Zen and Slow Games

By Víctor Navarro-Remesal

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, V ctor 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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262553562
• ISBN13: 9780262553568
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"