Dystopian States of America PDF Download

Author: Matthew B. Hill
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440873399
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
Dystopian States of America is a crucial resource that studies the impact of dystopian works on American society-including ways in which they reflect our deep and persistent fears about environmental calamities, authoritarian governments, invasive technologies, and human weakness. Dystopian States of America provides students and researchers with an illuminating resource for understanding the impact and relevance of dystopian and apocalyptic works in contemporary American culture. Through its wide survey of dystopian works in numerous forms and genres, the book encourages readers to connect with these works of fiction and understand how the catastrophically grim or disquieting worlds they portray offer insights into our own current situation. In addition to providing more than 150 encyclopedia articles on a large and representative sample of dystopian/apocalyptic narratives in fiction, film, television, and video games (including popular works that often escape critical inquiry), Dystopian States of America features a suite of critical essays on five themes-war, pandemics, totalitarianism, environmental calamity, and technological overreach-that serve as the foundation for most dystopian worlds of the imagination. These offerings complement one another, enabling readers to explore dystopian conceptions of America and the world from multiple perspectives and vantage points.

Author: Lars Schmeink
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 1781383766
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
'Biopunk Dystopias' contends that we find ourselves at a historical nexus, defined by the rise of biology as the driving force of scientific progress, a strongly grown mainstream attention given to genetic engineering in the wake of the Human Genome Project (1990-2003), the changing sociological view of a liquid modern society, and shifting discourses on the posthuman, including a critical posthumanism that decenters the privileged subject of humanism. The book argues that this historical nexus produces a specific cultural formation in the form of "biopunk", a subgenre evolved from the cyberpunk of the 1980s. Biopunk makes use of current posthumanist conceptions in order to criticize contemporary reality as already dystopian, warning that a future will only get worse, and that society needs to reverse its path, or else destroy all life on this planet.

Author: Nicolas Courcier
Publisher: Third Editions
ISBN: 2377843182
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
A thorough analysis of the first survival-horror game, Resident Evil. Every passionate gamer knows about the Resident Evil saga. Born in 1996, the series count at least 10 major episodes mainly inspired by the work of George A. Romero. The games take place in the United States infested with zombies. The first episode was so terrifying that it inspired the birth of a new genre: the survival-horror games. As in every Third Éditions’ book, a video game saga is analyzed and decrypted. More than 200 pages to know everything about Resident Evil: the behind-the-scenes development, the gameplay, the story, the universe. Go back to the heart of this great saga, dive into the mysteries of Raccoon City to meet the heroes who fought the evil corporation Umbrella. The figure of the undead never ceases to fascinate. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Nicolas Courcier launched his first magazine, Console Syndrome, with Mehdi El Kanafi in 2004. Nicolas has since published more than twenty books devoted to flagship series, many of which he himself co-authored: Zelda. Chronicles of a legendary saga, Metal Gear Solid. A cult work by Hideo Kojima and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, he has developed his editorial approach based on the analysis of the great video game sagas within the new publishing house co-founded with Mehdi: Third. Bruno Provezza has been a fan of video games and fantasy films since he was a child. He was editor-in-chief of the official website of Mad Movies magazine, before joining the editorial team of the monthly magazine. He directed their special issue devoted to video games. He co-wrote Resident Evil. Des Zombies et des hommes, Bienvenue à Silent Hill. Journey to the Heart of Hell, Uncharted. Diary of an Explorer and Professor Polymathus in a brief history of video games for Third.

Author: Neal Roger Tringham
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1040074618
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 540

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Book Description
Understand Video Games as Works of Science Fiction and Interactive Stories Science Fiction Video Games focuses on games that are part of the science fiction genre, rather than set in magical milieux or exaggerated versions of our own world. Unlike many existing books and websites that cover some of the same material, this book emphasizes critical a

Author: Richard Mandel
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1644241250
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Do you like tales of lost treasure? This is the story of a quest to find a lost treasure . . . only it wasn't your typical treasure. It wasn't a chest full of pirate gold and jewels or a cave full of riches from a long-forgotten kingdom. It wasn't some prized antique or rare collectible, or even a chance discovery made in someone's garage sale or a backroad flea market stall. The item in question was a lost video game. That's right, a lost video game, one that had almost been completed but was canceled only three months prior to its planned release date and, in the time that followed, would become something of a legend among video game fans. It was the original version of the video game that fans have come to know and love as Resident Evil 2. That original version was the treasure being sought. This is the story of the fourteen-year search by a group of dedicated fans from around the world to find a playable development build of that lost original game. This is the story of how a build was finally tracked down, incomplete and badly broken, and how those fans took it upon themselves to both finish the game and make it fully playable. This is also the story of how that effort went awry and how another group of fans had to take action in order to ensure that this original and unaltered development build, despite its incompleteness and many other flaws, finally saw the light of day. This is the story of the hunt for Resident Evil 1.5.

Author: Cecil Everton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
The Umbrella Chronicles encompasses several scenarios, which are based on various plot elements from the Resident Evil series. The main characters include: Rebecca Chambers, Billy Coen, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveira, Albert Wesker, Ada Wong, Richard Aiken, and Hunk. The first scenario, based on the events of Resident Evil Zero, follows STARS operative Rebecca Chambers, and former Marine Billy Coen as they venture through a train that eventually takes them to a derelict training facility. Once within the facility, they discover they are being stalked by James Marcus, one of the Umbrella Corporation's co-founders and former scientists, who has managed to resurrect himself with the aid of leech test-subjects. After a confrontation, Marcus mutates into a monstrosity, but is subdued by the duo. Chambers and Coen escape as the facility self-destructs. Another sub-chapter within the scenario traces Wesker's actions, now posing as the leader of STARS' Alpha team, as he attempts to escape the training facility. This chapter also introduces Sergei Vladimir and one of his bodyguard Tyrants, codenamed "IVAN". The next scenario follows Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, as opposed to the actual Resident Evil game, which features the two splitting up. Redfield and Valentine are forced to battle their way through a mansion full of undead residents before stumbling upon a secret Umbrella Corporation research facility in the mansion's basement. The two then discover the facility's most powerful creation, a Tyrant, and destroy it. The scenario features two different sub-chapters, which reveal Chambers' action between Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil, as well as Wesker's reanimation and escape after his apparent death. The next scenario visits Raccoon City during the events of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Valentine returns to the game, and is paired with mercenary Carlos Oliveira, as they attempt to survive an outbreak of the T-virus. After defeating several undead citizens, Valentine and Oliveira encounter Nemesis, an upgraded Tyrant, sent to kill Valentine.[16] They defeat Nemesis and escape Raccoon City before it is destroyed by the United States government in a desperate contingency measure. The scenario also features two sub-chapters, detailing Ada Wong and Hunk's background roles during the main scenario's events. The game's final scenario is composed of new material, which trails Redfield and Valentine as they and other armed anti-bioweapon activists investigate the Umbrella Corporation's final stronghold in Russia. Now leading a group of armed activists, they storm the stronghold, encountering waves of undead soldiers and mutations. Despite their force sustaining heavy casualties, Redfield and Valentine enter the facility's inner sanctum, only to encounter and destroy the Umbrella Corporation's latest creation, the T-ALOS project. The game's final sub-chapter features Wesker infiltrating the facility in an attempt to recover the Umbrella Corporation's most important files. He is confronted by his long-time nemesis, Sergei Vladimir, whom he defeats. In the end, the Umbrella Corporation's secrets have finally been exposed. As a result, the U.S. government succeeds in its legal action against Umbrella's top officials.

Author: Joshua Bycer
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000451011
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
The Game Design Deep Dive series examines a specific game system or mechanic over the course of the history of the industry. This entry will examine the history and design of the horror genre and elements in video games. The author analyzes early video game examples, including the differences between survival, action-horror, and psychological horror. Thanks to recent hits like Five Night’s at Freddy’s, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and recent Resident Evil titles, the horror genre has seen a strong resurgence. For this book in the Game Design Deep Dive series, Joshua Bycer will go over the evolution of horror in video games and game design, and what it means to create a terrifying and chilling experience. FEATURES • Written for anyone interested in the horror genre, anyone who wants to understand game design, or anyone simply curious from a historical standpoint • Includes real game examples to highlight the discussed topics and mechanics • Explores the philosophy and aspects of horror that can be applied to any medium • Serves as a perfect companion for someone building their first game or as part of a game design classroom Joshua Bycer is a game design critic with more than eight years of experience critically analyzing game design and the industry itself. In that time, through Game-Wisdom, he has interviewed hundreds of game developers and members of the industry about what it means to design video games. He also strives to raise awareness about the importance of studying game design by giving lectures and presentations. His first book was 20 Essential Games to Study. He continues to work on the Game Design Deep Dive series.

Author: Rodanthi Tzanelli
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351470442
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Atmosphere, the elusive ambiance of a place, enables or hinders its mobility in global consumption contexts. Atmosphere connects to social imaginaries, utopian representational frames producing the culture of a city or country. But who resolves atmospheric contradictions in a place’s social and cultural rhythms, when the eyes of the world are turned on it? Mega-Events as Economies of the Imagination examines ephemeral and solidified atmospheres in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the handover ceremony to Tokyo for the 2020 Games. Indeed, highlighting the various social and cultural implications upon these Olympic Games hosts, Tzanelli argues that the ‘Olympic City’ is produced by aesthetic "imagineers", mobile groups of architects, artists and entrepreneurs, who aesthetically ‘engineer’ native cultures as utopias. Thus, it is explored as to how Rio and Tokyo’s "imagineers" problematize notions of creativity, cosmopolitan togetherness and belonging. Mega-Events as Economies of the Imagination will appeal to postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers and professionals interested in fields such as: Globalization Studies, Mobility Theory, Cultural Sociology, International Political Economy, Conference and Event Management, Tourism Studies and Migration Studies.

Author: Nadine Farghaly
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476614407
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
Resident Evil is a multidimensional as well as multimedia universe: Various books, graphic novels, games and movies (the fifth one came out in 2012) all contribute to this enormous universe. The new essays written for this volume focus on this particular zombie manifestation and its significance in popular culture. The essayists come from very different fields, so it was possible to cover a wide range and discuss numerous issues regarding this universe. Among them are game theory, the idea of silence as well as memory, the connection to iconic stories such as Alice in Wonderland, posthumanism and much more. A lot of ground is covered that will facilitate further discussions not only among Resident Evil interested persons but also among other zombie universes and zombies in general. Most of these essays focus on the female figure Alice, a character revered by many as a feminist warrior.

Author: Jason Hawreliak
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351659715
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
This book merges recent trends in game studies and multimodal studies to explore the relationship between the interaction between videogames’ different modes and the ways in which they inform meaning for both players and designers. The volume begins by laying the foundation for integrating the two disciplines, drawing upon social semiotic and discourse analytic traditions to examine their relationship with meaning in videogames. The book uses a wide range of games as examples to demonstrate the medium’s various forms of expression at work, including audio, visual, textual, haptic, and procedural modes, with a particular focus on the procedural form, which emphasizes processes and causal relationships, to better showcase its link with meaning-making. The second half of the book engages in a discussion of different multimodal configurations and user generated content to show how they contribute to the negotiation of meaning in the player experience, including their role in constructing and perpetuating persuasive messages and in driving interesting and unique player decisions in gameplay. Making the case for the benefits of multimodal approaches to game studies, this volume is key reading for students and researchers in multimodal studies, game studies, rhetoric, semiotics, and discourse analysis.