Discourses at Play: A Rhetorical Exploration of Historical Crises Using the Language of Games

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Todd S. Frobish

Discourses at Play

Name: Discourses at Play
Price: 160 AUD
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ISBN: 9781666970012

A Rhetorical Exploration of Historical Crises Using the Language of Games

Todd S. Frobish

$160

Hardback

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English

Rowman & Littlefield
16 April 2026

Semantics; Communication studies; Social & cultural history

Todd Frobish explores a diverse set of historical crises through the lens of ""rhetorical gameplay"",

an approach that serves as the intersection between rhetorical theory and game studies.

The field of rhetorical studies has yet to embrace the subject of gaming and play. While previous methods, such as dramatism, narrative analysis, fantasy theme, and more, are still powerful and useful as critical methods, Frobish argues that rhetorical events can be analyzed as games of persuasion, choice, and play. Testing this model through a textual examination of four large-scale rhetorical events (The Salem Witch Trials, the Covid Pandemic, Fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Bombing of Hiroshima), Discourses at Play argues that these major events constitute rhetorical games with Players, Rules, Match turns, and Outcomes, and focuses on the persuasive choices that guide these games toward eventual resolution. Through these events, readers will become familiarized with effective and ineffective communication strategies while employing the vocabulary of gaming to comprehend the persuasive mechanisms behind them.

By: Todd S. Frobish
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781666970012
ISBN 10: 1666970018
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 16 April 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction Chapter 1: Witches are Among Us: A Game of Accusations in Salem Chapter 2: Masks, Shots, and Social Isolation: Covid as Society Game Changer Chapter 3: An Der Wand Tanzen: The Endgame of the Berlin Wall Chapter 4: “A New and Most Cruel Bomb”: Truman, Hiroshima, and a Game Without End Conclusions

Todd S. Frobish is Chair and Professor in the Department of Communication, Languages, and Cultures at Fayetteville State University.

Reviews for Discourses at Play: A Rhetorical Exploration of Historical Crises Using the Language of Games

A thought-provoking new addition to the field of game studies, Todd Frobish’s Discourses at Play usefully examines how the language of games has been used to change public perceptions of world conflicts, cataclysms, and catastrophes. Intriguingly, Frobish considers the possibility that ludic language—words and ideas with playful overtones—may actually contribute to the resolution of such crises within the public imagination, and ultimately on the world stage. * Kenneth S. McAllister, Professor of Public & Applied Humanities, University of Arizona, USA *