Game Collections: Game Research
Research game topics
The potential for researching games is vast! Maybe you're looking for information on a genre of gaming, visual storytelling, game mechanics, or the social effects of gaming. Whatever your research topic may be, there are many ways to get started with your topic. Your first step could be searching the library catalog at library.sva.edu. Or you could try a search in the ebook database Ebook Central Academic Complete. Or try looking for articles in one of our many online article databases. See the boxes below for more information on each options.
Need help getting started or furthering your research? SVA librarians are here to help! Contact us here.
Ebooks
There are many ebooks about game design and theory in the SVA Library online collections! Try browsing in the database Ebook Central Academic Complete. Just sign in with your SVA credentials and try searching for your topic of interest. Some examples of what you might find are below:
Books
The SVA Library has a rich and inspirational collection of books about games on the shelves at both our Main Library and Library West locations. You can find everything from texts on game theory to visually-stunning illustrated books on the art development of popular video games. Some examples to get you started are below.
Rules of Play by ISBN: 0262240459
Game Design Workshop by ISBN: 9780240809748
The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design by ISBN: 9781580650663
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion by ISBN: 9781506710105
Dawn: the Worlds of Final Fantasy by ISBN: 9781593078683
Research Articles
Looking for articles for your game research? Different article databases focus on different topics. Some databases to start searching would be: Art & Architecture Source, JSTOR, and ProQuest Central Ejournals. You can see examples of articles from those databases below. If you're ever wondering where to start - or how to continue - your research, librarians are here to help! Contact us here.
- Are Games Effective Learning Tools? A Review of Educational Gamesde Freitas, Sara. “Are Games Effective Learning Tools? A Review of Educational Games.” Journal of Educational Technology & Society, vol. 21, no. 2, 2018, pp. 74–84. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26388380. Accessed 21 Jun. 2022.
- Trans Game Studies“Trans Game Studies.” JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies, vol. 61, no. 2, Winter 2022, pp. 1–7. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asu&AN=155179343&site=ehost-live.
- Learning by Design”: What Sports Coaches can Learn from Video Game DesignsRobertson, Sam, and Carl T. Woods. “Learning by Design: What Sports Coaches can Learn from Video Game Designs." Sports Medicine - Open, vol. 7, no. 1, 2021. ProQuest, doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-021-00329-3.
- Game sketching: Exploring approaches to research-creation for gamesWestecott, Emma. “Game Sketching: Exploring Approaches to Research-Creation for Games.” Virtual Creativity, vol. 10, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 11–26. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1386/vcr_00014_1.