Codename revolution : the Nintendo WII platform / Steven E. Jones and George K. Thiruvathukal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, Steven E. (Steven Edward)

Contributor:

Thiruvathukal, George K. (George Kuriakose)

Series:

Platform studies.

Platform studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Video games--Social aspects.

Video games.

Nintendo Wii video games.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (215 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, ©2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Nintendo Wii, introduced in 2006, helped usher in a moment of retro-reinvention in video game play. This hugely popular console system, codenamed Revolution during development, signaled a turn away from fully immersive, time-consuming MMORPGs or forty-hour FPS games and back toward family fun in the living room. Players using the wireless motion-sensitive controller (the Wii Remote, or "Wiimote") play with their whole bodies, waving, swinging, swaying. The mimetic interface shifts attention from what's on the screen to what's happening in physical space. This book describes the Wii's impact in technological, social, and cultural terms, examining the Wii as a system of interrelated hardware and software that was consciously designed to promote social play in physical space. Each chapter of Codename Revolution focuses on a major component of the Wii as a platform: the console itself, designed to be low-powered and nimble; the iconic Wii Remote; Wii Fit Plus, and its controller, the Wii Balance Board; the Wii Channels interface and Nintendo's distribution system; and the Wii as a social platform that not only affords multiplayer options but also encourages social interaction in shared physical space. Finally, the authors connect the Wii's revolution in mimetic interface gaming--which eventually led to the release of Sony's Move and Microsoft's Kinect--to some of the economic and technological conditions that influence the possibility of making something new in this arena of computing and culture.

Contents:

Contents; Series Foreword; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1. Introduction: Starting with Revolution: The Wii as a Platform; Our Approach; Cross-Platform Mario; The Book's Plan; Chapter 2. "Power Isn't Everything": The Wii Console; Form Factor and Technical Architecture; Power (Constraints); Red Steel 2; Power (Efficiencies); Chapter 3. Core Controller: The Wii Remote; Form Factor and Technology; The MotionPlus Attachment; Wii Sports Resort; WarioWare: Smooth Moves; The Wii Remote as Magic Crayon; The Wii Remote as Mouse; Chapter 4. Active at the Periphery: The Wii Balance Board

Form Factor and TechnologyWii Balance Board as a Game Controller; Wii Vitality Sensor: Capturing the Player's Internal State; Wii Fit Plus ("Measuring"); Player Space ("Adequate Space Required"); The Magic Circle and Miniature Garden; The Living Room as Player Space (Wii no Ma); Chapter 5. Channeling the System: Access, Distribution, and Transmission; The Television Metaphor (a Menu of Channels); Channeling the System; Distribution: The Virtual Console; Distribution: WiiWare; World of Goo (via WiiWare); WarioWare D.I.Y. (for DS and WiiWare); Internet Channel

Homebrew Channel: The Platform's EdgeChapter 6. "Wii Is for Everyone": A Social Platform; Degrees of Openness; Some Wii Mods and Hacks; Wii Social Games; The Wii as a Social Platform; Chapter 7. After the Revolution; Turning the Blue Ocean Red; A Software Phase; Emerging and Converging Technologies; The Absence of an Object?; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

ISBN:

9786613594556

9780262300537

0262300532

9781280499326

128049932X

9780262301312

0262301318

OCLC:

778564485

Publisher Number:

9786613594556