Marcus Carter

From Among Us to Minecraft, chess to Dungeons and Dragons, games and play are fundamentally transforming how we understand storytelling, education, identity, politics, and creativity. Game Studies provides the first ever critical and comprehensive introduction for navigating this complex, interdisciplinary, and rapidly growing field. It combines key theoretical frameworks with case studies of influential games to equip readers with the tools needed to critically engage with games and their growing cultural significance. Each chapter introduces a timely area of debate in games research, including games as storytelling, games and education, identity and representation, creativity and the games industry, and militarism and globalisation. Full of concrete examples and pedagogical features, Game Studies offers a highly accessible and urgently needed guide to this rapidly growing, hotly contested, and culturally significant field. It is essential reading for new students of both media studies and game design, and an important resource for scholars, developers, and gamers.

From Among Us to Minecraft, chess to Dungeons and Dragons, games and play are fundamentally transforming how we understand storytelling, education, identity, politics, and creativity. Game Studies provides the first ever critical and comprehensive introduction for navigating this complex, interdisciplinary, and rapidly growing field. It combines key theoretical frameworks with case studies of influential games to equip readers with the tools needed to critically engage with games and their growing cultural significance. Each chapter introduces a timely area of debate in games research, including games as storytelling, games and education, identity and representation, creativity and the games industry, and militarism and globalisation. Full of concrete examples and pedagogical features, Game Studies offers a highly accessible and urgently needed guide to this rapidly growing, hotly contested, and culturally significant field. It is essential reading for new students of both media studies and game design, and an important resource for scholars, developers, and gamers.

The fantasies that underpin common perceptions of Virtual Reality and what we need to know about VR s potential risks as well as its opportunities. Virtual Reality is the next new frontier for Silicon Valley. Mark Zuckerberg, who has overseen Meta s investment of billions into VR, pitches it as the next dominant computing paradigm. More than just a gaming technology, VR is top of mind for academics, tech reportage, and industry evangelists who all see the potential for VR to revolutionize fields such as education, and health, as well as the way we work and communicate. But will VR achieve all this? In Fantasies of Virtual Reality, Marcus Carter and Ben Egliston strip bare the tech industry s vision of a future dominated by immersive VR experiences, challenging the utopian promises of this technology's potential. Carter and Egliston offer a critical account of VR in a variety of contexts, from gaming to human resources to policing and the military. They argue that while VR does hold significant potential, the overhyped expectations surrounding it, from achieving true empathetic understanding to transforming traditional education and office work, are often overstated and fraught with issues of privacy, control, and exclusion. What s more, there is nothing truly virtual about Virtual Reality: VR is deeply entrenched in the material world, driven by tangible technological, economic, and social logics. An accessible introduction to this emerging technology, Fantasies of Virtual Reality is essential reading for anyone interested in what VR can really do and what is just plain fantasy.

In this ground-breaking book, we navigate the uncharted terrain of social virtual reality (VR), a technology that, while offering unprecedented immersive experiences, brings forth significant governance challenges. By merging theoretical insights with practical examples, the book examines the risks of harm in social VR environments, including both content and conduct issues. It charts a course for developing inclusive and safe social VR spaces that are respectful of diverse users’ rights and needs, laying out essential principles for policymakers, developers and regulators. The book is an urgent call to proactively shape the burgeoning field of VR for the betterment of all.

In the United States, divorce rates are steadily rising, reaching nearly 50% in 2018. With frightening statistics like this, many question whether marriage is even worth it, and we're here to tell you it is. Love Talk is geared towards those who are married but may be on the verge of adding to the divorce rate statistics. Perhaps this is a last-ditch effort to rekindle the romance and remember why you took those vows. Or, maybe you're headed toward the altar but are worried about the success of your pending nuptials. Regardless of relationship status, race, sexual orientation, or social status, the information provided in this book will help you foster beautiful bonds that beat the odds. With over a decade of experience, we dig deep into what it takes to keep a marriage going after so many years. The key to having longevity is a solid foundation, and in this book, we cover pre-marital topics, how to overcome obstacles, and even answer questions from people who, just like you, are willing to do what it takes to keep their love alive. Also discussed are real-life personal events that could have cost us our marriage, but with the practical tools and resources we'll provide, we aim to show you how you, too, can conquer any hardship. Marriage is hard-there's no doubt about that. But, with a united front and two people who are willing to fight for their relationship, success is always possible. Picking up this book is the first step to changing how you view your current situation. Despite the odds that seem stacked against you, you can have a successful, loving, healthy marriage that lasts, and we're living proof.