Games of Empire: Global Capitalism and Video Games (Volume 29) (Electronic Mediations)

Another successful collaboration from Nick Dyer-Witherford. Games of Empire examines how online gaming and game subjects further the ability of the state to exert power over individuals. The book examines games including World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto, and various console deliveries do discuss how each may target different aspects. Further, introduces the concept of "playbor" or play as labor when one becomes dedicated to activities in a gaming environment which either mimic labor, or produce actual value through some virtual process. Thoroughly researched, expertly written and well worth your time. Recommend for anyone in politics, working with cyber, or just a fan of gaming.

The short version of my review is that Games of Empire is a great analysis of the material conditions that make up the system that enables us to play video games. The authors' deployment of Hardt and Negri as their cornerstone theorist creates a grand unifying theory of social/technological relationships that surround video games, which is useful to think through. However, if you are already familiar with their work, be prepared for long sections where they quote the basics at you. That isn't a bad thing, mind you, just something that anyone who plans on reading the book should be aware of.That said, if you are interested in Hardt and Negri and the way they can be applied to video games, this is SUPER the book for you.

Solid book if you’re interested in a political analysis on the video game industry.

"Games of Empire" by Nick Dyer-Witheford and Greig de Peuter offers an uniquely incisive analysis of video game industry and culture. Mr. Dyer-Witheford and Mr. de Peuter's fascinating post-Marxist discussion is informed by Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt's influential book  Empire , where videogaming is seen both as a paradigmatic expression of the corporate desire to control machines, immaterial labor and subjectivities; and as a possible pathway of resistance and liberation for the multitude.The book is divided into three parts. 'Game Engine: Labor, Capital and Machine' shows how videogaming provides a persuasive training tool that subtly prepares a new generation of laborers for post-industrial production; how some workers at a major video game manufacturer have pushed back against severe exploitation by their corporate bosses; and how game consoles have become sites of contestation over the control of content and game play.The second section, 'Gameplay: Virtual/Actual' deconstructs three massively popular games to explore themes about war, biopower, and neoliberalism. 'Full Spectrum Warrior' presents the banality of the U.S. military's interminable war to secure empire against the threat of theocracy; 'World of Warcraft' highlights struggles between workers in the developed and developing economies over commerce; and 'Grand Theft Auto' cynically renders a world where there are no alternatives to bare-knuckled capitalism.The third section, 'New Game?' demonstrates how the means of production can be coopted by the multitude in acts of defiance, suggesting the possibility of freedom. Mr. Dyer-Witheford and Mr. de Peuter cite spontaneous acts of online protest, tactical games, and self-organized worlds as evidence that gamers are capable of building credible, decentralized social systems. In this light, the authors believe that gamers may have learned some formidable unintended lessons from corporate game marketers: an understanding of how systems of power and politics work in both the game universes and the real worlds they inhabit; and the technical capacity and desire to construct an inclusive and sustainable alternative to empire.This highly-readable, entertaining and informative book is highly recommended to everyone.