LibGuides: Society and Culture-: Gaming

Find Resources in Accessit

Here are some books that you may find useful during your studies. Search the Bennies catalogue Accessit for more, or browse the Non-fiction collection NFS..

Entertainment and Gaming by Botzakis, Stergios
Call Number: NFS 790.2 BOT
ISBN: 9781406217612
Publication Date: 2001
Reality Is Broken by Jane McGonigal
ISBN: 9781594202858
Publication Date: 2011-01-20
Visionary game designer Jane McGonigal reveals how we can harness the power of games to solve real-world problems and boost global happiness. More than 174 million Americans are gamers, and the average young person in the United States will spend ten thousand hours gaming by the age of twenty-one. According to world-renowned game designer Jane McGonigal, the reason for this mass exodus to virtual worlds is that videogames are increasingly fulfilling genuine human needs. In this groundbreaking exploration of the power and future of gaming, McGonigal reveals how we can use the lessons of game design to fix what is wrong with the real world. Drawing on positive psychology, cognitive science, and sociology, Reality Is Broken uncovers how game designers have hit on core truths about what makes us happy and utilized these discoveriesto astonishing effect in virtual environments. Videogames consistently provide the exhilarating rewards, stimulating challenges, and epic victories that are so often lacking in the real world. But why, McGonigal asks, should we use the power of games for escapist entertainment alone? Her research suggests that gamers are expert problem solvers and collaborators because they regularly cooperate with other players to overcome daunting virtual challenges, and she helped pioneer a fast-growing genre of games that aims to turn gameplay to socially positive ends. In Reality Is Broken, she reveals how these new alternate reality games are already improving the quality of our daily lives, fighting social problems such as depression and obesity, and addressing vital twenty-first-century challenges-and she forecasts the thrilling possibilities that lie ahead. She introduces us to games like World Without Oil, a simulation designed to brainstorm-and therefore avert- the challenges of a worldwide oil shortage, and Evoke, a game commissioned by the World Bank Institute that sends players on missions to address issues from poverty to climate change. McGonigal persuasively argues that those who continue to dismiss games will be at a major disadvantage in the coming years. Gamers, on the other hand, will be able to leverage the collaborative and motivational power of games in their own lives, communities, and businesses. Written for gamers and nongamers alike, Reality Is Broken shows us that the future will belong to those who can understand, , and play games. Watch a Video

You Tube

Technology has changed the way that people can play games, from casual gamers who play a few times a week or month on their phone, to those who play every day and make a living playing professionally. This documentary takes the audience on a journey through all the levels of gamers providing testimonials and background information from each group. Level Up explores the video gaming culture from the perspective of a wide range of gamers starting with casual smart phone gamers to avid, professional gamers, LAN Party organizers and video game content creators. The documentary covers a brief history of video games and their social angle, as well as the competitive aspect engendered by large-scale gaming events. This is a current and relevant topic examined through interviews and research and presented in an interesting and engaging manner.

So we’ve talked a lot about what makes games so great in this series, but we haven’t really addressed the big question: why do we play games anyway? And well, the answer is pretty complicated, especially when you consider that some people really like card games, others may only like playing baseball, and others may only like watching Minecraft Let’s Play videos But there are reasons behind these preferences and we’re going to talk about them, what these preferences say about ourselves, and look at how these preferences inform the games we play.

There has always been a debate on whether video games change your brain or not. What's the truth about games and the brain?

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Useful Links

How the Australian gaming industry is leading the way in fighting sexism

Gaming through the ages- Older Australians embracing gaming

The cultural power of gaming

Digital Australian Report 2016

We are witnessing breathtaking changes in the realm of digital interactive entertainment. It is hard to imagine that 15 years ago, we were debating the worth, even potential harms, of simple video games. Today attention is on the potential of this amazing medium to reinvigorate education, workplace training, consumer engagement and social and political conversation. Interactive entertainment is celebrated for its economic importance.

Gaming History in Australia

Australians have been making videogames for an international market since games moved from the arcades to home computers and consoles in the early 1980s. Despite this long history in the industry and the creation of a number of influential games, the profile of game designers within Australian cultural and media industries has neither attracted the attention of most Australians nor been widely celebrated as a significant Australian cultural achievement.