An exploration of the way videogames mount arguments and make expressive statements about the world that analyzes their unique persuasive power in terms of their computational properties. Videogames are an expressive medium, and a persuasive medium; they represent how real and imagined systems work, and they invite players to interact with those systems and form judgments about them. In this innovative analysis, Ian Bogost examines the way videogames mount arguments and influence players. Drawing on the 2,500-year history of rhetoric, the study of persuasive expression, Bogost analyzes rhetoric's unique function in software in general and videogames in particular. The field of media studies already analyzes visual rhetoric, the art of using imagery and visual representation persuasively. Bogost argues that videogames, thanks to their basic representational mode of procedurality (rule-based representations and interactions), open a new domain for persuasion; they realize a new form of rhetoric. Bogost calls this new form "procedural rhetoric," a type of rhetoric tied to the core affordances of computers: running processes and executing rule-based symbolic manipulation. He argues further that videogames have a unique persuasive power that goes beyond other forms of computational persuasion. Not only can videogames support existing social and cultural positions, but they can also disrupt and change these positions themselves, leading to potentially significant long-term social change. Bogost looks at three areas in which videogame persuasion has already taken form and shows considerable potential: politics, advertising, and learning.

This book will change your life. You are playing persuasion games all the time, whether you realise it or not. "Now," for the first time, one of the world's top mentalists teaches YOU the hidden secrets of persuasion and influence that will enhance your personal, social and professional life. In this remarkable and exciting book, acclaimed mentalist and trainer Gilan Gork reveals the powerful psychology of subtle, successful persuasion that you can use on your clients, colleagues, family, friends... and even complete strangers! "Persuasion Games" explores, examines and explains the mind games of influence that are part of everyday life -- and how to win them. You will not only learn how to enhance your own powers of influence in an ethical, responsible way, but also how to protect yourself from persuasive exploitation in any form. Gilan has travelled the world to find the leading experts in influence and study their methods, including the normally private, secret realm of professional 'psychics'. Discover how many seemingly 'psychic' powers are actually persuasion techniques that anyone can learn -- including a psychological model of communication that is one of the world's best-kept secrets.Welcome to the Persuasion Games.

Praise for Covert Persuasion: "This book is a treasure trove of ideas you can use to turn a 'no' into a 'yes' almost instantly-in any sales situation." -Brian Tracy, speaker and author of Create Your Own Future and Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life "Hogan is the master of persuasion. I urge you to persuade yourself to buy this book and everything he's ever written and recorded. It will help you understand yourself, understand others, and succeed. This information is bankable." -Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible, Little Red Book of Selling, and Little Red Book of Sales Answers "There's more wisdom in this book than in 500 pages on the same subject. Whether you need to persuade your lover, your spouse, your boss, your clients, your friends, or yourself, this powerhouse collection of mind tricks and secrets will give you the upper hand. In today's competitive world, this is the persuasion wizard's manual you need to control circumstances and get what you want." -Dr. Joe Vitale, author of Life's Missing Instruction Manual and The Attractor Factor "When you read Hogan's writing, it feels like you're getting sage advice from a master. Would you like other people to decide on their own (or so they think) to go along with your every whim? Then this is the book you've been looking for." -David Garfinkel, author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich "There is more practical information on the dynamics of selling and communication in these pages than you could ever acquire in a lifetime on your own through trial and error. Take advantage of the authors' wisdom and read this book!" -Todd D. Bramson, Certified Financial Planner and author of Real Life Financial Planning

Like rain, the media overload pours over us each day, each hour, each waking moment of our lives. One way to cope is to withdraw from the world to a faraway island unhooked to any satellite. Another way is to grapple with the media as so to understand the nuts and bolts of the persuasive messages that relentlessly hammers us at home, even at school, on the job and at our getaway vacation. On TV and the Internet ads never tire of repetition. But to viewers of these messages, they appear as so many headache-hammers inflicting true pain. Therefore, on the premise that the best defense is an offense, every citizen and consumer must go on the offense. How? By creating mentally a number of hypothetical ads using all the tricks of the craft of the trade. Practice makes perfect! Hence, the "edge" need not remain always with Madison Avenue, public relations specialists, lobbyists, single-issue advocates, politicians and other practitioners of persuasion. In turn, the citizen and consumer have their ready vaccine, their firewall against unwanted manipulation. To that end, citizens and consumers need their booster shots of protection in the propaganda wars. This work addresses those needs. AUTHOR BIO: Currently, the writer is at work on a primer on problem solving. Formerly, he taught history and economics on the secondary level, and was an occasional university instructor. As to education, he received from the University of Washington his master's in economics and a doctorate in the history of education.

Political actors navigate a world of incomplete and noisy information. Voters make decisions about turnout and voting amidst campaign promises, credit claiming, and fake news. Policymakers experiment with reforms amidst uncertain predictions from experts and biased interest groups. Parties form coalitions and sign agreements amidst cheap talk and strategic communication. Beyond democracies, autocrats and dictators rule under uncertain threats to their regimes. In all of these environments, some political actors have incentives to learn and gather information, while others have incentives to influence and manipulate this information. This Special Issue addresses the question of how information structures, information transmission, and communication technologies influence political environments and affect the incentives faced by political actors. This is a collection of articles, combining game-theoretical and experimental work. The articles promote novel ideas and address understudied questions, which range from salience determination to microtargeting, ambiguous voting and information naivety. The findings complement the existing literature and suggest rationales for inefficiencies that arise in political environments with incomplete and noisy information.

"This book investigates the connection between multimedia technologies and game-based learning for an improved understanding of the impact and effectiveness of serious games in modern societies, offering examples from the fields of education, business, healthcare, and more"--Provided by publisher.

From the New York Times bestselling author of How We Got To Now and Farsighted Forget everything you’ve ever read about the age of dumbed-down, instant-gratification culture. In this provocative, unfailingly intelligent, thoroughly researched, and surprisingly convincing big idea book, Steven Johnson draws from fields as diverse as neuroscience, economics, and media theory to argue that the pop culture we soak in every day—from Lord of the Rings to Grand Theft Auto to The Simpsons—has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably sharper. After reading Everything Bad is Good for You, you will never regard the glow of the video game or television screen the same way again. With a new afterword by the author.

Game design is a sibling discipline to software and Web design, but they're siblings that grew up in different houses. They have much more in common than their perceived distinction typically suggests, and user experience practitioners can realize enormous benefit by exploiting the solutions that games have found to the real problems of design. This book will show you how.

Discusses the essential elements in creating a successful game, how playing games and learning are connected, and what makes a game boring or fun.

Through his Persuasion Institute, Kurt Mortensen has sought out and studied the Persuasion IQ (PQ) of the world’s top influencers. Now, in this game-changing guide, he’s leveraging his vast knowledge to teach readers the essential habits, traits, and behaviors necessary to cultivate their natural persuasive abilities. Concentrating on the 10 major Persuasion IQ skills, the book provides readers an opportunity to assess their own PQ, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and start down a path to enormous success and wealth. Readers will discover powerful techniques that enable them to: read people quickly; create instant trust; get others to take immediate action; close more sales; win over clients; accelerate business success; earn what they're really worth; influence others to accept their points of view; win negotiations; enhance relationships; and--most important--hear the magical word “yes” more often!Your professional success, your income, and even your personal relationships depend on your ability to persuade, influence, and motivate other people. Whether you are selling a product, presenting an idea, or asking for a raise, persuasion is the magic ingredient. This powerful, life-changing book will transform anyone into a persuasion genius.