Dragon's Lair and the fantasy of interactivity / M. J. Clarke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clarke, M. J. (Michael Jordan), 1979- author.

Contributor:

Bloomsbury (Firm), publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dragon's Lair (Game).

Video games--Design.

Video games.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (151 pages)

Distribution:

New York : Bloomsbury Publishing (US), 2025.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Lexington Books, [2022]

Summary:

This book revives a neglected video game classic through a critical examination of its design, its makers, its recording medium, and its imagery. The investigation of these facets reveals a game shaped by the demands of its context and is instructive for contemporary debates in media studies.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Dragon's Lair: The Platform

Dragon's Lair as Hybrid Platform

Dragon's Lair and Timing

Timing and Turbulence

Dragon's Lair and Non-linearity

Dragon's Lair and Filmic Puzzles

Notes

Chapter 2: Dragon's Lair: The Business

Don Bluth and Full Animation

The Videogame Crash in the Film and Toy Businesses

Dragon's Lair and the "Lazer Craze"

The After-life of Dragon's Lair and the Lure of Computerization

Chapter 3: Dragon's Lair: The Disc

The Aesthetics of Interactivity, or Why Dragon's Lair "Sucked"

The "Paper World" of Early Screen Interactivity

Interactivity as Strategy: CubeQuest and Editdroid

The Political Economy of the Interactive Videodisc

Chapter 4: Dragon's Lair: The Fantasy

Videogames and the Neoliberal Subject

"What Is Life but Greed in Action?"-Sword-and-Sorcery's Adventuring Hero

"Nearly Every Room in My House Is a Trap"-Sword-and-Sorcery's Perilous Spaces

"To Die Dealing Death"-Sword-and-Sorcery's Grim Mood

References

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-66698-929-0

1-7936-3604-4

OCLC:

1309078269