
Vampires in Interactive Media
Playing Dead
Matthew Thompson(Author)
Edinburgh University Press
Will be published approx. on 31. January 2026
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-1-3995-2910-5 (ISBN)
Description
The figure of the vampire is amongst the most ubiquitous in popular culture, with little sign of it slowing down in film, television or books. However, one overlooked element of the vampire's cultural impact is how the vampire is implemented into interactive texts-such as video games and board games. This book will show that not only is there a plethora of interactive texts that utilise the tropes of the vampire as an enemy for the player to face but also ones that create a vampiric avatar for the players to utilise. This book will show how no other gothic or horror-orientated figure can surpass the vampire for cultural weight and utility within the interactive space, nor can any of these figures be reconstructed so readily the ways games do with the vampire.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
24 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
503 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3995-2910-5 (9781399529105)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Matthew Thompson is a cultural historian academic who has worked at both Griffith University and the University of Southern Queensland. His PhD focused on reconstructions of Jack the Ripper and how they inform serial killer and Victorian narratives. His academic articles and book chapters have included topics such as Marvel's Jessica Jones; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; museum ethics in Jack the Ripper exhibits; and zombies in games.
Content
Introduction: It's in the Blood
1. Bloody Boss Battles: The Vampire as Antagonist
2. (Un)Death Becomes Them: The Vampiric Avatar
3. Levelling Up: Enhancing Campiric Avatars in Games
4. From the Shadows: Deception and Deciet
5. Re-evaluating Humanity: Ethics and Morality
6. Bloody Conquests: Wat, Strategy and Politics
7. The Rule of Lore: Vampiric Exploration and Dialogues Between Designers and Players
8. Coteries and Communities: Vampires, Experiences and Player Dynamics
Conclusion: Gothic Gaming
References
Index
1. Bloody Boss Battles: The Vampire as Antagonist
2. (Un)Death Becomes Them: The Vampiric Avatar
3. Levelling Up: Enhancing Campiric Avatars in Games
4. From the Shadows: Deception and Deciet
5. Re-evaluating Humanity: Ethics and Morality
6. Bloody Conquests: Wat, Strategy and Politics
7. The Rule of Lore: Vampiric Exploration and Dialogues Between Designers and Players
8. Coteries and Communities: Vampires, Experiences and Player Dynamics
Conclusion: Gothic Gaming
References
Index