Lynn Ramey

This book explores digital gameplay’s potential for transforming the way medievalists teach spoken and written language. The authors reflect on lessons learned from the implementation of the video game Brendan’s Voyage, which remediates key episodes from the twelfth-century poem, The Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot, a popular text translated from Latin into the Anglo-Norman dialect of medieval French. As the player participates in Brendan’s maritime quest (and the creation of the Brendan manuscript), the game conveys basic skills in spoken and written Anglo-Norman as well as cultural lessons about Francophone England, from the role of women in artistic patronage to the role of fantastic beasts in monastic imagination. This book positions Brendan’s Voyage as a case study whose production and use can offer insights that impact medieval studies, language pedagogy, the digital humanities, and educational video game design.

How is literature like a game, and how are games like literature? Engagements with Literary Gaming examines the cultural significance of these two converging forms, defining the concept of literary gaming for a new narrative, ludic, and media landscape. Narratives have long featured ludic themes, and games are increasingly incorporating narrative structures. As a critical concept, ludonarratology encourages readers and players to consider the meanings behind ludic stories and narrative games. This book begins by examining the “rules” of narratives and games, looking at their shared foundations as well as stressing the impossibility of rules for literature but their necessity for games. The authors address key issues in ludonarrative studies, including adaptations; issues of personal identity, with particular focus on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality; children’s literature, games, and media; and virtual worlds. The authors offer accessible and engaging case studies throughout, including the Super Mario Bros. franchise, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the videogame Hogwarts Legacy, L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, and The Legend of Zelda videogames. The book concludes with invaluable insights into the state of literary games and ludic narratives and possible future directions, as well as the roles of readers/players in effecting these new visions. By illuminating the shared foundations of these engrossing pastimes, this stimulating and practical guide is an invaluable resource for students and instructors of literature, film, and games studies.

How is literature like a game, and how are games like literature? Engagements with Literary Gaming examines the cultural significance of these two converging forms, defining the concept of literary gaming for a new narrative, ludic, and media landscape. Narratives have long featured ludic themes, and games are increasingly incorporating narrative structures. As a critical concept, ludonarratology encourages readers and players to consider the meanings behind ludic stories and narrative games. This book begins by examining the “rules” of narratives and games, looking at their shared foundations as well as stressing the impossibility of rules for literature but their necessity for games. The authors address key issues in ludonarrative studies, including adaptations; issues of personal identity, with particular focus on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality; children’s literature, games, and media; and virtual worlds. The authors offer accessible and engaging case studies throughout, including the Super Mario Bros. franchise, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the videogame Hogwarts Legacy, L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, and The Legend of Zelda videogames. The book concludes with invaluable insights into the state of literary games and ludic narratives and possible future directions, as well as the roles of readers/players in effecting these new visions. By illuminating the shared foundations of these engrossing pastimes, this stimulating and practical guide is an invaluable resource for students and instructors of literature, film, and games studies.