Monstrosity in Games and Play

A Multidisciplinary Examination of the Monstrous in Contemporary Cultures
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-94-6372-568-2
Verlag: Amsterdam University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 11, 294 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Games and Play

Monsters fascinate us. From ancient folklore to contemporary digital games, they are at the core of the stories we tell. They reflect our fears, deepest desires, and the monstrosity hidden within ourselves. Monsters hold a mirror to our contemporary society and reveal who we truly are.

This edited collection examines monsters and monstrosity in games and play. Monsters are a key feature of most games: we fight, kill, and eat them—and sometimes, we become them. However, monsters in games and play are not only entertaining but also a reflection of the monstrosity of our world. In this book, twenty-two scholars explore how themes such as mental health, colonialism, individualism, disability, gender, sexuality, racism, and exclusion are reflected in the monsters we interact with in games, play, and our daily lives both online and offline.

Monstrosity in Games and Play is recommended to readers interested in the monstrous in contemporary game cultures and their surrounding societies.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Stang, Sarah

Meriläinen, Mikko

Blom, Joleen

Hassan, Lobna

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Digital Lifestyle Computerspiele, Internetspiele

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction by Sarah Stang, Mikko Merilainen, Joleen Blom, and Lobna Hassan

Part I: Monstrous Representations

1. “Honor Died on the Beach”: Constructing Japaneseness Through Monstrosity in Ghost of Tsushima by Dom Ford and Joleen Blom

2. For the Love of Monsters: Yokai and Colonialism in Japanese Games by Rachael Hutchinson

3. Translating Horrific History: Philippine Mythological and Folk Creatures, the Trauma of Colonial History, and the Limits of Nationalism in the Design and Narrative of Nightfall: Escape by Christoffer Mitch C. Cerda

4. Monster-Order Brides: Framing the Bride of Frankenstein Trope in The Wanderer, Fable II, and Dragon Age II by Caighlan Smith

5. Beyond Women Monsters and Psychoanalytic Terrors: The Monstrous-Feminine and Horror Cinematic Tropes in The Evil Within 2 by Nazely Hartoonian

6. The Monstrosity of Stigma: Mental Health Representation in Video Games by Kelli Dunlap and Rachel Kowert

7. Monstrosity as Neurodiversity and The Procedural Rhetoric of Psychosis in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017) by Lisanne Meinen

Part II: Monstrous Interpretations

8. Hidden Monsters: Conspiracy Aesthetics in Video Games by Lars de Wildt

9. Performing Monstrosity in Twitch Chat by Rachel Linn

10. Games of Personal Horror: Shadow Work and Role-playing Experiences by Sarah Lynne Bowman

11. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Virtual Murder: Commodified Monstrosity in Diablo III by J. Tuomas Harviainen, Johanna Granvik, and Henry Korkeila

12. Monstrous Academics by Diane Carr, Shakuntala Banaji, and Hakan Ergül

Complete References

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Hassan, Lobna
Lobna Hassan is Associate Professor (tenure-track) of sociotechnical transitions in services, at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Finland. Dr. Hassan’s interests include game accessibility, gamification, and inclusion of people with disabilities. Her work and publications can be found at http://lobnahassan.com

Meriläinen, Mikko
Mikko Meriläinen is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies at the Tampere University Game Research Lab. His research focus in on the intersections of gaming cultures and different areas of everyday life. Further information can be found at mikkomerilainen.com.

Stang, Sarah
Dr. Sarah Stang is an Assistant Professor of Game Studies in Brock University’s Department of Digital Humanities where she teaches courses in the Interactive Arts and Sciences, GAME, and Game Studies MA programs. Her research primarily focuses on gender representation in both digital and analogue games.

Blom, Joleen
Joleen Blom is a university lecturer at the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies at the Tampere University Game Research Lab. She is the author of Video Game Characters and Transmedia Storytelling published at the Amsterdam University Press. For more, see joleenblom.com