Jaime Banks is assistant professor in the Department of
Communication Studies at West Virginia University, research
associate at WVU’s Interaction Lab, and currently serves as the
founding Chair of the Game Studies Division of the National
Communication Association. She has authored book chapters and
journal articles in such publications as New Media & Society,
International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, and
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds.
Robert Mejia is assistant professor at the North Dakota State
University and is a founding member of the National Communication
Association’s Game Studies Division. He is the author of multiple
journal articles and book chapters on the political, economic, and
cultural significance of the video game industry.
Aubrie Adams is a doctoral student in the Department of
Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The editors (academics in the communications field) present 100
different characters from popular video-game culture, from human to
animal to alien to inanimate objects (yes, the Ball from Pong is
here!) and all manner in between. Readers will come across
favorites, such as Pikachu (from Pokémon), Sonic the Hedgehog, and
Lara Croft (from Tomb Raider), and meet ones new to them. The one-
to two-page entries are arranged alphabetically and consist of
narrative essays detailing the character’s game, backstory, and
more. The see also references for each character note similar
characters that may or may not also appear here.... [T]his is an
interesting and unique study of the video-game industry that will
appeal to gamers and researchers alike.
*Booklist*
As video games continue to be legitimized as an academic field, one
expects academic publishers to release more monographs like this
one. The trio of editors have compiled 100 thoughtful, critical
entries on the most culturally significant video-game characters,
chosen and written about by game researchers and developers from
all over the world. Supplementing basic information about each
character, entries include a description of the role of the
character within the game and explain why they are culturally
significant. Many authors take a critical perspective, touching on
social issues. Entries conclude with a short set of
cross-references to other characters in the book that are similar
in some respect. An appendix, notes, bibliography, and index round
out the treatment. The appendix is especially helpful as it
organizes characters under categories such as date range of first
appearance, genre of game, race, gender, etc.... [T]he work is an
important acquisition for any library serving patrons interested in
the academic study of video games. It works well as an reference
work but would also be a useful source for students arguing the
case for video games' cultural significance.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All student levels through
researchers/faculty; general readers;
professionals/practitioners.
*CHOICE*
100 Greatest Video Game Characters is an informative and engaging
volume that examines characters from a wide variety of video games
played over numerous platforms and spanning years of video game
production. . . . The book would certainly appeal to gamers, but
also to students and educators in media studies, computer science,
and the visual or narrative arts.
*American Reference Books Annual*
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