How to Do Things with Videogames (Electronic Mediations)
"What can you do with videogames? Play pranks, meditate on politics, achieve zen-like zone-outs, turn the act of travel back into adventure, and describe how to safely exit a plane—among other things, as Ian Bogost explains in this superb, philosophical, and wide-ranging book on the expressive qualities of games."—Clive Thompson, columnist forWiredand contributing writer for theNew York Times Magazine"Gamers often beg for a critic with the persuasive power and range of  a Lester Bangs or a Pauline Kael. With this book, Ian Bogost  demonstrates his capacity to take up their mantle and explain to a  larger public why games matter in modern culture. The book’s goals are  simple, straight forward, and utterly, desperately needed.How to Do Things with Videogamesmay do for games whatUnderstanding Comicsdid for comics—at once consolidate existing theoretical gains while  also expanding dramatically the range of people who felt able to  meaningfully engage in those discussions." —Henry Jenkins, author ofFans, Gamers, and Bloggers: Understanding Participatory Culture