Games and Culture最新文献

{"title":"Mapping Game Biopolitics","authors":"Michał Kłosiński","doi":"10.1177/15554120241233808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120241233808","url":null,"abstract":"This article advances a framework for the analysis of digital game biopolitics that addresses 1) how games represent the governance of life, 2) how games, themselves, govern life, and 3) how games enable forms of player-driven biopolitics. I define two concepts — biopolitical markers and biopolitical paradigms — and provide a set of research questions to help identify and classify various game elements that indicate specific categories of biopolitics: biopower, thanatopolitics, community, and veillance. Ultimately, rather than produce a separate theory of game biopolitics, this article builds on work in other fields to construct a method for studying the governance of life in, by, and through games.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140019892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Games for the Pluriverse: Exploring the Use, Opportunities, and Problems of Drawing from Local Cultural Heritage in Video Games","authors":"Lina Eklund, Renard Gluzman, Kristine Jørgensen, Fares Kayali, Elina Roinioti, Vered Pnueli","doi":"10.1177/15554120241234126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120241234126","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we explore the growing trend of European game developers embracing their cultural heritage with greater dedication. Taking a bottom-up approach, we showcase various successful examples of games that engage with local cultural canons. Additionally, we investigate how games can evolve into creators of cultural heritage by examining those that have already achieved such status. Furthermore, we delve into the potential fusion between independent games and cultural heritage by presenting several paradigms and posing pertinent questions about this evolution. Our study offers a framework that envisions games with strong local identities from diverse regions forming transnational networks and agencies within the videogame industry. Such developments could give rise to a new European game scene that draws inspiration primarily from local heritages, thereby fueling creativity and innovation in the field.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139979625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gamification is not Working: Why?","authors":"John Dah, Norhayati Hussin, Muhamad Khairulnizam Zaini, Linda Isaac Helda, Divine Senanu Ametefe, Abdulmalik Adozuka Aliu","doi":"10.1177/15554120241228125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120241228125","url":null,"abstract":"Gamification is a trending topic in the scientific community. It is the art of incorporating game elements and game design principles into non-game context. The phenomenon has garnered tremendous attention especially in the field of education and academics. Yet, since it appeared a decade ago, its ascension both in education and other domains hasn’t been uniform, with several failed and inconclusive results. Consequently, scholars have, over the years, made several efforts to probe why gamification isn’t succeeding as hoped. We attempt, therefore, to contribute to this effort by reviewing and discussing some of the core reasons why gamification seems to be faltering in the field of learning and education. Our findings revealed four (4) factors why gamification could be failing. Shallow gamification which is the simplistic and surficial application of game elements on a learning system or activity without transforming the core experience is one determinant. Overjustification effect, the excessive and arbitral use of rewards (extrinsic motivators), which hampers intrinsic motivation is another success determinant. The ‘badges, points, and leaderboards (BPL) gamification’ (or BPL triad) which refers to the use of basic game elements such as the badges, points, and leaderboards is also one reason gamification is still struggling. Lastly, the overreliance on narrow models and theories to explain or design gamified experiences is identified as a factor for gamification haziness. Our study suggests several antidotes to these highlighted challenges, such as deep intentional designs that transcend surface-level implementation of game elements (what is called ‘deep gamification’). Amidst the spree of excessive extrinsic rewards anyhow, we propose a careful consideration of implementing reward-based game elements, especially in multiple learning settings. Again, a move-away from the narrow and overly used models such as the self-determination theory, and flow theory could open success pathways. As we believe, narrow theoretical lens through which gamification is often viewed serves as a limiting factor, impeding the field's progression and obscuring the full potential of gamification as an approach.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139947645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“As if Possessed by a Demon”: Subjectivity, Possession, and Undeadness in Metal Gear Solid","authors":"Steven Kielich, Chris Hall","doi":"10.1177/15554120241226828","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120241226828","url":null,"abstract":"Engaging with psychoanalysis and philosophy, this essay maps the collapse of human sovereignty in Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid video game series by pursuing the figure of the liquid hand that moves between characters, undercutting identity and selfhood. A unique theoretical intervention in the discourses of posthumanism and deconstruction, this essay carves out a coenesthetic intervention into the malleability of the human shape and reimagines how Game and Media Studies can equip us to analyze the relationships between self and other, bodily modification, prosthetics, and violence. Playing out the threat of agential uncertainty and destabilizing the safe markers of self and other through which life and bodies define themselves in media, the series establishes a Geschlecht, a genre and community all its own, but one predicated upon the disorganization and defamiliarization of subjectivity.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139613691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"War and Esport: The Russian Invasions Impact on the Performance of Ukrainian and Russian Professional Players","authors":"Cornel Nesseler, Viktor Shtrum","doi":"10.1177/15554120231224513","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231224513","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding and assessing worker performance is of major sociological and economic interest. This importance is mirrored in the extent of research that analyzes incentives and behavioral traits influencing worker performance. Most of this research focuses on workers in a peaceful or stable environment. However, a large share of the global population works in a country that is at war. To examine the situation of workers in such a vulnerable situation, micro-level data is necessary but often unavailable. Esports is an exception as data regarding professional players – workers – is accessible. Here, we examine how Ukrainian and Russian professional players behave before and since the Russian invasion. Contrary to popular thinking, we find a sizable improvement in performance. For Ukrainians, the effect is especially prominent for live events, and for Russians, for online events. Our results demonstrate that the behavior of professional gamers rapidly changed after the occupation.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139616559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Blockchain Potentials for the Game Industry: A Review","authors":"Golshid Jaferian, Darya Ramezani, Michael G. Wagner","doi":"10.1177/15554120231222578","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231222578","url":null,"abstract":"In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the adoption and recognition of blockchain technology. The increasing demand for blockchain technology has led to its swift development and widespread adoption across various sectors, including the gaming industry. The potential implications of this nascent technology in the realm of digital games are considerable, yet it is crucial to acknowledge the absence of scholarly investigations regarding blockchain games. To bridge the current research gap, this study's objective is to conduct an in-depth review of the potential uses of blockchain technology in gaming.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139627460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Profiles, Perceptions, and Experiences of Video Game Translators","authors":"Amir Arsalan Zoraqi, Mohsen Kafi","doi":"10.1177/15554120231223329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231223329","url":null,"abstract":"The nuances involved in game localization call for an expert workforce, well-versed in dealing with the challenges involved. Yet, the prospect of game localization is still a blue-water area of research and not much is known regarding the profiles and the current industry practices. Thus, the present study seeks to throw light on the profiles, perceptions, and experiences of game translators. A total of 125 game translators provided qualitative and quantitative data regarding the various aspects of the profession through a 25-item online questionnaire. The findings point to a relatively young, highly educated, and mostly self-employed workforce who undertake translation as their main source of income and have a strong gaming background. The strengths and the weaknesses of the current workflow practices are identified and discussed, and suggestions are made drawing on the perceptions and experiences of game translation practitioners.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139381208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Ground Floor Approach to Video Game Accessibility: Identifying Design Features Prioritized by Accessibility Reviews","authors":"Sky LaRell Anderson","doi":"10.1177/15554120231222580","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231222580","url":null,"abstract":"This article describes the priorities for accessibility found in video game accessibility reviews. Through an analysis of 20 articles published by the accessibility review websites DAGERSystem.com and CanIPlayThat.com, this study categorizes the accessibility features in those articles in order to discover which accessibility features are the most important to reviewers, gauged by how many words are dedicated to addressing each feature. The study discovers 15 primary categories of accessibility most prominently features in these reviews. Word counts for each category provide a prioritized list of which accessibility features are the most central to video game accessibility. This article concludes by introducing the ground floor approach to video game accessibility, which calls for subtitles, difficulty settings, control options, and visual clarity as essential features in modern game design.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139382772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Video Games Interventions to Reduce Radicalization and Violent Extremism in Young People: A Systematic Review","authors":"Fatima Lopez Naranjo, M. A. Maldonado, Esther Cuadrado, Manuel Moyano","doi":"10.1177/15554120231223067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231223067","url":null,"abstract":"The development and consumption of video games have experienced a significant boom in recent decades. Recently, attention has been paid to the impact they can have on young people and how extremist and radical groups are using them to recruit and reinforce hateful ideas and behaviors. It would be innovative to use this powerful tool to prevent and educate on values and rights, thereby reducing prejudices toward the outgroup. Therefore, the present systematic review aims to gather and systematize existing knowledge on video game-based interventions to reduce and prevent extremism and violent radicalization in young people, following the PRISMA method, analyzing a total of six articles. The results indicate that such interventions can reduce prejudiced behaviors toward outgroup individuals and increase resilience, empathy, and prosocial interactions. However, further exploration in this field is necessary to better understand the mechanisms involved and improve video game designs for preventive purposes.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139453650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Aesthetics to Asymmetry: Contradictions of Ecological Play in Cities: Skylines","authors":"Laurence May, Ben Hall","doi":"10.1177/15554120231219729","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231219729","url":null,"abstract":"Anchored in the Anthropocene era's paradigm of human mastery over nature, Cities: Skylines grants its players extensive agency to shape untouched terrains into sprawling cities. We draw upon “ecological thought”—a mode of awareness that highlights the radical interconnectedness of all beings and their environments—to consider the ecological dynamics of city-building by the game's players. Analyzing player-generated paratexts from online game communities reveals that while many players aspire toward ecocentric city designs, they instead inadvertently restage the asymmetric planetary relationship emblematic of our current era. Our analysis uncovers the capital-driven assumptions that characterize human–environment relations in the game. Attempts at ecocentric aesthetics invariably subsumed by cybernetic interactions that privilege the Anthropocene's prevailing power dynamics. These expressions highlight the inherent contradictions of the Anthropocene era as encountered in Cities: Skylines and illustrate the permeability between the contemporary material world and digital play.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139001890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}