{"product_id":"gamer-nation-john-wills-9781421428703","title":"Gamer Nation: Video Games and American Culture","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExplores how games actively influence the ways people interpret and relate to American life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1975, design engineer Dave Nutting completed work on a new arcade machine. A version of Taito's \u003ci\u003eWestern Gun\u003c\/i\u003e, a recent Japanese arcade machine, Nutting's\u003ci\u003e Gun Fight\u003c\/i\u003e depicted a classic showdown between gunfighters. Rich in Western folklore, the game seemed perfect for the American market; players easily adapted to the new technology, becoming pistol-wielding pixel cowboys. One of the first successful early arcade titles, \u003ci\u003eGun Fight\u003c\/i\u003e helped introduce an entire nation to video-gaming and sold more than 8,000 units.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eGamer Nation\u003c\/i\u003e, John Wills examines how video games co-opt national landscapes, livelihoods, and legends. Arguing that video games toy with Americans' mass cultural and historical understanding, Wills show how games reprogram the American experience as a simulated reality. Blockbuster games such as \u003ci\u003eCivilization\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCall of Duty\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eRed Dead Redemption\u003c\/i\u003e repackage the past, refashioning history into novel and immersive digital states of America. Controversial titles such as \u003ci\u003eCuster's Revenge\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003e08.46 \u003c\/i\u003erecode past tragedies. Meanwhile, online worlds such as \u003ci\u003eSecond Life\u003c\/i\u003e cater to a desire to inhabit alternate versions of America, while \u003ci\u003ePaperboy \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Sims \u003c\/i\u003etransform the mundane tasks of everyday suburbia into fun and addictive challenges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWorking with a range of popular and influential games, from \u003ci\u003ePong\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCivilization\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Oregon Trail\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eGrand Theft Auto\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSilent Hill\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFortnite\u003c\/i\u003e, Wills critically explores these gamic depictions of America. Touching on organized crime, nuclear fallout, environmental degradation, and the War on Terror, Wills uncovers a world where players casually massacre Native Americans and Cold War soldiers alike, a world where neo-colonialism, naive patriotism, disassociated violence, and racial conflict abound, and a world where the boundaries of fantasy and reality are increasingly blurred. Ultimately, \u003ci\u003eGamer Nation\u003c\/i\u003e reveals not only how video games are a key aspect of contemporary American culture, but also how games affect how people relate to America itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Wills\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1421428709\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781421428703\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Johns Hopkins University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/21\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 296\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d","brand":"John Wills","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43934799790335,"sku":"9781421428703","price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_40a02dce-4b8c-4c77-b2bf-c141fb9a2ba8.jpg?v=1681416119","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/gamer-nation-john-wills-9781421428703","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}