Book Review: Games of Empire: Global Capitalism and Videogames

Abstract

This work is highly technical in places, but worth persevering with. It takes some, usually amiable, side-swipes at key aspects of uncongenial theoretical traditions, like phenomenology and actor network theory. Overall, it provides a much enhanced understanding of the nature and scope of tacit knowledge and, for me, a welcome sociological statement of the importance and irreducibility of collective knowledge.

Hypermodern Video Games as Emblems of Empire or How the Gaming Multitude Adapts to Hypermodernity

“…Based on this archetypal account, that is, a theoretical model rather than a case study, we will show how hypermodern video games' commercialization and use within a capitalist context are emblematic of hypermodernity. However, as with Games of Empire and taking into account critiques that have been raised by reviewers (Barnes, 2010; Breuer, 2012; Rebello, 2014; Wade, 2010), our argument is based on theoretical remarks and is deliberately polemic (Di Fillipo, 2011). It is no doubt that numerous nuances ought to be elaborated following empirical research and case studies better anchored in game studies (Ferrari & Bogost, 2013; Simon, 2011).…”