{"product_id":"run-and-jump-isbn-9780262547390","title":"Run and Jump","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow abstract design decisions in 2D platform games create rich worlds of meaning for players.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSince the 1980s, 2D platform games have captivated their audiences. Whether the player scrambles up the ladders in \u003ci\u003eDonkey Kong\u003c\/i\u003e or leaps atop an impossibly tall pipe in \u003ci\u003eSuper Mario Bros.\u003c\/i\u003e, this deceptively simple visual language has persisted in our cultural imagination of video games. In \u003ci\u003eRun and Jump\u003c\/i\u003e, Peter McDonald surveys the legacy of 2D platform games and examines how abstract and formal design choices have kept players playing. McDonald argues that there is a rich layer of meaning underneath, say, the quality of an avatar’s movement, the pacing and rhythm of level design, the personalities expressed by different enemies, and the emotion elicited by collecting a coin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo understand these games, McDonald draws on technical discussions by game designers as well as theoretical work about the nature of signs from structuralist semiotics. Interspersed throughout are design exercises that show how critical interpretation can become a tool for game designers to communicate with their players. With examples drawn from over forty years of game history, and from games made by artists, hobbyists, iconic designers, and industry studios, \u003ci\u003eRun and Jump\u003c\/i\u003e presents a comprehensive—and engaging—vision of this slice of game history.Contents\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn Thinking Playfully vii\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments ix\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction: A Curious Persistence 1\u003cbr\u003e 1 Jumping 21\u003cbr\u003e 2 Dirt Suspended in the Air 51\u003cbr\u003e 3 Philosophy of the Enemy 81\u003cbr\u003e 4 Every Game Is Two Games 107\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: No Cheat Code 129\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNotes 139\u003cbr\u003e Ludography 153\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography 157\u003cbr\u003e Index 167“McDonald gives us tools—practical and theoretical—to uncover infinite possibilities of meaning in every leap and fall. Through his lovely, accessible writing, I’m now convinced of the power of the platformer!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e— Julianne Grasso, Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Florida State University\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“\u003c\/b\u003eMcDonald brings the dual perspective of a careful theorist and a creative maker to the platformer genre. At once analytical and poetic, this book demonstrates how genre-specific structures elevate \u003ci\u003eplatformers\u003c\/i\u003e to a unique \u003ci\u003eplatform\u003c\/i\u003e on which designers and players co-create meanings.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e— Patrick Jagoda, Professor of Cinema \u0026amp; Media Studies, University of Chicago; author of \u003ci\u003eExperimental Games\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Why do we persist in making and playing platform games over forty years after \u003ci\u003eDonkey Kong\u003c\/i\u003e? In \u003ci\u003eRun and Jump\u003c\/i\u003e, McDonald explores the poetics of the form, constructing an aesthetic vocabulary of the platformer.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e— Anna Anthropy, Game Designer in Residence, DePaul University; author of \u003ci\u003eA Game Design Vocabulary\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003ePeter McDonald is Assistant Professor of Design, Creative, and Informal Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research explores the ways people interpret play, the design practices that can support critical engagement through play, and the historical contexts of playfulness.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302734844133,"sku":"NP9780262547390","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262547390.jpg?v=1767735968","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/run-and-jump-isbn-9780262547390","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}