Burrill (media studies, U. of California) plots the cultural connections between videogames, gender, and digital culture. To achieve his goal, the author studies videogames, cinema, current fiction, space, and other aspects of what he terms the "digital imaginary." The book also examines questions of methodology and analytic strategy relevant to the emerging field of video game studies. The volume also studies the relationship between player, avatar, and the game itself, and speculates on the future of video games and their cultural influence. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)