Monstrosity in Games and Play

Monstrosity in Games and Play

A Multidisciplinary Examination of the Monstrous in Contemporary Cultures

  • Auteur: Stang, Sarah; Meriläinen, Mikko; Blom, Joleen; Hassan, Lobna
  • Éditeur: Amsterdam University Press
  • Collection: Games and Play
  • ISBN: 9789463725682
  • eISBN Pdf: 9789048556632
  • Lieu de publication:  Amsterdam , Netherlands
  • Année de publication électronique: 2025
  • Mois : Janvier
  • Pages: 295
  • Langue: Anglais

Monsters fascinate us. From ancient folklore to contemporary digital games, they are at the core of the stories we tell. They reflect our fears, deepest desires, and the monstrosity hidden within ourselves. Monsters hold a mirror to our contemporary society and reveal who we truly are. This edited collection examines monsters and monstrosity in games and play. Monsters are a key feature of most games: we fight, kill, and eat them—and sometimes, we become them. However, monsters in games and play are not only entertaining but also a reflection of the monstrosity of our world. In this book, twenty-two scholars explore how themes such as mental health, colonialism, individualism, disability, gender, sexuality, racism, and exclusion are reflected in the monsters we interact with in games, play, and our daily lives both online and offline. Monstrosity in Games and Play is recommended to readers interested in the monstrous in contemporary game cultures and their surrounding societies.

  • Cover
  • Table of Contents
    • Introduction
    • Part I Monstrous Representations
      • 1. “Honor Died on the Beach”: Constructing Japaneseness through Monstrosity in Ghost of Tsushima
        • Dom Ford and Joleen Blom
      • 2. For the Love of Monsters: Yōkai and Colonialism in Japanese Games
        • Rachael Hutchinson
      • 3. Translating Horrific History: Filipino Mythological and Folk Creatures, the Trauma of Colonial History, and the Limits of Nationalism in the Design and Narrative of Nightfall: Escape
        • Christoffer Mitch C. Cerda
      • 4. Monster-Order Brides: Framing the Bride of Frankenstein Trope in The Wanderer, Fable II, and Dragon Age II
        • Caighlan Smith
      • 5. Beyond Women Monsters and Psychoanalytic Terrors: The Monstrous-Feminine and Horror Cinematic Tropes in The Evil Within 2
        • Nazely Hartoonian
      • 6. The Monstrosity of Stigma: Mental Health Representation in Video Games
        • Kelli Dunlap and Rachel Kowert
      • 7. Monstrosity as Neurodiversity and The Procedural Rhetoric of Psychosis in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
        • Lisanne Meinen
    • Part II Monstrous Interpretations
      • 8. Hidden Monsters: Conspiracy Aesthetics in Video Games
        • Lars de Wildt
      • 9. Performing Monstrosity in Twitch Chat
        • Rachel Linn
      • 10. Games of Personal Horror: Shadow Work and Role-playing Experiences
        • Sarah Lynne Bowman
      • 11. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Virtual Murder: Commodified Monstrosity in Diablo III
        • J. Tuomas Harviainen, Johanna Granvik, and Henry Korkeila
      • 12. Monstrous Academics
        • Diane Carr, Shakuntala Banaji, and Hakan Ergül
    • Complete References
    • Index

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