Chapter 10: Digital Gaming and the Media Playground
True/False
1. The average gamer age is 17.
2. The U.S. Supreme Court has granted digital gaming First Amendment rights.
3. The first versions of digital games were developed in the 1980s.
4. Pinball was originally banned in most U.S. cities because it was considered similar to gambling.
5. Arcade gaming no longer attracts players because of the development of home gaming.
6. Some older games remain popular even though their graphics are not as advanced as modern
games.
7. The Wii system lags in sales behind Xbox and PlayStation because gamers do not like to be
physically active.
8. Most handheld games are only played by serious gamers.
9. Computer-based gaming largely survives in the form of genres not often seen on consoles, like
card games.
10. Players involved in online fantasy sports usually lose interest in watching real sports games.
11. The gaming industry has achieved a mass medium status on par with movies or television.
12. A noob is the gamer term for players who intentionally spoil the game for other players.
13. Digital game addiction is a problem that affects men and women in equal numbers.
14. Many digital games are purposefully designed to cultivate obsessive play.
15. The Entertainment Software Rating Board was created by the federal government to monitor
digital game content.
Multiple Choice
Note: The correct answer is asterisked.
16. What is the most popular style of digital game in the United States?
17. Who are “bosses” in gaming terminology?
18. What is “isometric perspective”?
19. Why do experienced online gamers form guilds or clans?
20. What is the primary revenue source for the digital game industry?
21. How does advertising typically appear in digital games?
22. What costs are involved when creating a new digital game?
23. How would you compare the cost of creating and launching a major new game to producing a
movie?
24. What did the U.S. Supreme Court rule in 2011 about digital games?
25. What was the Entertainment Software Rating Board created to do?
26. What is New Game Journalism?
27. How far back can digital gaming trace its origins?
28. Where are digital games used in addition to the entertainment industry?
29. A 2011 Singapore study showed what percentage of those between grades 3 to 8 could be
classified as digital game addicts?
Fill in the Blank
30. Tips and cheats shared among gamers area called ________________.
31. Independent game makers must pay licenses for ______________________, the stories,
characters, personalities, and music used in their games.
32. _______________ was the company that established the home digital-game market with the
creation of Pong.
33.______________ are a narrative respite from game play that provide cinematic scenes that
advance the story.
34.__________________ is the most popular MMORPG in the world.
Essay
35. Describe the evolution of digital gaming starting with the penny arcade.
36. How is digital gaming a social medium? Use specific types of games as examples.
37. How has media convergence changed digital gaming?
38. Compare the production of a Hollywood movie to that of the creation of a major digital game.
39. What are communities of play? Be sure to describe both those communities inside and outside of
digital games.