Fictional Games - by Stefano Gualeni & Riccardo Fassone (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

What roles do imaginary games have in story-telling? Why do fiction authors outline the rules of a game that the audience will never play? Combining perspectives from philosophy, literary theory and game studies, this book provides the first in-depth investigation into the significance of fictional games within fictional worlds.

Drawing from contemporary cinema and literature, from The Hunger Games to the science fiction of Iain M. Banks, Stefano Gualeni and Riccardo Fassone introduce five key functions that different types of imaginary games have in worldbuilding. First, fictional games can emphasize the dominant values and ideologies of the fictional society they belong to. Second, some imaginary games function in fictional worlds as critical, utopian tools, inspiring shifts in the thinking and political orientation of the fictional characters. Third, a few fictional games are conducive to the transcendence of a particular form of being, such as the overcoming of human corporeality. Fourth, imaginary games within works of fiction can deceptively blur the boundaries between the contingency of play and the irrevocable seriousness of "real life", either camouflaging life as a game or disguising a game as something with more permanent consequences. And fifth, they can function as meta-reflexive tools, suggesting critical and/or satirical perspectives on how actual games are designed, played, sold, manipulated, experienced, understood and utilized as part of our culture.

With illustrations in every chapter bringing the imaginary games to life, Gualeni and Fassone creatively inspire us to consider fictional games anew: not as moments of playful reprieve in a storyline, but as significant and multi-layered expressive devices.

Review Quotes

"While Game Studies scholars are surely the privileged interlocutor for this academic endeavor, the wealth of close readings provided by Gualeni and Fassone and the many iterations of fictional games in narrative texts ... suggest that such [a] project is worthy of further exploration also in fields such as literary criticism and philosophy" --Between

"The first in depth examination of games within literature, this book takes us on a critical journey through several well known examples, examining the potential that games have to reflect philosophical and cultural values within fiction, as well as their place as essential moments of reflection, thought and ideologies within literary writing." --Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Professor of Game Studies, Staffordshire University, UK

"Gualeni and Fassone's brilliant volume provides a long-overdue analysis of the fascinating ways in which fictional games structure our understanding of fantastic storyworlds across different media. Their knowledgeable, affectionate, and compulsively readable study offers the reader tremendous insight into a compelling but largely overlooked topic." --Dan Hassler-Forest, Media scholar, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

"Sitting at the intersection of cultural studies, philosophy, and games studies, Gualeni and Fassone provide an overview and preliminary taxonomy of how fictional games function across a range of media. Fictional Games thus opens important new directions in the study of such games, showing how they are more than mere narrative devices." --Will Slocombe, Reader in English, University of Liverpool, UK

"Fictional Games is a significant contribution to the field of game studies ... Gualeni and Fassone's thoughtful analysis does not just fill existing gaps in literature; it paves new paths for understanding the intricate dynamics of fictional worlds and their impact on our perception of reality." --Aesthetic Investigations

About the Author

Stefano Gualeni is Associate Professor at the Institute of Digital Games, University of Malta, Malta. His recent publications include: Virtual Worlds as Philosophical Tools (2015) and Virtual Existentialism (2020).

Riccardo Fassone is Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities at the University of Torino, Italy. His recent publications include: Every Game is an Island. Endings and Extremities in Video Games (Bloomsbury, 2017).