{"product_id":"9781644452615","title":"Critical Hits","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA wide-ranging anthology of essays exploring one of the most vital art forms on the planet today\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the earliest computers to the smartphones in our pockets, video games have been on our screens and part of our lives for over fifty years. \u003ci\u003eCritical Hits \u003c\/i\u003ecelebrates this sophisticated medium and considers its lasting impact on our culture and ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis collection of stylish, passionate, and searching essays opens with an introduction by Carmen Maria Machado, who edited the anthology alongside J. Robert Lennon. In these pages, writer-gamers find solace from illness and grief, test ideas about language, bodies, power, race, and technology, and see their experiences and identities reflected in—or complicated by—the interactive virtual worlds they inhabit. Elissa Washuta immerses herself in \u003ci\u003eThe Last of Us\u003c\/i\u003e during the first summer of the pandemic. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah describes his last goodbye to his father with the help of \u003ci\u003eDisco Elysium.\u003c\/i\u003e Jamil Jan Kochai remembers being an Afghan American teenager killing Afghan insurgents in \u003ci\u003eCall of Duty\u003c\/i\u003e. Also included are a comic by MariNaomi about her time as a video game producer; a deep dive into “portal fantasy” movies about video games by Charlie Jane Anders; and new work by Alexander Chee, Hanif Abdurraqib, Larissa Pham, and many more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"River Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Graywolf |  Paperback \/ softback | Trade paperback (US) |  2023-11-21","offer_id":44227455025407,"sku":"9781644452615","price":24.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_f76cb82c-f8d3-4f22-93d3-d47c46432502.jpg?v=1692894979","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9781644452615","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}