BOUNCE

WING, CARLIN

ISBN 10: 026255321X / ISBN 13: 9780262553216

Published by The MIT Press, 2026

Seller Inventory # NW9780262553216

Synopsis:

A lively and insightful account that follows the bouncing ball through the history of nonelectronic and electronic games.

Bounce follows an array of bouncing balls through the histories of nonelectronic and electronic games, across the spectrum of play, game, and sport, and into the domains of physics, material science, animation, and computing. The book’s focus on bounce sidesteps the focus on play found in much of the game studies literature and broadens the scope of game history by spotlighting an interaction that is central to thousands of physical and digital games and sports.

The book is divided into three sections that introduce different kinds of bounce to address the matter of the ball, the virtuality of bounce, and bounded spectacle: Ricochet in ancient tennis is set against modern tennis’s true bounce; squash and stretch in animation serves as a mirror of the pings and pongs of computer bounce; and the bounce feel in Electronic Art’s FIFA video game series and pok ta pok of the Mesoamerican game ulama elaborate the contrasting positions of these two mythological games.

About the Author: Carlin Wing is Associate Professor of Media Studies at Scripps College. She is coeditor of The Techno-Galactic Guide to Software Observation and EA Sports FIFA: Feeling the Game.

Bibliographic Details

Title: BOUNCE
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication Date: 2026
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: NEW