March 20, 2018
Chris Paul, associate professor and chair of the Communication Department, has published a new book, The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games: Why Gaming Culture Is the Worst.
"The core argument in my book is that video games are an actualized meritocracy, a realm in which the values of hard work and skill have been pushed to their extremes and the result is a toxic community that focuses more on the celebration of individual glory than on the good of the collective," Paul shares in University of Minnesota Press blog post.
In a recent article, Paul talks about how his participation in Seattle University's Arrupe Seminar inspired him to undertake the book.
”Christopher A. Paul is an incisive critic, and The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games is essential reading for researchers, industry professionals, and players trying to make sense of gaming's culture wars,” says Carly Kocurek, author of Coin-Operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game Arcade.
- Karen Bystrom, College of Arts and Sciences
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