Engagements with Literary Gaming

How is literature like a game, and how are games like literature? Engagements with Literary Gaming examines the cultural significance of these two converging forms, defining the concept of literary gaming for a new narrative, ludic, and media landscape.

Narratives have long featured ludic themes, and games are increasingly incorporating narrative structures. As a critical concept, ludonarratology encourages readers and players to consider the meanings behind ludic stories and narrative games. This book begins by examining the “rules” of narratives and games, looking at their shared foundations as well as stressing the impossibility of rules for literature but their necessity for games. The authors address key issues in ludonarrative studies, including adaptations; issues of personal identity, with particular focus on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality; children’s literature, games, and media; and virtual worlds. The authors offer accessible and engaging case studies throughout, including ones focusing on the Super Mario Bros. franchise, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the videogame Hogwarts Legacy, L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, and The Legend of Zelda video games. The book concludes with invaluable insights into the state of literary games and ludic narratives and possible future directions, as well as the roles of readers/players in effecting these new visions.

By illuminating the shared foundations of these engrossing pastimes, this stimulating and practical guide is an invaluable resource for students and instructors of literature, film, and games studies.

Tison Pugh is Pegasus Professor of English at the University of Central Florida, USA. His publications include Chaucer’s Losers, Nintendo’s Children, and Other Forays in Queer Ludonarratology (2019) and Literary Studies: A Practical Guide (with Margaret E. Johnson, 2013).

Lynn Ramey is Professor of French and of Cinema and Media Arts at Vanderbilt University, USA. She is the co-editor of Teaching Games and Game Studies in the Literature Classroom (with Tison Pugh, 2022), which was awarded Honorable Mention for the 2023 Teaching Literature Book Award.