Overview

Video games are both physically and cognitively demanding-so what does that mean for those with a disability or mental illness? Though they may seem at odds, Ability Machines illuminates just how vital video games are to understanding our bodies and abilities. In Ability Machines, Sky LaRell Anderson shows us how video games can help us imagine what our abilities mean and how they engage us physically, behaviorally, and cognitively to envision our agency beyond limitations. On the surface, this can mean games provide power fantasies; more profoundly, games can fundamentally reshape cultural and personal understandings of mental health, illness, disability, and accessibility. Video games are indeed ability machines that produce a reimagined state of agency. Featuring a comparative analysis of key video game titles, including Metal Gear Solid V, Wolfenstein II, Celeste, Devil May Cry 5, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Hades, Nier: Automata, and more, Ability Machines tackles larger questions of ability and how our bodies relate to interactive media.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sky LaRell Anderson (University of St. Thomas)
Publisher:   Indiana University Press
Imprint:   Indiana University Press
Weight:   0.513kg
ISBN:  

9780253070029

ISBN 10:   0253070023
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   02 July 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Note to Reader: How I Have Tried to Make this Book Accessible Prologue: Video Games and Your Body Section 1: Accessing Ability Interview with Steven Spohn of AbleGamers 1. Gaming Journalism and Discourse about Disability Interview with Marijn Rongen of CanIPlayThat.com 2. Designing for Accessibility Improves Video Games Section 2: Producing Ability Interview with Clinton Lexa of Ubisoft Montréal 3. Streaming Transforms Disability Identities Interview with Kelli Dunlap of Take This 4. The Gaming Industry Strains Mental Health Interview with Artist and Game Designer Kara Stone 5. Designing Games Offers Mental Healing, Hurt, and Health Section 3: Depicting Ability Interview with University of St. Thomas Game Design Students 6. Reimagining Disability in Video Game Depictions Interview with University of Utah Game Design Students 7. Portraying Mental Illness through Interactivity Epilogue: Reimagining Your Body through Video Games Gameography References Index

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Sky LaRell Anderson is Assistant Professor of Digital Media Arts in the Department of Emerging Media at the University of St. Thomas.

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