{"product_id":"9781628927436","title":"Game Play : Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eGame Play\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Paul Booth\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 21st century has seen a board game renaissance. At a time when streaming television finds millions of viewers, video games garner billions of dollars, and social media grows ever more intense, little has been written about the rising popularity of board games. And yet board games are one of our fastest growing hobbies, with sales increasing every year. Today's board games are more than just your average rainy-day mainstay. Once associated solely with geek subcultures, complex and strategic board games are increasingly dominating the playful media environment. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  The popularity of these complex board games mirrors the rise of more complex cult media products. In \u003ci\u003eGame Play: Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games\u003c\/i\u003e, Paul Booth examines complex board games based on book, TV, and film franchises, including \u003ci\u003eDoctor Who\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Walking Dead, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Hunger Games\u003c\/i\u003e and the worlds of H.P. Lovecraft. How does a game represent a cult world? How can narratives cross media platforms? By investigating the relationship between these media products and their board game versions, Booth illustrates the connections between cult media, gameplay, and narrative in a digital media environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Booth's approach demonstrates exemplary textual analysis of games ... This book is that rare combination of solid critical methodologies alongside such clear enthusiasm for the subject matter that anyone with an interest in the hobby could enjoy just as easily as those in the academic fields of Game, Media or Film Studies.” –\u003ci\u003eIntensities: The Journal of Cult Media\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eGame Play\u003c\/i\u003e [Booth’s] latest book, is a sustained analysis of licensed board games. … Booth bypasses earlier games in this genre, focusing instead on more recent examples adapted from ‘texts’ beloved by geeks like \u003ci\u003eThe Walking Dead \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Hunger Games\u003c\/i\u003e. This is, he notes, a complicated media environment where comic books, TV shows, movies, and board games overlap and interconnect.” –Raymond Simon, \u003ci\u003eGames Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Having chosen a Cylon Leader character, Booth commandeers a fine act of infiltration, working licensed board games' way into the Galactica of media studies, showing exactly how and why it matters – both by itself and as an outgrowth of other media properties – as successfully as an unchecked centurion edging down the boarding party track on its way to certain victory. Highly recommended.” —\u003ci\u003eJonathan Gray, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, and author of Show Sold Separately: Promos, Spoilers, and Other Media Paratexts\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Licensed board games based on popular media franchises have long been considered bereft of creative output, if they were considered at all. Paul Booth challenges that assumption by delving deeply and respectfully into that world, arguing for more nuanced considerations of board games as paratextual adaptations of their respective universes. Bringing together studies of fandom, media universes and games, \u003ci\u003eGame Play \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a sustained and rewarding examination of contemporary licensed board games.” —\u003ci\u003eMia Consalvo, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Game Studies and Design, Concordia University, Canada\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Paul Booth's \u003ci\u003eGame Play: Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games \u003c\/i\u003eis a ground-breaking piece of work. Demonstrating a keen eye for detail, critical analysis and genuine affection for the art of play Booth has produced a much-needed book that shines light on an often overlooked area of popular culture. With chapters on major franchise board games like \u003ci\u003eStar Trek \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e and those based on acclaimed weird fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft \u003ci\u003eGame Play \u003c\/i\u003eoffers us new ways of understanding the joys and social practices of board game culture. Fans and scholars alike will want to read this - and then go break out the dice!” —\u003ci\u003eLincoln Geraghty, Reader in Popular Media Cultures, University of Portsmouth, UK\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781628927436\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40627958284494,"sku":"9781628927436","price":35.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_9e7c3570-540e-4d97-b827-2b75792b63f1.jpg?v=1638752995","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781628927436","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}