Aesthetics and Video Games introduces current issues and ideas in philosophical aesthetics that help us to better understand why video games are different from cinema, animation and other types of fiction. Addressing two foundational issues, the notion of the aesthetic and the value of play, it asks what the aesthetic is and investigates how value arises from different forms of play. Introducing the history and theory surrounding these questions, this book: – Offers an account of the value of games that places gameplay and interactivity at its core – Acknowledges the importance of both ethical and feminist criticisms of games – Offers a novel account of how video games can be valued as competitions, narratives, and toys – Suggests ways in which a theory of the aesthetics of games must move beyond traditional approaches in aesthetics. Drawing from work in philosophy, media studies, psychology, and gender studies, it not only demonstrates how theories from these areas can helpfully come into conversation with each other, it explores new paradigms, models, and concepts that aid our knowledge of video games in today’s culture.