My Wish Lists Login / Join

Trophy Cases

The Theory, Design, and Cultural Politics of Video Game Trophies and Achievements

By: Ryan Scheiding (Editor), Dan Staines (Editor), Sarah Christina Ganzon (Editor)

Write A Review

eText | 6 August 2026 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Format
ePUB

eText

$180.00

or 4 interest-free payments of $45.00 with

Instant online reading in your Booktopia eTextbook Library *

Why choose an eTextbook?

Instant Access *

Purchase and read your book immediately

Read Aloud

Listen and follow along as Bookshelf reads to you

Study Tools

Built-in study tools like highlights and more

* eTextbooks are not downloadable to your eReader or an app and can be accessed via web browsers only. You must be connected to the internet and have no technical issues with your device or browser that could prevent the eTextbook from operating.

An interdisciplinary and international roster of contributors explore the theory, design, and player practices surrounding video game reward systems, arguing for the importance of understanding trophies and achievements as a central aspect of video game design and play.

As PlayStation Trophies, Xbox Achievements, and other similar built-in reward systems have become widespread in the video game landscape, this volume asks critical questions about how these systems affect the games we play and the communities that surround them.

Through analyses of a range of video games, from well-known franchises like Call of Duty to overlooked sleeper hits like Nier Automata and even niche otome titles like Hakuoki, contributors approach these award systems from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives to theorize their incorporation into the contemporary game market, the role they play as a component of game design, and the innovative ways that players choose to (or not to) pursue them.