Rerolling Boardgames by Douglas Brown

Despite the advent and explosion of video games, boardgames--from fast-paced party games to intensely strategic titles--have in recent years become more numerous and more diverse in terms of genre, ethos and content. The growth of gaming events and conventions such as Essen Spiel, Gencon and the UK Games EXPO, as well as crowdfunding through sites like Kickstarter, has diversified the evolution of game development, which is increasingly driven by fans, and boardgames provide an important glue to geek culture. In academia, boardgames are used in a practical sense to teach elements of design and game mechanics. Game studies is also recognizing the importance of expanding its focus beyond the digital. As yet, however, no collected work has explored the many different approaches emerging around the critical challenges that boardgaming represents. In this collection, game theorists analyze boardgame play and player behavior, and explore the complex interactions between the sociality, conflict, competition and cooperation that boardgames foster. Game designers discuss the opportunities boardgame system designs offer for narrative and social play. Cultural theorists discuss boardgames' complex history as both beautiful physical artifacts and special places within cultural experiences of play.

About the Author
Douglas Brown is the director of the Games Academy at Falmouth University, in Cornwall UK. His research interests surround how games, narrative and imagination work together. He has published widely on games and storytelling. Esther MacCallum-Stewart is an associate professor of games studies at Staffordshire University, UK. Her work examines the ways in which players understand narratives and the stories they tell and she has written widely on this subject. Matthew Wilhelm Kapell teaches American studies and humanities at Pace University and lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews
Readers, whether they are game scholars, game designers, or keen players, will likely find much of interest in what is both an academically interesting and practical set of essays." - Manchester Game Studies Network



Book Information
ISBN 9781476670799
Author Douglas Brown
Format Paperback
Page Count 227
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Series Studies in Gaming
Weight(grams) 320g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 9mm