Videogames represent what may be the current apotheosis, and certainly most widely available implementation, of high-level human-computer interaction. As such, they must be viewed as a paradigmatic emblem of the new media. This article presents findings from two longitudinal studies that highlight the analytical and methodological weaknesses of the (sparse) extant scholarly studies of the medium, and calls for a more sensitive approach to investigating and interpreting the composition of the interactive experience of videogame play. The article offers an integrative model describing the complex of dialectical relationships and interactions between previously discrete concepts and constructs of player, system and gameworld.
Aarseth, E. (2001a) ‘What kind of text is a game?’ paper presented at International GameCultures Conference, Bristol, 29 June-1 July.
2.
Aarseth, E. (2001b) ‘Computer Game Studies, Year One’, GameStudies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research1(1), URL (consulted Sept 2001): http://www.gamestudies.org/
3.
Aarseth, E. (1997) Cybertext. Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Baltimore, MD, London: Johns Hopkins University Press.
4.
Benyon, D. and Murray, D. (1988) ‘Experience And Adaptive Interfaces’, The Computer Journal31(5): 465-473.
5.
Buckingham, D. and Sefton-Green, J. (2001) The Pokémon Project, paper presented at International GameCultures Conference, Bristol, 29 June-1 July.
6.
Buse, P. (1996) ‘Nintendo And Telos: Will You Ever Reach The End?’Cultural Critique, 34: 163-184.
7.
Campbell, J. (1995) ‘Adding A Spark To Videogames’, Electronics World + Wireless World, (June): 458-458.
8.
Emes, C. E. (1997) ‘Is Mr Pac Man Eating Our Children? A Review Of The Effect Of Video Games On Children’, Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 42(4): 409-414.
9.
Featherstone, M. and Burrows, R. (1995) ‘Cultures Of Technological Embodiment: An Introduction’, in Featherstone and Burrows (eds) Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk. London: Sage Publications.
10.
Ferrie, C. D., deMarco, P., Grunewald, R. A., Giannakodimos, S. and Panayiotopoulos, C. P. (1994) ‘Videogame Induced Seizures’, Journal Of Neurology Neurosurgery And Psychiatry57(8): 925-931.
11.
‘Final Fantasy VII Set For Record Sales’ (1997) Edge (UK Edition) (50): 12-12.
12.
Franck, K. A. (1995) ‘When I Enter Virtual Reality, What Body Will I Leave Behind?’, Architectural Design, 118: 20-23.
13.
Friedman, T. (1995) ‘Making Sense Of Software: Computer Games And Interactive Textuality’, in Jones, S. G. (ed) Cybersociety: Computer-Mediated Communication And Community. Sage.
14.
Fuller, M. and Jenkins, H. (1995) ‘Nintendo® And New World Travel Writing: A Dialogue’, in Jones, S. G. (ed) Cybersociety: Computer-Mediated Communication And Community. Sage.
15.
Funk, J. B. (1992) ‘Video Games: Benign Or Malignant?’Journal Of Developmental And Behavioral Pediatrics, 13(1), 1002: 53-54.
16.
Funk, J. B. (1993) ‘Reevaluating The Impact Of Video Games’Clinical Pediatrics, 32(3): 86-90.
17.
Funk, J. B., Flores, G., Buchman, D. D. and Germann, J. N. (1999) ‘Rating Electronic Games - Violence is in the Eye of the Beholder’, American Journal Of Orthopsychiatry30(3): 233-241.
18.
Gatchell, D. (1996) ‘Nintendo’s Ultramen’, Edge (UK Edition)29 (February): 50-64.
19.
Graf, W. D., Chatran, G. E., Glass, S. T. and Knauss, T. A. (1994) ‘Video Game-Related Seizures - A Report on 10 Patients and a Review of the Literature’, Pediatrics93(4): 551-556.
20.
‘Gran Turismo: The Real Driving Simulator Preview’ (1998) Computer & Videogames (C&VG)198: 26-27.
21.
‘Gran Turismo: The Real Driving Simulator Review’ (1998) Computer & Videogames (C&VG)199: 62-65.
22.
Graybill, D., Kirsch, J. R. and Esselman, E. D. (1985) ‘Effects of Playing Violent Versus Nonviolent Video Games on the Aggressive Ideation of Aggressive and Nonaggressive Children’, Child Study Journal, 15(3): 199-205.
23.
Graybill, D., Strawniak, M., Hunter, T. and O’Leary, M. (1987) ‘Effects of Playing Versus Observing Violent Versus Nonviolent Videogames on Children’s Aggression’, Psychology24 (3): 1-8.
24.
Griffiths, M. (1993) ‘Are Computer Games Bad For Children?’, The Psychologist: Bulletin For The British Psychological Society6: 401-407.
25.
Griffiths, M. (1997a) ‘Video Games And Aggression’, The Psychologist, 10(9): 397-401.
26.
Griffiths, M. (1997b) Interviewed in ‘Videogame Violence: The Debate That Just Will Not Die’, Edge (UK Edition) (46): 68-73.
27.
Griffiths, M (1999) ‘Violent Video Games and Aggression: A Review of the Literature’, Aggression And Violent Behavior4(2): 203-212.
28.
Jenkins, H. (1993) ‘ “X Logic”: Repositioning Nintendo In Children’s Lives’, Quarterly Review Of Film And Video, 14(4): 55-70.
29.
Juul, J. (2001) ‘Games Telling Stories - A Brief Note on Games and Narratives’, GameStudies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research, 1(1), URL (consulted Sept 2001): http://www.gamestudies.org/
30.
Juul, J. (1998) ‘A Clash between Game and Narrative’, paper presented at the Digital Arts and Culture Conference, Bergen, 26-28 November.
31.
Kinder, M. (1993) Playing With Power In Movies, Television and Video Games: From Muppet Babies to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. London: University Of California Press.
32.
Kojima, H. (1998) ‘Hideo Kojima Profile’, Arcade1(1): 42-43.
33.
Kroker, A. (1993) Spasm: Virtual Reality, Android Music, and Electric Flesh. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
34.
Millett, C. J., Fish, D. R. and Thompson, P. J. (1997) ‘A Survey of Epilepsy Patient Perceptions of Video Game Material, Electronic Screens and Other Factors as Seizure Precipitants’, Seizure31(6): 457-459.
35.
Myers, D. (1990) ‘Computer Game Genres’, Play & Culture, 3: 286-301.
36.
Newman, J. A. (2001) Reconfiguring the Videogame Player, paper presented at GameCultures international computer and videogame conference, Bristol, 29 June-1 July.
37.
Newman, J.A. (1998) Gameworlds: Videogames, Space and Experience. Critically Examining a Player’s Perspective, unpublished doctoral thesis, Lancaster University (Edge Hill College).
Ryan, M-L. (2001) ‘Beyond Myth and Metaphor - The Case of Narrative in Digital Media’, GameStudies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research1(1), URL (consulted Sept 2001): http://www.gamestudies.org/
40.
Segal, K. and Dietz, W. (1991) ‘Physiological Responses To Playing A Video Game’, American Journal Of Diseases Of Children145(9): 1034-1036.
41.
Sheff, D. (1993) Game Over: Nintendo’s Battle to Dominate an Industry. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
42.
Skelton, T. and Valentine, G., eds, (1998) Cool Places: Geographies Of Youth Cultures. London: Routledge.
43.
Skirrow, G. (1990) ‘Hellivision: An Analysis Of Videogames’, in Alvarado and Thompson, The Media Reader, London: BFI Publishing. (Originally published in MacCabe, 1986 ‘High Theory/Low Culture.)
44.
Sobchack, V. (1995) ‘Beating the Meat/Surviving the Text, or How to Get Out of This Century Alive’ in Featherstone and Burrows (eds), Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk, pp. 205-214. London: Sage.
45.
Springer, C. (1991) ‘The Pleasure Of The Interface’, Screen32(3): 303-323.
46.
The World Of PlayStation (1997) Official PlayStation Magazine26 (December): 14-15.
47.
Tivers, J. (1996a) Landscapes of Computer Games, paper presented to the Social and Cultural Study Group Session ‘Virtual Geographies’, IBG96.
48.
Tivers, J. (1996b) ‘Playing With Nature’, The Geographical Magazine, April: 17-19.
49.
Tuan, Yi-Fu (1974) Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes and Values. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. Ubisoft (US) website, URL (consulted July 2001): http://www.ubisoft.com/usa/rayman2/index.html
50.
Wellsman, A., Marketing Director of PlayStation, (2000). Interview in The Money Programme, BBC2 TV, 22 November 2000.
51.
‘Yoshi’s Story Review’ (1998) Computer & Video Games (C&VG)197: 46-49.
