling Subversiveness in LEGO DIMENSIONS; We have won this battle: Modding and Swapping as a Utopian Video Game Practice; The Utopia of Getting Over It; Contributors.
