0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image Look inside

    Zen and Slow Games

    Part of Playful Thinking

    Author Victor Navarro-Remesal
    Look inside
    Paperback
    $40.00 US
    The MIT Press
    On sale Jan 20, 2026 | 224 Pages | 9780262553568
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    See Additional Formats
    A deep dive into the reflective modes of playfulness in video games.

    Slowness and reflectiveness have always been part of the video game medium, though they have been used very differently throughout its history. In Zen and Slow Games, Víctor Navarro-Remesal challenges the dominant discourse of action and quick reflexes in video games to offer an analysis of reflectiveness as a style in games, tracing its evolution from its origins to the present time. Two labels are of particular importance: the Zen modes (and later, Zen games) of the 2000s, especially during the Casual Revolution, and the slow games or slow gaming movement, which started in the 2010s and is ongoing today. The term “reflective games” is offered as an umbrella to bring together these and other labels to raise awareness and discussion of slow gaming.
    Introduction
    Chapter 1. What is slow? On the reflective style in games
    Chapter 2. Early reflective games
    Chapter 3. Zen modes and Zen games
    Chapter 4. Slow Games
    Outro. Too many labels and one ideal
    Víctor Navarro-Remesal is a media scholar specializing in games working at TecnoCampus, Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. He is the editor of the book series Ludografías (Shangrila) and the current president and one of the founding members of DIGRA Spain, as well as the copresident of the History of Games conference and the coeditor of Perspectives on the European Videogame.
    Victor Navarro-Remesal View titles by Victor Navarro-Remesal
    ENDORSEMENTS

    “This book brilliantly explores reflective games, a style that resists capitalism’s rush by creating spaces of peace, presence, and self-discovery. It weaves form, meaning, and everyday tactics into an inspiring vision of play.”
    —Susana Tosca, author of Sameness and Repetition in Contemporary Media Culture and Understanding Videogames

    “A carefully crafted, profound critique of meditation and slowness in digital games, Zen and Slow Games takes us on a journey to the boundaries of the medium, detaching playfulness from the pressures of winning and performing otherwise dominant in games and contemporary societies.”
    —Martin Roth, author of Unboxing Japanese Videogames and Thought-Provoking Play

    “In this age of neoliberal life coaching, time management, and endless self-optimization, many of us yearn for slower, more mindful lives. How these aspirations reflect in what and how we play is the focal theme of this timely, accessible, and nimble new book.”
    —Stefano Gualeni, author of Fictional Games and Il Videogioco del Mondo
    additional book photo
    additional book photo

    About

    A deep dive into the reflective modes of playfulness in video games.

    Slowness and reflectiveness have always been part of the video game medium, though they have been used very differently throughout its history. In Zen and Slow Games, Víctor Navarro-Remesal challenges the dominant discourse of action and quick reflexes in video games to offer an analysis of reflectiveness as a style in games, tracing its evolution from its origins to the present time. Two labels are of particular importance: the Zen modes (and later, Zen games) of the 2000s, especially during the Casual Revolution, and the slow games or slow gaming movement, which started in the 2010s and is ongoing today. The term “reflective games” is offered as an umbrella to bring together these and other labels to raise awareness and discussion of slow gaming.

    Table of Contents

    Introduction
    Chapter 1. What is slow? On the reflective style in games
    Chapter 2. Early reflective games
    Chapter 3. Zen modes and Zen games
    Chapter 4. Slow Games
    Outro. Too many labels and one ideal

    Author

    Víctor Navarro-Remesal is a media scholar specializing in games working at TecnoCampus, Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. He is the editor of the book series Ludografías (Shangrila) and the current president and one of the founding members of DIGRA Spain, as well as the copresident of the History of Games conference and the coeditor of Perspectives on the European Videogame.
    Victor Navarro-Remesal View titles by Victor Navarro-Remesal

    Praise

    ENDORSEMENTS

    “This book brilliantly explores reflective games, a style that resists capitalism’s rush by creating spaces of peace, presence, and self-discovery. It weaves form, meaning, and everyday tactics into an inspiring vision of play.”
    —Susana Tosca, author of Sameness and Repetition in Contemporary Media Culture and Understanding Videogames

    “A carefully crafted, profound critique of meditation and slowness in digital games, Zen and Slow Games takes us on a journey to the boundaries of the medium, detaching playfulness from the pressures of winning and performing otherwise dominant in games and contemporary societies.”
    —Martin Roth, author of Unboxing Japanese Videogames and Thought-Provoking Play

    “In this age of neoliberal life coaching, time management, and endless self-optimization, many of us yearn for slower, more mindful lives. How these aspirations reflect in what and how we play is the focal theme of this timely, accessible, and nimble new book.”
    —Stefano Gualeni, author of Fictional Games and Il Videogioco del Mondo

    Photos

    additional book photo
    additional book photo

    Additional formats

    Other books in this series

    Related Articles

    Books for Women's History Month Book Covers: We the Women 9780593727027 NIGHT FLYER 9780593491188 Undaunted 9780525659143 DEAR MISS PERKINS 9780806543178
    General

    Books for Women’s History Month

    In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we are sharing books by women who have shaped history and have fought for their communities. Our list includes books about women who fought for racial justice, abortion rights, equality in the workplace, and ranges in topics from women in politics and prominent women in history to

    Read more

    Books for Women’s History Month

    General
    Subscribe

    Penguin Random House Higher Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)