Queer Game Studies

Description

The in-depth, diverse, and accessible essays in Queer Game Studies use queerness to challenge the ideas that have dominated gaming discussions. This volume reveals the capacious albeit underappreciated communities that are making, playing, and studying queer games, demonstrating the centrality of LGBTQ issues to the gamer world and establishing an alternative lens for examining this increasingly important culture.

Bonnie Ruberg is Provost's Postdoctoral Scholar in the Interactive Media and Games division at the University of Southern California and assistant professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. The lead organizer of the Queerness and Games conference, she has written for The Village Voice, The Economist, and Wired. Adrienne Shaw is assistant professor in the Department of Media Studies and Production at Temple University and a Media and Communications PhD program faculty member. She is author of Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture (Minnesota, 2014).

"Queer theory and video games might be considered by some to be an odd combination. But this anthology showcases both the interesting areas where the two fields overlap and explorations of the areas where there is tension. There is much to create and critique in these spaces and Queer Game Studies provides a broad entryway into these ongoing discussions."-Lambda Literary "These are provocative ideas, but the future of video games depends on them."-Games World of Puzzles "This anthology is essential reading for scholars, students, and lay persons who are interested in the issues that arise at the intersection of digital games and queer theory."-CHOICE "Queer Game Studies triumphs as a collection of rigorous essays that challenge, problematize, and extend queer modes of inquiry into the realm of video games."-Los Angeles Review of Books "An important and unique addition to existing scholarship in a field that is still incredibly young."-Critical Studies in Media Communication "Every new page seems to burst with fascinating ideas about how this artistic medium could reach its full potential. You don't have to be a game developer to appreciate the ideas laid out here, but those who are interested in making games, no matter how small, should look into this book for a treasure trove of inspiration."-Pop Matters