Locally Played: Real-World Games for Stronger Places and Communities [Book Review]

Abstract

Locally Played: Real-World Games for Stronger Places and Communities by Benjamin Stokes is a necessary title for all games scholars, one that illuminates the complications of integrating social games into various localities in order to drive community outreach and engagement. One vital addition it makes to gaming scholarship in the 21st century is the application of design principles and systems to existing urban infrastructures, linking various neighborhoods through the power of play. Networks can be strengthened through play, and Stokes points out how understanding the network in the first place can be used to create the game. The relationship between play and space is illustrated here.