Michael Iantorno PhD Candidate, Game Designer, and Writer

Class and Games Writing Catch-up

It’s been a while, so I took some time this week to update the research and writing sections of my website. Although my overall pace has slowed a bit this year due to obvious reasons, I have been slowly pumping out work for the ongoing Class and Games research project I’m part of alongside a number of cool and talented people.

I already posted about All in a Day’s Work: Working-Class Heroes as Videogame Protagonists, a journal article for the Nordicom Review, but I thought I’d shine a spotlight on some progress writing I’ve been doing for the project. Over the past year or so I’ve written a number of short blog posts to share research findings and spark ideas for longer-form pieces. I’ve listed them below, with short summaries, but a continually updated list can always been found in the writing section of this website.

A screenshot from Tooth and Tail, where one character advocates for eating the weak.

Nova Alea and Gentrification in Games
A reflection on how gentrification is presented in digital games, with a focus on Molleindustria’s Nova Alea (2016) and its abstract presentation of the socioeconomic phenomenon.

Of Rats and Revolution 
A brief analysis of the revolutionary narrative and gameplay in Tooth and Tail (2017), particularly how it represents conflict between weak and strong factions.

Dismantling Capitalism II
A follow-up to a prior post by Mia Consalvo, this article scrutinizes Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (1997) as a revolutionary game that requires players to dismantle the machinery of their oppression.

The Firefighter’s Arsenal
A precursor to All in a Day’s Work, this post presents a brief analysis of how a firefighter’s tools are presented in digital games (often as weapons), using The Firemen (1994) and Real Heroes: Firefighter (2009) as key examples.

Add Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

By Michael
Michael Iantorno PhD Candidate, Game Designer, and Writer