Introduction

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter 1
2. Contents 5
3. Acknowledgments 9
4. Introduction 11
5. Part I: Towards the Video Game Dystopia
6. Preface to Part I 35
7. 1. Utopia and the Dream of a Better World 37
8. 2. Dystopia: Nightmarish Worlds as Distorted Anxiety Dreams 65
9. 3. Warning, Effectiveness, and Targets of the Video Game Dystopia 113
10. Part II: Playful Trial Actions in Estranged Gameworlds
11. Preface to Part II 155
12. 4. Towards the Implied Player 159
13. 5. Estrangement Through World and Agency 251
14. Part III: Playing Dystopia
15. Preface to Part III 323
16. 6. Night-Time Dreams and Wish-Fulfilment: The Struggle for Utopia in BIOSHOCK INFINITE 325
17. 7. THE LAST OF US and the Journey to Nature 373
18. 8. Horizons and the Video Game Dystopia 403
19. List of Abbreviations 409
20. Glossary 411
21. Ludography 415
22. Bibliography 417