Short description:

From Pong to Madden NFL to Wii Fit, Sports Videogames argues for the multiple ways that sports videogames?alongside televised and physical sports?impact one another, and how players and viewers make sense of these multiple forms of play and information in their daily lives. Through case studies, ethnographic explorations, interviews and surveys, and by analyzing games, players, and the sports media industry, contributors from a wide variety of disciplines demonstrate the depth and complexity of games that were once considered simply sports simulations. Contributors also tackle key topics including the rise of online play and its implications for access to games, as well as how regulations surrounding player likenesses present challenges to the industry. Whether you?re a scholar or a gamer, Sports Videogames offers a grounded, theory-building approach to how millions make sense of videogames today.

Long description:

From Pong to Madden NFL to Wii Fit, Sports Videogames argues for the multiple ways that sports videogames?alongside televised and physical sports?impact one another, and how players and viewers make sense of these multiple forms of play and information in their daily lives. Through case studies, ethnographic explorations, interviews and surveys, and by analyzing games, players, and the sports media industry, contributors from a wide variety of disciplines demonstrate the depth and complexity of games that were once considered simply sports simulations. Contributors also tackle key topics including the rise of online play and its implications for access to games, as well as how regulations surrounding player likenesses present challenges to the industry. Whether you?re a scholar or a gamer, Sports Videogames offers a grounded, theory-building approach to how millions make sense of videogames today.

"Sports Videogames is a ground-breaking book that brings much needed attention to this rich domain. Drawing together a terrific diversity of approaches, this collection provides a fascinating exploration of what happens when our enduring sports culture meets digital gaming." ?T.L. Taylor, Associate Professor of Comparative Media Studies, MIT, author of Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming

"This excellent collection of essays pulls together an impressive list of new and established writers, to provide an essential examination of the social and cultural significance of sports video games. I?m sure it will become required reading for many of us." ?Garry Crawford, Professor of Sociology, University of Salford, author of Video Gamers

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Owen Good  Introduction: Sports Videogames: Mapping the Field Mia Consalvo, Konstantin Mitgutsch, Abraham Stein  I. Defining the Game  1. Games, Sports, and Sport Videogames: Designed Challenges in Racing Games Jonas Linderoth 2. A Tale of Two Games: Football and FIFA 12  Miguel Sicart  3. What Are Sports Videogames? Ian Bogost 4. Joga Bonito: Beautiful Play, Sports and Digital Games  Henry Lowood  5. Women, Sports and Videogames  Mia Consalvo  II. Remediating & Complicating  6. Playing the Game on Television  Abe Stein 7. It's in the Game?  Shifting the Scene with Online Play Christopher Paul 8. The Slow Grind: Skateboarding Videogames and the Culture and Practice of Skateboarding  John Sharp 10. Likeness Licensing Litigation: Student Athletes and the Future of Sports Videogames  Nina Huntemann  III. Fans & Players  10. Playing Ball: Fan Experiences in Basketball Videogames  Fares Kayali 11. Eventful Masculinities: Negotiations of Hegemonic Sporting Masculinities at LANs  Emma Witkowski  12. Sports Gaming in Everyday Life: A Meaning Oriented Exploration of the Appropriation of the Online Football Manager Game Hattrick Jeff Wimmer & Jana Nickol 13. Why Sports Videogames Matter to Their Players: Exploring Meaningful Experiences in Playographies Konstantin Mitgutsch  14. Using Sports Videogames to Promote Real-World Physical Activity Among Young Adolescents  Cheryl Olsen