Scholars, critics, and creators describe certain videogames as being “poetic,” yet what that means or why it matters is rarely discussed. In
Game Poems: Videogame Design as Lyric Practice, independent game designer Jordan Magnuson explores the convergences between game making and lyric poetry and makes the surprising proposition that videogames can operate as a kind of poetry apart from any reliance on linguistic signs or symbols.
This rigorous and accessible short book first examines characteristics of lyric poetry and explores how certain videogames can be appreciated more fully when read in light of the lyric tradition—that is, when read as “game poems.” Magnuson then lays groundwork for those wishing to make game poems in practice, providing practical tips and pointers along with tools and resources. Rather than propose a monolithic framework or draw a sharp line between videogame poems and poets and their nonpoetic counterparts, Game Poems brings to light new insights for videogames and for poetry by promoting creative dialogue between disparate fields. The result is a lively account of poetic game-making praxis.
“Everyone who loves the true power of games will benefit from the treasure trove of insights in Game Poems.”
—Jesse Schell, author of The Art of Game Design
“Magnuson shines a sensitive and incisive light on small, often moving, videogames.”
—D. Fox Harrell, Ph.D., Professor of Digital Media, Computing, and Artificial Intelligence, MIT
“[Game Poems] tells a new story about games— that games can be lyrical, beautiful, emotionally challenging—to inspire creators and critics alike.”
—Noah Wardrip-Fruin, author of How Pac-Man Eats
“In Game Poems, Magnuson listens carefully to videogames, and hears them speak to questions of art, language, and meaning that connect our written past to our software future. Read this book and you will hear it too.”
—Frank Lantz, Director, NYU Game Center
“With Game Poems, Jordan Magnuson lays to rest any last vestige of the notion that the implicit limits of games are as ‘entertainment products’. By taking games seriously as successors of the lyric poetry tradition, he opens up new avenues for how game designers can think about what they do, how critical game theorists can approach their many-faceted object of study, and how players can more fully engage with videogames.”
—Soraya Murray, author of On Video Games
"Even as the news swells with impending doom for creativity, writing, and text itself, this literate and crafty book pursues poetry not through implacable algorithms but in concrete and personal play. It should be an indispensable guide for anyone who aims to maintain the true, human promise of technical poetics."
—Stuart Moulthrop, coauthor of Twining: Critical and Creative Approaches to Hypertext Narratives
Jordan Magnuson is an independent game designer and new media scholar whose games explore subjective experiences, difficult topics, and complex emotions. His work has been featured by Wired, PC Gamer, Le Monde, and others, shown at festivals and exhibits around the world, and nominated for awards like the New Media Writing Prize and the IndieCade Grand Jury Award.
An auto-narrated audiobook is available via the "Download" button above.
Open Access
