Video Games, Literature, and Close Playing: A Practical Guide offers 24 case studies of mainstream and independent video games from Tetris to The Sims, Undertale to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Assassin's Creed to Gone Home in order to introduce key video game and literary studies concepts, ideas, definitions, and possibilities. This book also includes a brief history of video games and literature, critical questions and suggested readings for each chapter, and a collection of prompts, activities, and assignments for students and instructors to engage, adapt, and explore. This book is designed to be useful, modular, and playful, to provoke questions and conversation, to encourage connections and collaboration, and to inspire critical thinking.