Arsenal Pulp Press

Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games

Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games serves as a hybrid memoir and essay collection that utilizes the concept of ludobiography to examine the intersection of digital play and personal history.

• The book introduces 'ludobiography' as a framework for mapping personal traumas—including poverty, illness, and social marginalization—against the narratives of specific video games.
• The author argues that interactive media serves as a vital tool for processing grief, rationalizing real-world tragedies, and constructing personal identity.
• The narrative structure consists of eleven chapters, each linking a distinct life phase to a specific game, such as using 'Sonic the Hedgehog' to analyze sibling dynamics and 'Final Fantasy VII' to navigate bereavement.