For decades, Marvel Comics' superhero group the Avengers have captured the imagination of millions, whether in comics, multi-billion dollar grossing films or video games. Similar to the chronology of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Avengers video games first started with titles driven by single characters, like Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and Captain America. Over time, the games grew to include more and more heroes, culminating in playing experiences that featured the Avengers assembled. This is the first-ever book assessing the video games starring "Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Featured games span consoles and platforms, from popular PlayStation and Xbox titles to an arcade game in danger of being lost to time. All video games are covered in depth, with each entry including game background and a detailed review from the author. Some game entries also include behind-the-scenes knowledge from the developers themselves, providing exclusive details on the Marvel video game universe.

Before the enormously successful NES console changed the video game landscape in the 1980s, Nintendo became famous for producing legendary arcade machines like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. Drawing on original interviews, news reports and other documents, this book traces Nintendo's rise from a small business that made playing cards to the top name in the arcade industry. Twenty-eight game titles are examined in-depth, along with the people and events that defined the company for more than four decades.

The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most popular and recognizable examples in videogames of what Tolkien referred to as mythopoeia, or myth-making. In his essay On Fairy Stories and a short poem entitled Mythopoeia, Tolkien makes the case that the fairy tale aesthetic is simply a more intimate version of the same principle underlying the great myths: the human desire to make meaning out of the world. By using mythopoeia as a touchstone concept, the essays in this volume explore how The Legend of Zelda series turns the avatar, through which the player interacts with the in-game world, into a player-character symbiote wherein the individual both enacts and observes the process of integrating worldbuilding with storytelling. Twelve essays explore Zelda's mythmaking from the standpoints of literary criticism, videogame theory, musicology, ecocriticism, pedagogy, and more.

Drawing on an eclectic range of primary and secondary sources Chaplin examines the development of darts in the context of English society in the early twentieth century. He reveals how darts was transformed during the interwar years to become one of the most popular recreations in England, not just amongst working class men and, to a lesser extent, working class women but even (to some extent) among the middle and upper classes. This book assesses the social, economic and cultural forces behind this transformation. This work also considers the growth of the darts manufacturing industry and assesses the overall effect the growing popularity of darts had on interwar society and popular culture, with particular reference to the changing culture and form of the English public house. This original study will be of interest to sports historians, social historians, business historians, sociologists and sports scientists. -- .

While the Western was dying a slow death across the cultural landscape, it was blazing back to life as a video game in the early twenty-first century. Rockstar Games' Red Dead franchise, beginning with Red Dead Revolver in 2004, has grown into one of the most critically acclaimed video game franchises of the twenty-first century. Red Dead Redemption: History, Myth, and Violence in the Video Game West offers a critical, interdisciplinary look at this cultural phenomenon at the intersection of game studies and American history. Drawing on game studies, western history, American studies, and cultural studies, the authors train a wide-ranging, deeply informed analytic perspective on the Red Dead franchise-from its earliest incarnation to the latest, Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018). Their intersecting chapters put the series in the context of American history, culture, and contemporary media, with inquiries into issues of authenticity, realism, the meaning of play and commercial promotion, and the relationship between the game and the wider cultural iterations of the classic Western. The contributors also delve into the role the series' development has played in recent debates around working conditions in the gaming industry and gaming culture. In its redeployment and reinvention of the Western's myth and memes, the Red Dead franchise speaks to broader aspects of American culture-the hold of the frontier myth and the "Wild West" over the popular imagination, the role of gun culture in society, depictions of gender and ethnicity in mass media, and the increasing allure of digital escapism-all of which come in for scrutiny here, making this volume a vital, sweeping, and deeply revealing cultural intervention.

Put your Manchester United knowledge to the test with the ultimate quiz book for Red Devils' fans. Do you think you know it all about Manchester United? Could you name the colours the team originally played in? The most decorated player in the club's history? Do you know which sides United have beaten most, and vice versa? Or which foreign countries have supplied the most United players? Whatever your area of interest or depth of knowledge, this expertly assembled quiz will have some testing questions for you. From the club's earliest days right through to the Busby Babes, the glory years under Sir Alex Ferguson and beyond, Think You Know It All? Manchester United will challenge your knowledge of players, managers, records and more. Featuring an entertaining mix of questions and puzzles, this is the perfect test for new and veteran United fans alike. Proving you know it all about your club has never been such fun - or so tricky.

Drawing on an eclectic range of primary and secondary sources Chaplin examines the development of darts in the context of English society in the early twentieth century.

He reveals how darts was transformed during the interwar years to become one of the most popular recreations in England, not just amongst working class men and, to a lesser extent, working class women but even (to some extent) among the middle and upper classes. This book assesses the social, economic and cultural forces behind this transformation. This work also considers the growth of the darts manufacturing industry and assesses the overall effect the growing popularity of darts had on interwar society and popular culture, with particular reference to the changing culture and form of the English public house.

This original study will be of interest to sports historians, social historians, business historians, sociologists and sports scientists.

Our Albert Racinet Ancient Egypt art is a nod to vintage art and design that helped influence Art Deco of the early 20th century. Albert-Charles-Auguste-Racinet (1825-1893) was a French costume historian, painter, illustrator, and author. Racinet's publication L'Ornement Polychrome is a monumental collection of more than 100 richly-coloured lithographic plates depicting decorative artwork from ancient civilisations through the 18th century. 500-piece jigsaw puzzle Durable, compact, 2-piece box Gift box: 152 x 198 x 50 mm Completed puzzle: 482 x 355 mm teNeues NYC Stationery keeps up with fun and games at home with our museum-quality printed 500-Piece Puzzles. Packaged in durable, compact boxes, our 500-Piece Puzzles feature full-colour artwork, expertly-printed with nontoxic inks on sturdy, puzzle grey board.

This collection of four games in one portable format makes any bachelorette party more fun. Brides, maids of honor, and friends of the bride will buy this for the bachelorette party they're hosting or attending. In the same package as WEDDING WISHES but with sexier content, this is a super-affordable way to get to know everyone at the bachelorette, celebrate the bride, and keep the group entertained throughout the night. The grab-and-go format includes four games: Fill-in-the-Blank Proposal stories; Where Will They Be MASH; How Well Do You Know the Couple?; and Truth-or-Truth Bingo. With 15 tear-out sheets for each game, this is nonstop entertainment for a hen party of almost any size.

Naughty Pictionary and Sex Toy Relays? It must be a CosmoBachelorette Party! Get your girls together because we're throwing your bride-to-be a night she'll never forget! Cosmo's 25 hilariously entertaining games will have you prepping for the most epic bachelorette party ever. Featuring fun (and frequently risque) activities by the #1 women's magazine in the world, this pack includes everything you never knew you needed. From phallic-inspired challenges, to classic games with a tawdry twist, to brand-new bachelorette adventures, this deck will bring you a party you'll never be able to talk about again. What happens at a bachelorette party stays at a bachelorette party, right?

Many aspiring game designers have crippling misconceptions about the process involved in creating a game from scratch, believing a ""big idea"" is all that is needed to get started. But game design requires action as well as thought, and proper training and practice to do so skillfully. In this indispensible guide, a published commercial game designer and longtime teacher offers practical instruction in the art of video and tabletop game design. The topics explored include the varying types of games, vital preliminaries of making a game, the nuts and bolts of devising a game, creating a prototype, testing, designing levels, technical aspects, and assessing nature of the audience. With practice challenges, a list of resources for further exploration, and a glossary of industry terms, this manual is essential for the nascent game designer and offers food for thought for even the most experienced professional.

Whether the heroes are landing their starship to explore a newly discovered world or dogfighting in the skies in individual starfighters, Paizo's latest Starfinder Flip-Mat has you covered. This line of gaming maps provides ready-to-use science-fantasy set pieces for the busy Game Master. Featuring a hex grid for Starfinder's unique starship combat system, this extra-large, double-sided map comes with two different backgrounds-the thick clouds of a gas giant and a high-altitude view of a terrestrial world's topography-to let you craft epic atmospheric starship battles and fire your players' imaginations. Don't waste time sketching when you could be playing. With Starfinder Flip-Mat: Planetary Atmosphere, you'll be ready the next time your players take their starship planetside! A special coating on each Flip-Mat allows you to use wet erase, dry erase, AND permanent markers with ease! Removing permanent ink is easy-simply trace over any permanent mark with a dry erase marker, wait 10 seconds, then wipe off both marks with a dry cloth or paper towel. 27" x 39" mat Folds to 8" x 10" 1" squares on each side

in this dynamic, nonfiction graphic novel, Jon Chad illustrates the little-known story of pinball--how it works and why it all matters in an age of special effects and on-screen gaming. In 1976, champion player Roger Sharpe stepped up to a pinball machine in a Manhattan courtroom. The New York City Council had convened to consider lifting the city's ban on pinball--a game that had been outlawed since 1942 for its supposed connections to gambling and organized crime. Sharpe was there to prove that, unlike a slot machine, pinball wasn't a game of chance designed to fleece its players--it was a game of skill that required a measure of patience, coordination, and control. To prove his point, he proclaimed that he would launch his ball into the center lane at the far end of the playfield--much like Babe Ruth famously pointing to the fences. Sharpe pulled back the plunger and released, and the fate of this industry and art form hung in the balance. Thus opens Jon Chad's comprehensive graphic novel to the history of the captivating, capricious--and at times infuriating!--game of pinball. Tracing pinball's roots back to the Court of King Louis XIV, through the immigrant experience of early 20th century America, the post-War boom and bust, right up to the present day, Chad charmingly ushers readers through the myriad facets of this most American of pursuits--capturing not just the history but also the artistry, cultural significance, and even the physics of the game.

Bullshit Bingo is the 1-player party game that transforms the BS of everyday life into a party for 1. By encouraging people to gamify real life, the game offers a refreshing reminder not to take life too seriously. It is a bit like therapy, but way less expensive. With 21 tearable and single-use cards, Bullshit Bingo is the perfect companion to life's most generic occasions: weddings, the gym, first dates, vacation, parenting, break-ups, death, turning 30, Hollywood movies - you name it.

We all know that 'we only use ten per cent of our brain' is a myth, but it is true that giving our brains a workout can really help our day-to-day problem-solving abilities. In Brain Coach Intense, puzzle master Dr Gareth Moore has designed an intensive 40-day training plan to really stretch your mental agility, along with tips and tricks to help you overcome mental strain and increase your brain function and explanations of how the puzzles help your brain. Each day you'll be introduced to a puzzle format and shown how to solve a simple example, before tackling the increasingly devilish variations by yourself. Train your brain and improve and maintain your mental agility with the focused challenges in Brain Coach Intense and see a difference in 40 days.

'I adore Sydney's approach to play... good for our planet, and good for our souls too.' - Daisy Upton, author of Five Minute Mum 'For some serious playtime inspiration follow Sydney Piercey. She does it with zero fuss or show off. She is just brilliant'. - Clover Stroud Parenting blogger and mother-of-three, Sydney Piercey, gained traction online with her environmentally friendly DIY toys made entirely out of cardboard. Filled with 60+ creative, accessible and plastic-free projects and play ideas, Sustainable Play is packed with crafts and games to enjoy with your children on slow, rainy or drawbridge days at home. Sydney provides you with budget-friendly, easy-to-follow ideas to play and create in this handbook, inspired by her family's love of the simple things. From step-by-step projects to create magical toys from your leftover cereal boxes to joy-filled games using everyday objects from around your home, Sustainable Play will equip you with the inspiration you need to entertain your children in a creative, stimulating and sustainable way - being kind to the planet in the process.