Guns Grenades and Grunts

Known for their visibility and tendency to generate controversy first-person shooter (FPS) games are cultural icons and powder-kegs in American society. Contributors will examine a range of FPS games such as the Doom Half-Life System Shock Deus Ex Halo Medal of Honor and Call of Duty franchises. By applying and enriching a broad range of perspectives this volume will address the cultural relevance and place of the genre in game studies game theory and the cultures of game players. <br/><p><em>Guns Grenades and Grunts</em> gathers scholars from all disciplines to bring the weight of contemporary social theory and media criticism to bear on the public controversy and intellectual investigation of first-person shooter games. As a genre FPS games have helped shepherd the game industry from the early days of shareware distribution and underground gaming clans to contemporary multimillion dollar production budgets Hollywood-style launches downloadable content and worldwide professional gaming leagues. The FPS has been and will continue to be a staple of the game market. </p>