Aditya Deshbandhu, "The 21st Century in 100 Games" (Routledge, 2024)

The 21st century isn't just defined by wars, economies, or politics—it's also shaped by the games we play. In his groundbreaking book *The 21st Century in 100 Games*, Dr. Aditya Deshpandu argues that video games are not just entertainment but vital cultural artifacts that reflect global realities, especially in the Global South. Drawing from his identity as a player, reviewer, and academic, Deshpandu rejects grand, linear histories of gaming in favor of a mosaic of lived experiences—like a player in India recalling playing Super Mario on a non-existent 'Sega 64' console, a knockoff device that enabled access to banned or unaffordable games. These stories aren't errors; they're evidence of resilience, creativity, and the true democratization of play. The book uses a unique auto-ethnographic ludonarratological framework to show how games become public memory, how freemium models exploit players in the Global South through 'economies of engagement,' and how pandemic-era games like Wordle and Among Us became lifelines for social connection when the real world was closed. Ultimately, Deshpandu reveals that games are not just mirrors of society—they are active participants in shaping it, especially when they become spaces for identity, resistance, and survival.