Imaginary Games
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In this well-researched book Chris Bateman explores the ambiguous territory between the fictional and the real, and slays some dragons hiding therein. Highly recommended. --(Ernest Adams, Founder of the International Game Developers' Association)
A wonderfully refreshing and inventive look at games of many kinds, but especially digital games. It is seriously philosophical, but Bateman, a professional game designer, draws on a huge variety of resources far beyond the writings of academic philosophers - fascinating and fun! --(Kendall Walton, Charles Stevenson Collegiate Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Art and Design at the University of Michigan)
A wonderfully refreshing and inventive look at games of many kinds, but especially digital games. It is seriously philosophical, but Bateman, a professional game designer, draws on a huge variety of resources far beyond the writings of academic philosophers - fascinating and fun! --(Kendall Walton, Charles Stevenson Collegiate Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Art and Design at the University of Michigan)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
There's a good deal to like in Imaginary Games. While it begins by highlighting Roger Ebert's claim that `games can never be art,' thankfully it mostly avoids a hackneyed defence of games as art. It considers what games share with art, but blessedly does not try to collapse one into the other.
Most interestingly, for me, is Chris Bateman's suggestion that both games and art must be understood as representational, even in their most abstract examples. Bateman highlights Noughts and Crosses as an extreme example, the hash mark grid of which he feels `can be seen as a prop prescribing that the players imagine nine positions.' This, like much in Imaginary Games, very much rests upon Kendall Walton's prop theory - but Walton's ideas are mostly used here subtly and intelligently. It might seem a stretch to call a game of Noughts and Crosses an imaginative experience, but Bateman makes his case well and derives thought-provoking conclusions from it.
Throughout Imaginary Games, Bateman's voice is authoritative, yet playful. Anecdotes from the author's life sit alongside more serious theorizing. Bateman, I think, recognizes that to write successfully about games, there must be room in the text to reproduce the fun which lies behind most play. In both content and style, then, Imaginary Games offers a fine example for other works in this developing field.
Most interestingly, for me, is Chris Bateman's suggestion that both games and art must be understood as representational, even in their most abstract examples. Bateman highlights Noughts and Crosses as an extreme example, the hash mark grid of which he feels `can be seen as a prop prescribing that the players imagine nine positions.' This, like much in Imaginary Games, very much rests upon Kendall Walton's prop theory - but Walton's ideas are mostly used here subtly and intelligently. It might seem a stretch to call a game of Noughts and Crosses an imaginative experience, but Bateman makes his case well and derives thought-provoking conclusions from it.
Throughout Imaginary Games, Bateman's voice is authoritative, yet playful. Anecdotes from the author's life sit alongside more serious theorizing. Bateman, I think, recognizes that to write successfully about games, there must be room in the text to reproduce the fun which lies behind most play. In both content and style, then, Imaginary Games offers a fine example for other works in this developing field.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
Imaginary Games is a Game Changer
29 Mar 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Chris Bateman is a man of many talents, but the one I know him best is as a philosopher. I first learned of him through his blog (...)and immediately realized the importance of what he was trying to do. Games, and videogames (it's one word! Chris will tell you why) in particular are in a strange spot both intellectually and aesthetically. Mr. Bateman considers the ramifications of where games began, where they are now, and where they will be in the future with a prescience that is all at once confounding (make no mistake, the book is very dense!) and deeply relevant to the current state of videogame culture and design.
I would not recommend this book to everyone, but if you are serious about understanding the larger philosophical ideas behind videogames, Imaginary Games is all at once a primer and a master's class. Also, if you enjoyed his book, make sure to check out his blog!
I would not recommend this book to everyone, but if you are serious about understanding the larger philosophical ideas behind videogames, Imaginary Games is all at once a primer and a master's class. Also, if you enjoyed his book, make sure to check out his blog!
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