Bertz + Fischer Verlag

As a comparatively young medium, video games are in a formative phase of development. Similar to film in its beginnings, games are currently establishing themselves as cultural objects to be taken seriously. This is being appreciated by an ever wider audience. The inclusion of important games in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2012 marked the acknowledgement that was long overdue.

This catalogue can be considered as a descriptive dialogue between theory and practice. With international contributions from multidisciplinary perspectives, it is dedicated to the interactive aesthetic influences between films and games. Expert contributions include those from the fields of film studies, game studies, art and cultural studies, media studies, and pedagogy. Texts by journalists such as Boris Schneider-Johne and Petra Fröhlich provide background information and essayistic reflections. Interviews with game developers like Jordan Mechner and Ron Gilbert as well as film directors such as Paul W. S. Anderson shed light on the interactions between films and games from a practical perspective and offer far-reaching insights.
Some of the subjects explored include the historical development of both media, adaptation processes, perspectives of transmedia storytelling, camera aesthetics, architecture and set design as well as music and sound design, gender stereotypes, creative gaming, game art, and the archival processing of video games.

Leseproben

• Contents (PDF 66.6 kiB)
• Foreword by Claudia Dillmann (PDF 75.5 kiB)
• Introduction by Andreas Rauscher (PDF 271.4 kiB)
• In the Rhythm of Space-Images by Marc Bonner (PDF 733.3 kiB)
• Interview with Jordan Mechner (PDF 581.3 kiB)
• The »Citizen Kane« of Video Games von Steven Poole (PDF 341.1 kiB)

Herausgeber*innen

Deutsches Filminstitut Filmmuseum, Frankfurt [mehr]

Pressestimmen

• »From its introduction to the final essay the reader is left with much food for thought and is free to question, investigate or merely ponder on the many reflections that have been raised by the book. You may never play a video game in the same way again.« (Film Ireland).
• »These are interesting times in the evolution of interactive games and this book demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the integration between history, philosophy and illustration. Essential for the next era of games and concepts. – So we live in an increasingly multi-media age but – ironically – ›Films and Games: Interactions‹ is something that, whilst discussing the modern aspects of our age, rejects one element of it. This is a book that you definitely do not want to read in electronic format but in print. It is so beautifully illustrated, compiled and composited that any electronic format would not do it justice; it may feel incongruous that its subject matter can only be viewed on screens but in this instance you want them on the page. Intelligent and beautifully illustrated, this is something to read and admire in multiple measure – a multi-media treasure.« (kamera.co.uk)
• Review by Feng Zhu in (Film-Philosophy)