Showing papers in "Games and Culture in 2020"
TL;DR: In this paper, the amount of academic research focused on organized, competitive games has grown rapidly, and from 2002 through March 2018, esports research has developed rapidly in the academic literature.
Abstract: Accompanying esports’ explosion in popularity, the amount of academic research focused on organized, competitive gaming has grown rapidly. From 2002 through March 2018, esports research has develop...
150 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored how individuals experience media enjoyment when using Twitch and found that social aspects of using Twitch predominantly contribute to enjoyment, and that second-screen usage and interaction with the streamer and other viewers are important factors for video game streaming.
Abstract: Video game streaming platforms have reached high popularity within the last years. As one of these popular platforms, Twitch provides users with the opportunity to participate in several gaming situations: They can simultaneously watch in-game actions, the streamer playing the game, and additionally, they can interact with the streamer and other viewers by using the chat. In an online survey, the current study explored how individuals (N = 548) experience media enjoyment when using Twitch. Findings indicate that social aspects of using Twitch predominantly contribute to enjoyment. Approaches toward the phenomenon of video game streaming as well as implications for research on the usage of second screens and Social TV are discussed.
76 citations
TL;DR: Live streaming has enabled eSports to become more accessible, ranging from professionally organized tournaments to individuals hosting from their bedroom as discussed by the authors, and different aspects of eSports have been discussed in different aspects.
Abstract: Live streaming has enabled eSports to become more accessible, ranging from professionally organized tournaments to individuals hosting from their bedroom. While different aspects of eSports have be...
55 citations
TL;DR: Despite the rise of esports over the last decade, to date there is little effort to coordinate research related to the subject as mentioned in this paper, and this special issue attempts to address this gap by presenting a diver...
Abstract: Despite the rise of esports over the last decade, to date there is little effort to coordinate research related to the subject. This special issue attempts to address this gap by presenting a diver...
41 citations
TL;DR: In this article, actor-network theory, (neo-)Foucauldian governmentality studies, and empirical data gathered over a three-year period are used to expand the understanding of video game player agency and argue that video games provide an important example and perspective to consider the contemporary nature and political basis of agency.
Abstract: In recent years, the idea of player control, or agency, has become central and explicit in certain video games and genres, affecting many debates concerning the study or definitions of video games. In spite of this, the notion of agency in video games has been rarely explicitly explored or defined in relation to its sociological and political dimensions. Hence, drawing on actor-network theory, (neo-)Foucauldian governmentality studies, and empirical data gathered over a three-year period, this paper expands to our understanding of video game player agency and moreover, argues that video games provide an important example and perspective to consider the contemporary nature and political basis of agency.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take the definition of a sport as an institutionalized game under which both traditional sports and e-sports fall, and take a comparative analytical approach that examines the h...
Abstract: This article takes the definition of a sport as “an institutionalized game” under which both “traditional sports” and “E-sports” fall. It takes a comparative analytical approach that examines the h...
37 citations
TL;DR: In 2014, the developers of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter revealed that the stunning settings in the game were created using photogrammetry, a modeling technique up to then generally disregarded as...
Abstract: In 2014, the developers of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter revealed that the stunning settings in the game were created using photogrammetry, a modeling technique up to then generally disregarded as ...
30 citations
TL;DR: It is found that, counterintuitively, streaming significantly deteriorates players’ in-game performance, but on the other hand, streaming increases engagement keeping players in significantly longer game sessions.
Abstract: In this work, we analyze what effect streaming gameplay on Twitch has on players’ in-game behavior and performance. We hypothesized that streaming can act as a form of implicit incentive to boost players’ performance and engagement. To test this hypothesis, we continuously collected data about all Twitch streams related to a popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game, League of Legends (LoL), and data of all LoL matches played during the same time frame, and cross-mapped the two data sets. We found that, counterintuitively, streaming significantly deteriorates players’ in-game performance: This may be due to the burden of carrying out two cognitively intensive activities at the same time, namely, playing the game and producing its commentary for streaming purposes. On the other hand, streaming increases engagement keeping players in significantly longer game sessions. We investigate these two effects further, to characterize how they vary upon individual characteristics.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are increasingly vital for countries such as the United States and United Kingdom to remain innovative and productive in the 21st century.
Abstract: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are increasingly vital for countries, such as the United States and United Kingdom, to remain innovative and productive in the 21st ...
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors illustrate a gap between popular narratives of game development in design texts and the reality of day-to-day development, drawing from an ethnographic account of intern developers.
Abstract: This article illustrates a gap between popular narratives of game development in design texts and the reality of day-to-day development, drawing from an ethnographic account of intern developers to...
24 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors outline the dimension of genre in the field of video games and present a logarithm of the genre dimension in video games in media studies and games.
Abstract: Despite the importance that the dimension of genre holds in media studies, its very definition in the field of video games is still a matter without consensus This study intends to outline the log
TL;DR: How boundaries of (un)acceptability are drawn and/or redrawn around specific and ostensibly unsportsmanlike behaviors associated with “bad mannering,” “throwing,’ and “bug exploiting” in CS:GO is examined.
Abstract: Operational rules and “hacking” detection is implemented across online professional competitive gaming contexts in effort to thwart manipulation and encourage fair play. Violation of “unwritten” ru...
TL;DR: Fortnite is a massively multiplayer online "battle royale" game that rapidly grew in 2018 to become one of the most popular digital games in the world, with a reported peak of 10.8 million concurre...
Abstract: Fortnite is a massively multiplayer online “battle royale” game that rapidly grew in 2018 to become one of the most popular digital games in the world, with a reported peak of 10.8 million concurre...
TL;DR: While the most popular forms of organized competitive digital games, also known as eSports, have begun finding their place within and in relation to both mainstream entertainment culture and the f... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: While the most popular forms of organized competitive digital gaming, also known as eSports, have begun finding their place within and in relation to both mainstream entertainment culture and the f...
TL;DR: Unpredictable social dynamics can dominate social outcomes even in carefully designed societies like online multiplayer games as discussed by the authors, according to theories from economic game theory and evolutionary anthrasing theory.
Abstract: Unpredictable social dynamics can dominate social outcomes even in carefully designed societies like online multiplayer games. According to theories from economic game theory and evolutionary anthr...
TL;DR: As independent game makers strive to tackle the demands of game production without the help of a traditional publisher, a familiar game production environment has started to evolve as mentioned in this paper, adopting a game environment that is similar to ours.
Abstract: As independent game makers strive to tackle the demands of game production without the help of a traditional publisher, a familiar game production environment has started to evolve. Adopting a game...
TL;DR: A life story's ability to evoke the emotion experienced by a protagonist is crucial to its success as discussed by the authors, and authors of interactive life stories sometimes strategically alter the interactive feedback loop t...
Abstract: A life story’s ability to evoke the emotion experienced by a protagonist is crucial to its success. Authors of interactive life stories sometimes strategically alter the interactive feedback loop t...
TL;DR: The authors identify the limitations of queerness in Gone Home (The Fullbright Company, 2013) by exploring the ways in which players' movements through space in video games can be considered que...
Abstract: This article identifies the limitations of queerness in Gone Home (The Fullbright Company, 2013) by exploring the ways in which players’ movements through space in video games can be considered que...
TL;DR: The authors explored what children have experienced they have learned by playing learning-related digital games with mostly adult participants and found that children have learned more from playing games than they did from adults.
Abstract: Previous research on learning-related digital games has focused on studying learning outcomes with mostly adult participants. This study explores what children have experienced they have learned by...
TL;DR: This paper introduced the concept of the ludic bestiary, a game mechanic that the authors argue produces abject bodies, using the "hag" in Dungeons & Dragons as a case study.
Abstract: This article introduces the concept of the ludic bestiary, a game mechanic that the authors argue produces abject bodies. Using the “hag” in Dungeons & Dragons as a case study, the authors demonstr...
TL;DR: The use of voice interaction in digital games has a long and varied history of experimentation but has never achieved sustained, widespread success as discussed by the authors, and a review of the history of voice interactions in games can be found in this article.
Abstract: The use of voice interaction in digital games has a long and varied history of experimentation but has never achieved sustained, widespread success. In this article, we review the history of voice ...
TL;DR: This article explored the cultural appropriation of the term avatar by Western tech culture and what this implies for scholarship of digital games, virtual worlds, social media, and digital culture, and found that the term "avatar" was appropriated by Western culture.
Abstract: This article explores the cultural appropriation of the term avatar by Western tech culture and what this implies for scholarship of digital games, virtual worlds, social media, and digital culture...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how critical games journalism, gamers, and game developers are to the form games take, identities of players, and identities of game developers, and how they influence the form of games, players and developers.
Abstract: Games critics arguably influence the form games take, identities of players, and identities of game developers. However, very little work in Game Studies examines how critical games journalism, gam...
TL;DR: A new theory of the concept of gameplay is presented, a term everybody uses without ample definitions and with little consistency, resting on an oscillating relationship between a double-layered structure of “here” and “there" in playing and gaming.
Abstract: The goal of the article is to present a new theory of the concept of gameplay, a term everybody uses without ample definitions and with little consistency. The aim is to provide an understanding of...
TL;DR: Kratos, protagonist of the God of War (2005-current) series as discussed by the authors, is an archetypal representation of toxic masculinity and his rage drives much of the narrative and game dynamics.
Abstract: Kratos, protagonist of God of War (2005–current), is an archetypal representation of toxic masculinity. For much of the series, his rage drives much of the narrative and game dynamics, as Kratos de...
TL;DR: A posteriori segmentation of online video games’ players is obtained, founded on unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model, and the subsequent segments consistent with the personal values of Schwartz are described.
Abstract: There are diverse segmentations of online players in the literature. Most of them are proposed a priori, and there are no segmentations based on the acceptance of technology and the personal values...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a critical examination of European policy in relation to gamification, arguing that the ethically problematic aspects of gamification were removed through a process of policy capture that involved its assimilation in an established European network of research and small and medium enterprise actors.
Abstract: This article presents a critical examination of European policy in relation to gamification. We begin by describing how gamification “traveled” as an idea, evolving from controversial yet persuasive buzzword to legitimate policy priority. We then focus on how gamification was represented in Horizon 2020: the flagship European Research & Development program from 2014 to 2020, worth nearly €80 billion of funding. The article argues that the ethically problematic aspects of gamification were removed through a process of policy capture that involved its assimilation in an established European network of research and small and medium enterprise (SME) actors. This process of “ethical neutering” is also observable in the actual funding calls, where the problematic assumptions of gamification around agency and manipulation are made invisible through a superficial commitment to vague and ill-defined criteria of responsible research and innovation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors draw data from four case studies that were conducted as part of a case study on game industry technologies that drive a new type of learner in the classroom.
Abstract: The 21st century has given rise to gaming industry technologies that drive a new type of learner in the classroom. This article draws data from four case studies that were conducted as part of a se...
TL;DR: Despite a steady increase in the social visibility of video games in all spheres of daily life, persistent preconceived ideas about video games reveal a tendency to focus on either their positive or negative aspects as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Despite a steady increase in the social visibility of video games in all spheres of daily life, persistent preconceived ideas about video games reveal a tendency to focus on either their positive o...
TL;DR: Since the #GamerGate controversy erupted in 2014, anti-feminist gamers continue to lash out at feminists and supporters of progressive and inclusive gaming content as mentioned in this paper. But their strategy in this discourse is different from ours.
Abstract: Since the #GamerGate controversy erupted in 2014, anti-feminist gamers continue to lash out at feminists and supporters of progressive and inclusive gaming content. A key strategy in this discourse...