Digital Zombies, Undead Stories

Narrative Emergence and Videogames

Dr. Lawrence May (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic USA
25 August 2022

Media studies; Game theory

Through analysis of three case study videogames – Left 4 Dead 2, DayZ and Minecraft – and their online player communities, Digital Zombies, Undead Stories develops a framework for understanding how collective gameplay generates experiences of narrative, as well as the narrative dimensions of players’ creative activity on social media platforms. Narrative emergence is addressed as a powerful form of player experience in multiplayer games, one which makes individual games’ boundaries and meanings fluid and negotiable by players. The phenomenon is also shown to be recursive in nature, shaping individual and collective understandings of videogame texts over time.

Digital Zombies, Undead Stories focuses on games featuring zombies as central antagonists. The recurrent figure of the videogame zombie, which mediates between chaos and rule-driven predictability, serves as both metaphor and mascot for narrative emergence. This book argues that in the zombie genre, emergent experiences are at the heart of narrative experiences for players, and more broadly demonstrates the potential for the phenomenon to be understood as a fundamental part of everyday play experiences across genres.

By: Dr. Lawrence May (University of Auckland New Zealand)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781501374876
ISBN 10: 1501374877
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 25 August 2022
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Lawrence May is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.