In some games, the text isn't just a signpost that signals a change in the action. It's integrated into the very nature of the game itself. Melek plays games that challenge our perception of the role of text in her video game alongside her guest, Lisa Gotto, a media sociologist.

In Fallout 4, H1Z1, or The Forest, the player must survive in different hostile environments, whether prehistory, a desert island, a post apocalyptic world, or zombies. What drives us to want to prepare for the end of the world? Sociologist Bertrand Vidal and Trinity explain how these games tap into our most fundamental impulse: the will to survive.

The quest is a key part of heroic fantasy series. In gaming, it becomes a means to challenge the player but also to provoke emotions and create a real immersive experience. Trinity invites Lionel Davoust (SF author) to analyse the importance of the quest through Zelda, The Witcher 3 and Eve Online.

The realism of many video games is as striking as that of blockbusters in the movies. What is the impact of representing stories and worlds that come straight out of our imagination so realistically? What is realism, and is it realism that defines a successful game? If so, where does that leave hugely successful games that have pixelated graphics, like those of Minecraft or Tamagotchi?