The Gamer's Guide to International Relations

Auteur

By Michael A. Allen

Texte du rabat

Ready Player One meets *Foreign Affairs*-everything your students need to know about international relations through the lens of video games!

The Gamer's Guide to International Relations uses massively popular video games as a stepping stone to learning about international relations. The study of international relations concerns itself with critical topics like war, civil war, terrorism, human rights, trade, monetary policy, and the environment. Each of these areas of human need, crisis, and response can be difficult to understand. However, gamers already implicitly understand the international world through the games they play. Drawing upon lessons gamers learn through gameplay, this volume guides readers as to how their existing knowledge can help untangle some of the most complicated topics facing humanity. The book progresses by introducing readers to how scholars use the scientific method in international relations. Readers will encounter pivotal international relations theories that explain why war occurs, like realism, liberalism, and constructivism, as well as understanding concepts like the bargaining model of war. The book discusses how we learn about international politics and guides the reader through how we can research world politics and gaming. Finally, the book focuses on key interest areas like international political economy, human rights, the environment, and civil war.

Contenu

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Introduction

Why Video Games?

Shared Cultural Experience

Generate Alternative Scenarios

Real-World Scenario Analogs

Speculative Scenarios

Test Interactive Strategies

Indirect Effects

Which Video Games?

Survival Games: Minecraft

Battle Royales: Fortnite

Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas: LoL

Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games: World of Warcraft

Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate Games: Civilization

Plan of the Book

Chapter 2: Realism: The Enemy of My Enemy Is in the Way of My Chicken Dinner

Theories

Realism

Neorealism

A Realist World and a Realist Game

Conclusion

Chapter 3: Liberalism: From Solo Queue to Flex Queue

Liberalism

Conclusions

Chapter 4: Bargaining Models of War: Making an Offer Pericles Cannot Refuse

Building the Model

War as a Bargaining Failure

Information Problems

Commitment Problems

Indivisible Goods

Conclusion

Chapter 5: Domestic Politics: Open Sourcing World Politics

Breaking down the State

Dictators and Principals

Organizational Model of Foreign Policy

Bureaucratic Model of Foreign Policy

Conclusions

Chapter 6: Constructivism: Minecraft is What Players Make of It

The Social Construction of International Politics

Constructivist Approaches to International Relations

Conclusions

Chapter 7: Identity: Representation and Roleplaying in IR

Gender

Women's Involvement in IR

Impact of International Processes on Women

Civilization

Race and Ethnicity

Intersectionality

Conclusions

Chapter 8: Studying International Relations

Observation

Theory

Hypothesis

Research Design and Analysis

Conclusions

Chapter Conclusions

Chapter 9: Specific Tool: Game Theory

Assumptions

Games and Game Theory

Conclusions

Chapter 10: Specific Tool: Quantitative Research

What Matters in LoL

Data

Research Design and Analysis

Conclusions about League

Data in IR

Conclusions

Chapter 11: Civil Wars: Violence Within

The Causes

State Responses

How Civil Wars End

Conclusions

Chapter 12: International Political Economy: Trade

The Logic of Comparative Advantage

The Positive Externalities of Trade

Conclusions

Chapter 13: International Political Economy: Monetary Policy

Currency Systems

International Processes

Conclusions

Chapter 14: Human Rights: Respect in Physical and Digital Spaces

Human Rights in IR

Enforcing Human Rights

Gaming and Human Rights

Conclusions

Chapter 15: Global Health and the Environment

The Environment

Global Health

Conclusions

Chapter 16: Conclusions

Games as Entertainment

Games as Microcosms of International Interactions

Games as Channels

Appendix I: Quick Guide to the Games in the Book

Appendix II: Alternative Games

About the Author

Glossary