Videogames, computer games, and other forms of digital gaming are omnipresent in contemporary culture. Why, then, is the scope of games so limited? As Anna Anthropy puts it, “Mostly, videogames are about men shooting men in the face.”
Though the “men” may occasionally be monsters or women or aliens, the most popular games seem to focus on a narrow range of tasks. Anthropy describes the particular history of the gaming industry, where individual perspectives are often lost in the grind between large publishers and developers. She argues that, as a contemporary art form, videogames hardly represent the diversity of their players.
As a queer transgendered woman and a gamemaker, Anthopy has created games representing her interests, both professionally and for fun. The book describes some of these: Calamity Annie, a Western whose protagonist is a butch dyke; Box Pusher, a crate-shifting game where images of vulvas have been switched out for the warehouse boxes; Gay Sniper, a shooting game where homosexuality destroys America. Considering the technology currently available, anyone with computer access can make a game. Anthropy exhorts gamers to do just this, to think of games as a chance to self-publish, just like zines.
This book is a bit of an odd fit. It is not explicit enough in its instructions to be considered a handbook, nor is its research sufficiently academic to satisfy scholarly standards. The footnotes often give only a URL with no other identifying bibliographic information. It is ultimately a very readable manifesto, encouraging the general population to try making their own videogames.
Anthropy provides very basic directions for game creation, as well as a list of recommended software. Though the software will certainly change, the general instructions are accessible for even less-savvy readers.
Libraries serving gamers or researchers who study them should consider this engaging addition. There is some coarse language and description of games which may not be appropriate for all ages.
Reviewer: Kelly McElroy
Undergraduate Services Librarian, University of Iowa