Hráč versus příšery - K čemu slouží monstra v počítačových hrách – Švelch Jaroslav (2024)

Since the dawn of computer games, monsters have played a key role. They serve as dangers to avoid, as level bosses to defeat, or as targets to destroy for extra points. But why is the character of a monster so important in games, and how have computer games shaped the concepts of monstrosity in our culture? In an effort to answer these questions, the book Player vs. Monsters examines the past half-century of monsters in games, from the dragons of early tabletop role-playing games and pixelated aliens from Space Invaders to the deformed mutants from The Last of Us and the bizarre beasts from Bloodborne, revealing their common traits. ***** Through examples of monsters of all types, Jaroslav Švelch explores the art of monster design and the influence that mythology, visual art, popular culture, and tabletop RPGs have had on it. He also shows that computer games draw on the Cold War concept of clearly defined, calculable enemies and portray monsters as characters that are irredeemably evil yet inevitably always beatable. On one hand, he explains what makes these simplified game monsters appealing, but he also examines how this medium could further evolve,…