Skipping Stones Honor Award One summer day, Luke and his friends decide to play their favorite game of war, using sticks for guns and pine cones for bombs. But Sameer, who is new to their neighborhood, doesn’t want to join in. When the kids learn that Sameer lost his family in a real war, they realize that war is not a game. The gracefulness of their response and the power of friendship are the real stories here.

Explores the culture that made military shooter video games popular, and key in understanding the War on Terror No video game genre has been more popular or more lucrative in recent years than the “military shooter.” Franchises such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, and those bearing Tom Clancy’s name turn over billions of dollars annually by promising to immerse players in historic and near-future battles, converting the reality of contemporary conflicts into playable, experiences. In the aftermath of 9/11, these games transformed a national crisis into fantastic and profitable adventures, where seemingly powerless spectators became solutions to these virtual Wars on Terror. Playing War provides a cultural framework for understanding the popularity of military-themed video games and their significance in the ongoing War on Terror. Matthew Payne examines post-9/11 shooter-style game design as well as gaming strategies to expose how these practices perpetuate and challenge reigning political beliefs about America’s military prowess and combat policies. Far from offering simplistic escapist pleasures, these post-9/11 shooters draw on a range of nationalist mythologies, positioning the player as the virtual hero at every level. Through close readings of key games, analyses of marketing materials, and participant observations of the war gaming community, Playing War examines an industry mobilizing anxieties about terrorism and invasion to craft immersive titles that transform international strife into interactive fun.

An expert on military innovation reveals how video games are revolutionizing warfare from the battlefield to the highest echelons of the Pentagon.

As violence in the media and media-linked toys increases, parents and teachers are also seeing an increase in children's war play. The authors have revised this popular text to provide more practical guidance for working with children to promote creative play, and for positively influencing the lessons about violence children are learning. Using a developmental and sociopolitical viewpoint, the authors examine five possible strategies for resolving the war play dilemma and show which best satisfy both points of view: banning war play; taking a laissez-faire approach; allowing war play with specified limits; actively facilitating war play; and limiting war play while providing alternative ways to work on the issues. New for the Second Edition are: more anecdotal material about adults'' and children's experiences with war play, including examples from both home and school settings; greater emphasis on the impact of media and commercialization on children's war play, including recent trends in media, programming, marketing, and war toys; expanded discussion about the importance of the distinction between imitative and creative war play; and summary boxes of key points directed at teachers or parents. * New information about violent video games, media cross feeding, and gender development and sex-role stereotyping.

A special lavishly illustrated new edition of Michael Foreman's classic story. It's 1914 when everything changes for a group of bys growing up and playing football in the Suffolk countryside. Far away, in a place called Sarajevo, an Archduke has been killed and a web of global events results in a call for all British men to do their duty 'for King and Country' and join the army to fight the germans overseas. The boys sign up for what sounds like an adventure and a chance to see the world. After basic training the boys sail to France where they find themselves fighting on the front line. Living in the trenches in constant fear for their lives is nothing like they expected and only a bombed-out wasteland, no-man's-land, separates their trences from those of their German enemies. Then, on Christmas Day, something remarkable happens as the German and British armies stop fighting and meet in the middle of no-man's-land. The enemies talk, play football and become friends. But the war isn't over, the two sides resume fighting and the group of Suffolk lads are ordered to charge across no-man's-land...

"This informative and compassionate book challenges the negative picture of refugees and asylum-seekers portrayed in the media. Tina Hyder shows that despite the trauma that young children go through, only a small percentage need specialist help. For the majority their healing can be promoted through play, particularly in culturallyappropriate and anti-discriminatory settings. I strongly recommend this book to all practitioners working in today's early years settings." Babette Brown, author of Combatting Discrimination: Persona Dollsin Action and Unlearning Discrimination in the Early Years This book is about the experiences of young refugee children and asylum seekers and their families in the UK. It describes how war and conflict can interrupt the development of young children as relationships and communities are destroyed and looks at how play can help to restore these children's lost childhoods. Tina Hyder highlights the importance of early years and preschool provision as a healing and restorative experience for young children and their families. She sets work with refugee children into the context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and helps readers to see beyond alarmist headlines and stereotypes presented in newspapers. The book provides: Useful summaries of research on child development, theories of play, and the impact of conflict on young children Practical examples of play-based activities to help young children A framework for early years practitioners to support refugee children and their families. War, Conflict and Play is essential reading for practitioners in early childhood settings and students on early childhood courses.

Playing War: Field games. Paper battles -- Picturing war: The moral authority of innocence. Queering war -- Epilogue: the rule of babies in pink