Romance in the Digital Game

Book title positions optional romance in the AAA game as a central object of analysis. Based on the close analysis of some of the most commercially and culturally significant games of the last 30 years like Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), the Mass Effect series (2007-2021), and the Elder Scrolls series (1994-2024).

Amy Brierley-Beare is Lecturer in Media at the University of Adelaide. Her research investigates how mainstream gaming represents and negotiates romance and social intimacy. Other research interests include game studies, emergent narrative, audience studies, experiential metaphor and transgressive play.

1. Introduction: Is It Love? 2. Why Romance Matters: Understanding Romance as Play 3. Love or Limerence? Interrogating the 'Epic Love Story' 4. 'The Dollhouse Effect': Domestic Representations of Romance 5. Powering up With Love: Ludic Representations of Romance 6. 'Always up for IT': Physicality and Sex in Video Games 7. Transgression and Exploration: The Opportunities of Romance 8. Conclusion