Book Review: 'The Evolution and Social Impact of Video Game Economics,' Edited by Casey B. Hart. Lexington (2017).

Abstract

The video game industry has long been a source of controversy, and most recently many of its major firms have fallen under especially intense scrutiny on account of their changing business practices. Ihe only point on which all parties in these debates seem to agree is that the industry is changing radically. However, understanding how and why it is changing requires a good deal of research from a variety of disciplines; hence, this book. The ongoing debate about the business of gaming is the focus of several chapters, so there is no doubt that the content is timely. Sadly, on the whole the book fails to live up to its aspirations, and with a few notable exceptions, does not add much to our understanding of the gaming industry or its customers.

Keywords: Video games, economics, microtransactions, critical theory

JEL Classification: L82, Y30, Z11