{"product_id":"critical-hits","title":"Critical Hits","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA wide-ranging anthology of essays exploring one of the most vital art forms on the planet today\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the earliest computers to the smartphones in our pockets, video games have been on our screens and part of our lives for over fifty years. \u003ci\u003eCritical Hits \u003c\/i\u003ecelebrates this sophisticated medium and considers its lasting impact on our culture and ourselves. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis collection of stylish, passionate, and searching essays opens with an introduction by Carmen Maria Machado, who edited the anthology alongside J. Robert Lennon. In these pages, writer-gamers find solace from illness and grief, test ideas about language, bodies, power, race, and technology, and see their experiences and identities reflected in--or complicated by--the interactive virtual worlds they inhabit. Elissa Washuta immerses herself in \u003ci\u003eThe Last of Us\u003c\/i\u003e during the first summer of the pandemic. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah describes his last goodbye to his father with the help of \u003ci\u003eDisco Elysium.\u003c\/i\u003e Jamil Jan Kochai remembers being an Afghan American teenager killing Afghan insurgents in \u003ci\u003eCall of Duty\u003c\/i\u003e. Also included are a comic by MariNaomi about her time as a video game producer; a deep dive into \"portal fantasy\" movies about video games by Charlie Jane Anders; and new work by Alexander Chee, Hanif Abdurraqib, Larissa Pham, and many more.","brand":"Graywolf Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":68099343319191,"sku":"9781644452615","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0690\/0891\/6522\/files\/imageloader_5add1735-e096-41ee-8c9b-cd668ce0efc0.jpg?v=1792480672","url":"https:\/\/thepoetryshop.com\/products\/critical-hits","provider":"The Poetry Shop LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}