Animation on Trial

Is it ever morally wrong to enjoy fantasizing about immoral things? Many video games allow players to commit numerous violent and immoral acts. But, should players worry about the morality of their virtual actions? A common argument is that games offer merely the virtual representation of violence. No one is actually harmed by committing a violent act in a game. So, it cannot be morally wrong to perform such acts. While this is an intuitive argument, it does not resolve the issue. Focusing on why individual players are motivated to entertain immoral and violent fantasies, Video Games, Violence, and the Ethics of Fantasy advances debates about the ethical criticism of art, not only by shining light on the interesting and under-examined case of virtual fantasies, but also by its novel application of a virtue ethical account. Video games are works of fiction that enable players to entertain a fantasy. So, a full understanding of the ethical criticism of video games must focus attention on why individual players are motivated to entertain immoral and violent fantasies. Video Games, Violence, and the Ethics of Fantasy engages with debates and critical discussions of games in both the popular media and recent work in philosophy, psychology, media studies, and game studies

This paper aims to create a shorthand for video game history – from video games’ infancy to the current subscription model that is dominating gaming. In this essay, I will apply the practices of historical media scholarship that have helped parse out television history (e.g., TV I, TV II, TV III, and TV IV) and film history (e.g., Cinema 1, 2, and 3.0) to define the various shifts in video game history. Gaming I represents the arcade and home system boom up until the 1983 video game Crash, Gaming II describes the post-Crash console period, and finally, Gaming III materializes due to the arrival of modern video game subscriptions. Rather than constructing an exhaustive account of video game history, this essay means to generate more studies on what video game history can mean in the context of the established academic studies on visual media.

This book offers 25 profiles of some of the most popular female action heroes throughout the history of film, television, comic books, and video games. Female action heroes, like other fictional characters, not only reveal a lot about society, but greatly influence individuals in society. It is no surprise that the gradual development and increase in the number of female action heroes coincides with societal changes and social movements, such as feminism. Nor is it a surprise that characteristics of female action heroes echo the progressive toughening of women and young girls in the media. Female Action Heroes: A Guide to Women in Comics, Video Games, Film, and Television brings to the forefront the historical representation of women and girls in film, television, comic books, and video games. The book includes profiles of 25 of the most popular female action heroes, arranged in alphabetical order for easy reference. Each chapter includes sections on the hero’s origins, her power suit, weapons, abilities, and the villains with whom she grapples. Most significantly, each profile offers an analysis of the hero’s story—and her impact on popular culture.

The development of da'wah today is very rapid. This rapid development is also supported through various media, including popular culture media (Pop Culture). Of the many popular cultures, video games are rarely used in da'wah media because they are often considered as trivial things, not of important value, and also considered as wasteful/consumptive activities. In fact, video games are suspected to be able to shape changes in the mindset and behavior of the players. This study uses a qualitative approach through analysis of literature obtained from books, journals and other relevant sources. This study aims to examine conceptually and practically the use of video games as a medium of da'wah that can open up opportunities to disseminate messages of da'wah massively and significantly. The results show that the phenomenon of using video games as a popular propaganda medium can theoretically be examined in three perspectives, namely video games as a way of delivering/intervention to change behavior through the learning process, video games as a simulation and a model that presents a meaningful experience, and video games as part of an environment that is able to provide various (direct) activities that are useful and meaningful from the learning aspect. Practically, the use of video games as a medium of Islamic da'wah can be realized in three ways, namely building the entire process of developing a video game platform by involving Muslim components in it. Then by inserting Islamic elements, and involving other platforms outside the video game system.

While video games have been much maligned in the popular press, a number of scholars have begun to explore the positive side of these games, especially in terms of learning. Some critics have analyzed video games and the act of game play as complex, cultural texts. In college courses, such as composition, in which one goal is the development of rhetorical skills like analysis, video games and game play can be used as texts that are both accessible to students and rich in meaningful information. In this article, the author presents a case study of a composition course she developed using the book Everything Bad is Good for You, in which Steven Johnson focuses on popular media, such as video games. Through exposure to Johnson's complex discussion and by drawing on their own experience and observations, students were able to think and write critically about abstract concepts and produce their own meaningful analyses.

Why are video games always discussed separately from other types of media and popular culture? Although many scholars have utilized cultural studies approaches to understanding games and gaming culture, the relationship between games and popular culture more broadly is more problematic than one might assume. Despite their ubiquity, video games are consistently positioned—by cultural studies and game studies, by popular and video game cultures, and by our phenomenological experiences with them—as ‘other’ within popular media. This has important implications for how cultural studies might approach video games, and how critiques of and solutions to issues of diversity and inclusivity in games can be addressed.

The present paper explores the evolving field of cross-modal translation with a particular focus on the adaptation of literary works into interactive digital genres, using the 2019 video game Elsinore, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as a case study. As technology advances, the boundaries between text, audio, and visual media blur, presenting new challenges and opportunities for translators and content creators. This study argues that cross-modal translation in video games is driven by a dynamic interplay of adaptation and remediation, functioning together as an intrinsically synergistic and mutually reinforcing process. While previous research has largely overlooked this connection, recognizing this synergy is crucial to understanding the complexity of cross-modal translation in video games. Through a combination of theoretical analysis and a detailed examination of Elsinore, the study addresses the linguistic, cultural, and technological challenges of preserving the essence and integrity of literary works while adapting them for interactive platforms. Key concepts such as interactivity, immersion, and narrative in video game adaptations are analyzed, along with how these elements influence the user’s engagement with the source material. The examination of Elsinore includes aspects such as story structure, narrative impact, user interaction, and the methods used to translate literary devices into interactive elements. By focusing on how Elsinore adapts and remediates Hamlet for an interactive format, the paper highlights the challenges and innovations in cross-modal translation. It also examines how the game preserves key themes and motifs while introducing new interactive elements, and how these changes shape user engagement and narrative exploration. Finally, this research contributes to understanding how interactive media offer new ways to experience and engage with classical literature, opening up avenues for future exploration in cross-modal translation and interactive storytelling.

Taking inspiration from literary studies, this article examines how the seasonal mode has been taken up in video games by exploring, first, how seasonality impacts gameplay practices which are sensitive to spikes in temperature, and second, by analyzing an emergent trend in popular game design that points to a growing engagement with climate change. This trend, which this article dubs “dark seasonality,” describes the increased thematization of unseasonal and dangerous weather in popular media, reflecting anxieties and concerns about the climate crisis. Rather than engage with extreme weather as a singular, spectacular occurrence, dark seasonality portrays extreme weather events to fall within new seasonal norms, dictating different styles of gameplay that are more cautious, more focused on the long term, and more attentive to environmental uncertainties. In this way, dark seasonality offers players a space to familiarize themselves with tumultuous weather-worlds, whose disturbed seasonal rhythms echo the more protracted ones felt around the globe.

In the age of digital media, superheroes are no longer confined to comic books and graphic novels. Their stories are now featured in films, video games, digital comics, television programs, and more. In a single year alone, films featuring Batman, Spider-Man, and the Avengers have appeared on the big screen. Popular media no longer exists in isolation, but converges into complex multidimensional entities. As a result, traditional ideas about the relationship between varying media have come under striking revision. Although this convergence is apparent in many genres, perhaps nowhere is it more persistent, more creative, or more varied than in the superhero genre. Superhero Synergies: Comic Book Characters Go Digital explores this developing relationship between superheroes and various forms of media, examining how the superhero genre, which was once limited primarily to a single medium, has been developed into so many more. Essays in this volume engage with several of the most iconic heroes—including Batman, Hulk, and Iron Man—through a variety of academic disciplines such as industry studies, gender studies, and aesthetic analysis to develop an expansive view of the genre’s potency. The contributors to this volume engage cinema, comics, video games, and even live stage shows to instill readers with new ways of looking at, thinking about, and experiencing some of contemporary media’s most popular texts. This unique approach to the examination of digital media and superhero studies provides new and valuable readings of well-known texts and practices. Intended for both academics and fans of the superhero genre, this anthology introduces the innovative and growing synergy between traditional comic books and digital media.

This study analyses mechanisms through which Cold War themed video games played from an American perspective propagate US authoritarianism by reiterating concepts of Americanness generated in popular media during the Cold War era. These video games work with cultural, historical, and social stereotypes to generate a dichotomy between good and evil and they heavily rely on emotions and morality in their portrayal of communist, socialist, and Soviet enemy forces. Popular concepts associated with America are used to propagate democracy and (political) freedom, while simultaneously vilifying their adversaries. Through drawing parallels to American Cold War propaganda and its utilisation of popular media, this paper asks how stereotypical notions of America are generated through symbolism in an engagement with material objects as well as thoughts and beliefs. Topics engaged with are media control, free speech, programming, espionage, intrigues, paranoia, trust, and the morality of the individual in a hyperreal environment. This study is conducted in reference to Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (2001), Freedom Fighters (2003), Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010), Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010), Homefront (2011), and Alekhine’s Gun (2016). By considering mechanisms of propaganda in these games, it is shown how manifestations of Americanness are generated in them and how they affect friend and foe images.

Video games are becoming an increasingly popular means of entertainment, as well as learning, especially those based on historical events and personalities. However, the issue of historical accuracy and interpretation in these games remains relevant, as errors and simplifications can distort the public's perception of history. This study aims to analyze the role of historical accuracy in video games and its impact on players' understanding of history. The purpose of this study is to determine the importance of historians in the development of video games, and to assess how games approach the task of presenting historical authenticity. It also examines the potential impact of video games on education and historical interest, emphasizing the significance of accurately presenting historical facts to avoid mythologization and misrepresentation. The research employs methods such as analyzing literary sources, conducting interviews with video game developers and historians, and conducting comparative analysis between video games and historical facts. The scientific novelty of this research lies in its analysis of how video games and their historical accuracy affect the formation of collective historical memory. Unlike previous studies that mainly focused on the descriptive aspect of video games, this research aims to explore how historians can contribute to their creation by ensuring the transmission of reliable historical data and accurate interpretations. An important aspect of this study is the critical analysis of historical anachronisms and inaccuracies in popular video games. The research identifies the causes of these errors and suggests ways to improve historical accuracy in video game content. Additionally, the article addresses the commercial and cultural challenges that developers face when incorporating historical content into video games and proposes strategies to strike a balance between entertainment and education.

Cinema plays a major role in contemporary art, yet the deeper influence of its diverse historical forms on artistic practice has received little attention. Working from a media and cultural studies perspective, Screen Presence explores the intersections of film, popular media, and art since the 1950s through the examples of four pivotal figures – Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Mona Hatoum and Douglas Gordon. While their film-related works may appear primarily as challenges to conventional cinema, these artists draw on overlooked forms of popular film culture that have been commonplace, and even dominant, in specific social contexts. Through analysis of a range of examples and source materials, Stephen Monteiro demonstrates the dependence of contemporary artists on cinema’s shifting applications and interpretations, offering a fresh understanding of the enduring impact of everyday media on how we make and view art.

Ernst Lubitsch’s Trouble in Paradise (1932) was released at a critical moment in cinema history, just after the advent of synchronized sound technology and just before the full implementation of the production code. By the time of its release, Lubitsch had already directed more than 50 films, but it was unlike anything he had done before. Aside from being his first non-musical talking picture, the film introduced a level of sophistication and visual subtlety that established the benchmark for classic Hollywood cinema for years to come. In his study of the film, David Weir explores its significance within Lubitsch’s career, but also its larger cultural significance within the history of cinema, and the social context of its release during the Great Depression. Paying careful attention to the film itself, Weir discusses its source material, its mise-en-scène and art deco production design, and its inventive use of post-synchronized sound. Drawing on original archival research, Weir traces Trouble in Paradise's reception history, including its critical reception, and the effect of the Motion Picture Production Code, which led to the film being denied approval for re-release in 1935.

This book—both a narrative and a film directory—surveys and analyzes English-language feature films (and a few shorts and TV shows/movies) made between 1927 and 2019 that tell stories about jazz music, its musicians, its history and culture. Play the Way You Feel looks at jazz movies as a narrative tradition with recurring plot points and story tropes, whose roots and development are traced. It also demonstrates how jazz stories cut across diverse genres—biopic, romance, musical, comedy and science fiction, horror, crime and comeback stories, “race movies” and modernized Shakespeare—even as they constitute a genre of their own. The book is also a directory/checklist of such films, 67 of them with extensive credits, plus dozens more shorter/capsule discussions. Where jazz films are based on literary sources, they are examined, and the nature of their adaptation explored: what gets retained, removed, or invented? What do historical films get right and wrong? How does a film’s music, and the style of the filmmaking itself, reinforce or undercut the story?

This chapter investigates cinematic strategies used to depict Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947 on screen. The critical discourse surrounding Heyerdahl’s 1950 documentary film has centered on the ontology of its images, which film history’s most influential theorist of realism, André Bazin, famously praised in Kon-Tiki. Despite Bazin’s enthusiasm, both expedition and documentary were highly mediated and staged promotional events from the beginning. The only reason a film could be cobbled together at all from the waterlogged 16mm film that Heyerdahl brought home with him was because of the intervention of a Swedish film technician who resized and repaired the badly damaged sequences. In 2013, Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg turned to Heyerdahl’s expedition for their own film. In their take, the sedate source material of the documentary has given way to spectacular visual effects and scenes of peril on the high seas. All the absent scenes of danger in the original take center stage in the latter film. Subtext has become text, as Rønning and Sandberg transform the source material into cinematic spectacle.