Game studies

Rumble is a feature of most modern games published for home consoles, yet no existing studies on rumble and haptic feedback consider its various manifestations and functions in digital games. Likewise, analytical frameworks for understanding digital games tend to overlook rumble as a significant component of the game object or experience. Building on analyses of nine games from the PlayStation family of home consoles, this paper explores rumble as a two-level semiotic structure, consisting of a feedback source and (a) level(s) of operation. The two components are suggested as the base for a typology that accounts for the specific feedback source-environment, object, interface, or body-and its specific levels of operation as ludic, dramatic, technical, or an overlap of any of these. We present examples of each type to discuss the uses, applications, and limitations of the framework in relation to both analysis and design.

Erwähl- und Spielwelten können auf intradiegetischer Ebene Diskurse simulieren, indem sie Themen der fiktiven Welt mit verschiedenen Positionen und Quellen in ausreichender Komplexität verhandeln., wie sich am  Beispiel der Religionsgeschichte der Spielwelt des Pen&Paper-Rollenspiels "Das Schwarze Auge" zeigen lässt.

This paper approaches video gaming issues through a genealogy that traces the links between video games and Erving Goffman's theories, based on his use of metaphors. Interactions and social life are therefore understood as a performative space where roles are played out, and Goffman's four metaphors (drama, ritual, frame and game) operate. A qualitative analysis methodology based on interviews and participant observation (both virtual and face-to-face) was used to gain an understanding of gaming culture, while also studying the more subtle underlying traits of gaming interaction. To do this, a journey through the stages, interactions, performativities and mechanisms of socialisation that are present in video games are proposed, something that is becoming increasingly more ubiquitous and relevant in sociological concerns and analyses.

Desde las sensibilidades metafóricas desarrolladas por Erving Goffman,
proponemos una aproximación a las problemáticas del juego a través
de una genealogía que rastrea las conexiones goffmanianas con los
dispositivos videolúdicos. De este modo, entendemos las interacciones
y la vida social como un espacio performativo donde se interpretan
roles y operan simultáneamente cuatro metáforas descritas por el autor
(teatral, rito, marco y juego). Aplicando una metodología de análisis
cualitativo basada en entrevistas y observación participante (virtual y
cara a cara) aspiramos a aprehender la cultura de juego mientras
profundizamos en los rasgos más sutiles y subyacentes de la
interacción lúdica. Para ello, proponemos un recorrido por los
escenarios, interacciones, performatividades y mecanismos de
socialización, presentes en los videojuegos, que progresivamente son
más ubicuos y relevantes en la preocupación y quehacer sociológico.

En el presente artículo, proponemos una aproximación
exhaustiva a las problemáticas del juego desde
las inquietudes y herramientas propuestas por Erving
Goffman. A través de una genealogía que rastrea las
conexiones del sociólogo canadiense con el juego,
entendemos las interacciones y la vida social como
un espacio performativo donde se interpretan roles y
operan simultáneamente cuatro metáforas descritas
por el autor (teatral, rito, marco y juego). A partir de
dos objetivos convergentes, proponemos una metodología
de análisis mixta y sugerente que permite
aprehender la cultura de juego mientras profundizamos
en los rasgos más sutiles y subyacentes de la
interacción lúdica. Paralelamente, reivindicamos los
saberes goffmanianos como herramientas fecundas,
no únicamente en el ámbito de las comunidades de
juego, sino en espacios y contextos más amplios de
preocupación sociológica.

ABSTRACT
In this article, we propose an exhaustive approach
to the problems of the game from the concerns
and tools proposed by Erving Goffman. Through a
genealogy that traces the connections of the Canadian
sociologist with the game, we understand
interactions and social life as a performative space
where roles are interpreted and simultaneously operate
four metaphors described by the author (theatrical,
rite, frame and game). Thereby, we propose
an inspiring methodology of study that allows us
to grasp the game culture while we delve into the
underlying elements of the playful interaction. At
the same time, we demand Goffmanian knowledge
as useful tools, not only in the context of the game
communities, but also in wider spaces and contexts
of sociological concern.

Background This article looks at how video game players interact directly with the infrastructure and networks that support digital games. To win, players are no longer simply “cheating the game,” as with traditional behaviour considered deceptive or outside of the established rules, but are instead “cheating the network.”

Analysis This distinction between these two types of cheating is important, and should be considered separate types of player interaction. “Cheating the network” is a new type of public engagement with network technology—one that runs counter to conventional views of a transparent, invisible media infrastructure.

Conclusion and implications  By examining “cheating the network” separately from traditional forms of cheating in digital games, it is possible to reframe these player/game interactions as player/infrastructure interactions and view them through a critical lens of materiality.

Contexte  Cet article examine comment les joueurs de jeux vidéo interagissent directement avec l’infrastructure et les réseaux dont dépendent les jeux numériques. En effet, pour gagner, les joueurs ne sont plus simplement en train de « tricher au jeu », adoptant un comportement trompeur ou hors normes traditionnel; ils sont plutôt en train de « tricher au réseau ».

Analyse  Cette distinction entre deux façons de tricher est importante, car elle s’applique à deux types distincts d’interaction entre joueurs. « Tricher au réseau » est un nouveau type d’engagement public auprès des technologies du réseau—un engagement qui va à l’encontre de l’idée d’une infrastructure médiatique transparente et invisible. 

Conclusion et implications  En distinguant l’idée de « tricher au réseau » par rapport aux formes traditionnelles de tricherie aux jeux numériques, il est possible de recadrer les interactions entre joueur et jeu comme des interactions entre joueur et infrastructure et de porter un œil critique sur la matérialité de ces dernières.

This paper analyzes the Taiko no Tatsujin (Bandai Namco, 2001/2018) franchise and the musical literacy it conveys. While previous accounts of game musical literacy have focused on the competence necessary to interpret references across media (van Elferen, 2016), this paper expands on the concept, including forms of musical participation such as live performances and oral traditions. The musical compositions included in Taiko no Tatsujin pertain to the Japanese phenomenon of media convergence known as media mix (Steinberg, 2012), as they have been previously popularized by anime and geemu ongaku (or game music) (Yamakami & Barbosa, 2015). However, the musical participation extends its references to the practice of Japanese taiko drumming, a largely oral, non-notated musical form, which cannot be reduced to a musical repertoire. The conclusions show that game musical literacy is constructed not only on media literacy, but also on various different forms of participation in musical performances, or musicking (Small, 1998), which concur in constructing game musical literacy. The musical culture associated with digital games is therefore expressed through a large variety of musical practices.

Представеният доклад разглежда използването на елементи от теорията на хаоса по отношение на моделирането и симулацията на съвременната техногенна среда за сигурност. Използването на средства за виртуализация и съвременни математични подходи като клетъчни автомати, дава възможност да се наблюдава проявление на раждането на нови свойства с висока сложност и самоорганизиращи се системи.

This paper will introduce the reader to a variety of concepts that have been prominent in my journey to academia and beyond, exemplifying a type of reasoning and writing that are specific to what late 20th century authors call the subjective turn. By dint of filtering information through a subjective lens (signalled by the use of first person, the recurrence of informal language and the use of direct addressing), the paper will first tackle the contradictory nature of the mind processes I underwent as a former film student. As such, it will scrutinise and elaborate on three pivotal concepts: forking path, duality and anonymous thief. The aim of this paper is to extrapolate why being a thief in academia and stealing theoretical knowledge has been the very foundation of a dawning career in the creative industries. The theoretical framework of this paper is set around Dr. Briggite Müller's recent cognitive studies on the mind's twofold nature.

In this chapter, the key messages from the preceding chapters are summarised, the limitations of the work considered, and recommendations for future work made. The study presented here has shown that playing selected video games could develop certain graduate attributes: the skills and competencies that students are said to attain at university. Interviews with students, educators, and game developers have demonstrated links between games and established theories of learning, echoing ideas espoused by James Paul Gee. Here, these theories have been applied to the development of skills that graduates will be expected to demonstrate in the workplace. It is proposed that games should be integrated into higher education curricula where appropriate: if integrated thoughtfully, games can provide students with opportunities to develop their understanding of taught material, while simultaneously exercising a range of desirable skills. Universities should, therefore, afford video games at least the same status as sports and other such worthy pursuits. Furthermore, while the provision of ‘bolt-on’ graduate attribute training has not always proven successful, we should consider offering more formal game-based opportunities for attribute development. Finally, we must challenge the negative portrayal of video games: otherwise, they can never fulfil their considerable potential in education.

When considering the use of video games in education, it is common to focus on the students and educators involved. Less well documented is how those responsible for producing video games view the educational potential of the medium. Do game developers think their games have the capacity to develop useful skills in players? Do they believe games present players with opportunities to learn something about the world? Might developers consciously include such opportunities in their games? To explore these questions, industry personnel responsible for the commercial titles used in the previously described study were interviewed, revealing that developers do see educational potential in the games they create. The potential they identify aligns with much of the research on game-based learning, including the study on which this book is based, and the theories put forth by James Paul Gee. Developers identified a range of skills that games may exercise, including critical thinking and collaboration, and highlighted the affordances of games that facilitate learning, such as the provision of a safe space in which to fail and develop confidence. It is equally apparent, however, that commercial game developers are reluctant to make claims about any such potential that cannot be verified.