Springer Transnational Contexts of Culture, Gender, Class, and Colonialism in Play: Video Games in East Asia (East Asian Popular Culture)

This book examines the local, regional and transnational contexts of video games through a focused analysis on gaming communities, the ways game design regulates gender and class relations, and the impacts of colonization on game design. The critical interest in games as a cultural artifact is covered by a wide range of interdisciplinary work. To highlight the social impacts of games the first section of the book covers the systems built around high score game competitions, the development of independent game design communities, and the formation of fan communities and cosplay. The second section of the book offers a deeper analysis of game structures, gender and masculinity, and the economic constraints of empire that are built into game design. The final section offers a macro perspective on transnational and colonial discourses built into the cultural structures of East Asian game play. From the Back Cover This book examines gamer culture, expressions of gender and class, and issues of colonialism and transnationalism in digital games in East Asia. Focusing on examinations of how video games and the universes they offer create complex hierarchies and unique, subversive interventions in East Asia, Lee and Pulos' volume critically examines how video games can shape cultural contexts and simultaneously react to the cultures that consume them. Contributions range from assessments the culture of game developer groups to representations of ethnicity in characters, with special attention paid to the glocalization of culture, including cultural adoption and adaption. About the Author Alexis Pulos is Assistant Professor at Northern Kentucky University, USA and teaches games and culture, board game design, and video game analysis. He received his PhD from University of New Mexico where he studied rhetoric, new media, digital games, and film. His current work focuses on the ways player agency is structured through the design and social regulation of rule systems.  S. Austin Lee is Assistant Professor at Northern Kentucky University, USA. He received his BA from Seoul National University, South Korea and MA/PhD from Michigan State University, USA. His areas of expertise include communication technology and culture and communication. His scholarly work has been published in top academic journals, including Journal of Applied Psychology. He also received the top paper award from the National Communication Association.