...Traces the evolution of interactive video games by examining 13 landmark titles that challenged convention and captured players' imaginations worldwide...the focus on those that tell stories...-cover.

An engaging and entertaining read for veteran gamers and curious newcomers alike, A MindForever Voyaging traces the evolution of interactive video games by examining 13 landmarktitles that challenged convention and captured players' imaginations worldwide. Alternativegaming blogger Dylan Holmes focuses on games that tell stories in innovative and fascinatingways and examines the opportunities-and challenges-presented when players are giventhe ability to direct how a story plays out. From the text-based adventure of Planetfall andthe interactive cinema of Heavy Rain to the one-act play of Façade and the simulated world ofShenmue, Holmes showcases the diversity of video game stories that have emerged in the last30 years. Along the way, he addresses such questions as: *How did the introduction of moral choices in video games change the playing field? *What film techniques have enhanced (or detracted from!) the gaming experience? *Can video games aspire to be art? [Hint: Yes!] *What are the benefits, pitfalls, and unintended consequences of players' "right tochoose"? *Will the robot Floyd make you cry? Critical analysis, historical perspective, and a gently opinionated personal touch make A MindForever Voyaging an enlightening read that captures the best that video games have to offer.

A critical approach to interactive fiction, as literature and game. Interactive fiction—the best-known form of which is the text game or text adventure—has not received as much critical attention as have such other forms of electronic literature as hypertext fiction and the conversational programs known as chatterbots. Twisty Little Passages (the title refers to a maze in Adventure, the first interactive fiction) is the first book-length consideration of this form, examining it from gaming and literary perspectives. Nick Montfort, an interactive fiction author himself, offers both aficionados and first-time users a way to approach interactive fiction that will lead to a more pleasurable and meaningful experience of it. Twisty Little Passages looks at interactive fiction beginning with its most important literary ancestor, the riddle. Montfort then discusses Adventure and its precursors (including the I Ching and Dungeons and Dragons), and follows this with an examination of mainframe text games developed in response, focusing on the most influential work of that era, Zork. He then considers the introduction of commercial interactive fiction for home computers, particularly that produced by Infocom. Commercial works inspired an independent reaction, and Montfort describes the emergence of independent creators and the development of an online interactive fiction community in the 1990s. Finally, he considers the influence of interactive fiction on other literary and gaming forms. With Twisty Little Passages, Nick Montfort places interactive fiction in its computational and literary contexts, opening up this still-developing form to new consideration.

Understand Video Games as Works of Science Fiction and Interactive Stories Science Fiction Video Games focuses on games that are part of the science fiction genre, rather than set in magical milieux or exaggerated versions of our own world. Unlike many existing books and websites that cover some of the same material, this book emphasizes critical analysis, especially the analysis of narrative. The author analyzes narrative via an original categorization of story forms in games. He also discusses video games as works of science fiction, including their characteristic themes and the links between them and other forms of science fiction. Delve into a Collection of Science Fiction Games The beginning chapters explore game design and the history of science-fictional video games. The majority of the text deals with individual science-fictional games and the histories and natures of their various forms, such as the puzzle-based adventure and the more exploratory and immediate computer role-playing game (RPG).

Presents 33 essays on such topics as statistics and the design of experiments, group theory, the mathematics of infinity, the mathematical way of thinking, the unreasonableness of mathematics, and mathematics as an art. A reprint of volume 3 of the four-volume edition originally published by Simon and Schuster in 1956. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).