Details

Acknowledgments. <p>1 The New Art of Videogames.</p> <p>2 What Are Videogames Anyway?</p> <p>3 Videogames and Fiction.</p> <p>4 Stepping into Fictional Worlds.</p> <p>5 Games through Fiction.</p> <p>6 Videogames and Narrative.</p> <p>7 Emotion in Videogaming.</p> <p>8 The Morality of Videogames.</p> <p>9 Videogames as Art.</p> <p>Glossary.</p> <p>References.</p> <p>Index.</p>

<b>Grant Tavinor</b> is a Lecturer in Philosophy at Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand. He has published articles on videogames in the journal <i>Philosophy and Literature</i> and has been playing videogames for as long as he can remember.

Videogames aren’t just for children anymore. In fact, their fictional worlds now inspire us to make judgments about perceptual beauty, involve us in interpretation, and arouse our emotions. Reflecting the increasing technical and moral sophistication of the medium, <i>The Art of Videogames</i> presents a unique philosophical approach to the art of videogaming. The author, a philosopher as well as an avid gamer, explores how philosophical theories developed to address traditional art works – such as novels and film – can also be applied to videogames. Chapters delve into relationships between games and earlier artistic and entertainment media, employ the theory of fiction to explore how videogames allow for interactive fiction, look at the role of game narrative, and address the debate about the moral status of violent events depicted in videogame worlds. The text concludes by arguing that videogames do indeed qualify as a new and exciting form of representational art. <p>By situating videogames in the framework of analytic philosophy of the arts, <i>The Art of Videogames</i> offers unique philosophical insights while finally bridging the worlds of fantasy and philosophy.</p>

“As a new entertainment medium, videogaming has the power to engage intense, even obsessive attention. But are the other-worldly, imaginative experiences videogames provide authentic experiences of art? In this astute and compelling book, Grant Tavinor shows how videogaming marks a genuine advance in the history of artistic expression. No one interested in the future of aesthetics can afford to ignore <i>The Art of Videogames</i>.”<br /> –<b>Denis Dutton</b>, author of <i>The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution</i> <p>"Timely, sharp and thoroughly engaging. Equally informed by philosophy and gameplay, Tavinor makes a compelling case that game-designers would profit from engaging with philosophical aesthetics and that philosophers who want to contribute to 21st century aesthetics would do well to buy a PS3."<br /> –<b>Ian Ground</b>, Senior Lecturer, University of Sunderland</p>

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