Developers of AAA videogames which feature recognizable military forces, governmental law enforce... more Developers of AAA videogames which feature recognizable military forces, governmental law enforcement agencies, and geopolitical conflicts routinely make claims that their works do not make “political statements.” This article takes seriously the claims made by serveral developers, revealing their attempts to radically narrow the definition of the term “political.” Through a critical discourse analysis, this article will articulate several key theses held forth by the developers regarding systemic media and expressivity, the responsibility of the player, and the inevitable constraints of production and technology. These points are deployed by the developers to build an argument for a reduced scope of the term “political,” as well as to propose an ideological framing of videogames as an expressive medium, which ultimately serve to obscure the role that ideology plays in the production of videogames.
This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual envi... more This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual environment, Liberty City, as part of a dynamic textual object, Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV). The second is to demonstrate these techniques with an analysis in the narrative of GTA IV as a very modernist, dystopian version of the American Dream. Further, the suitability of the video game as a medium for modernist themes and concerns as exemplified by the work of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and T. S. Eliot will be explored. Liberty City is an interactive city which a player can experience, rather than read about, answering many of the questions modernist writers posed to their frustrating, linear medium.
As the single most successful social-networking Website to date, Facebook has caused a shift in b... more As the single most successful social-networking Website to date, Facebook has caused a shift in both practice and perception of online socialisation, and its relationship to the offline world. While not the first online social networking service, Facebook’s user base dwarfs its nearest competitors. Mark Zuckerberg’s creation boasts more than 750 million users (Facebook). The currently ailing MySpace claimed a ceiling of 100 million users in 2006 (Cashmore). Further, the accuracy of this number has been contested due to a high proportion of fake or inactive accounts. Facebook by contrast, claims 50% of its user base logs in at least once a day (Facebook). The popular and mainstream uptake of Facebook has shifted social use of the Internet from various and fragmented niche groups towards a common hub or portal around which much everyday Internet use is centred. The implications are many, but this paper will focus on the progress what Mimi Marinucci terms the “Facebook effect” (70) and the evolution of lists as a filtering mechanism representing one’s social zones within Facebook. This is in part inspired by the launch of Google’s new social networking service Google+ which includes “circles” as a fundamental design feature for sorting contacts. Circles are an acknowledgement of the shortcomings of a single, unified friends list that defines the Facebook experience. These lists and circles are both manifestations of the same essential concept: our social lives are, in fact, divided into various zones not defined by an online/offline dichotomy, by fantasy role-play, deviant sexual practices, or other marginal or minority interests. What the lists and circles demonstrate is that even very common, mainstream people occupy different roles in everyday life, and that to be effective social tools, social networking sites must grant users control over their various identities and over who knows what about them. Even so, the very nature of computer-based social tools lead to problematic definitions of identities and relationships using discreet terms, in contrast to more fluid, performative constructions of an individual and their relations to others.
This critical review of Assassin's Creed 2 examines functional gameplay features as well as aesth... more This critical review of Assassin's Creed 2 examines functional gameplay features as well as aesthetics and its relationship to history. The meat of the review investigates the historical parallels with the many historically real characters and events found in the game, in a similar vein to the original Assassin's Creed.
Another in the series of long critical reviews for the JGVW, I examine Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed... more Another in the series of long critical reviews for the JGVW, I examine Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. Firstly, I perform a mechanical assessment, comparing the mechanical affordances created by the game, and analyze their effectiveness for creating experiencing Altair's adventures. Does the game make me "feel" like an assassin? Secondly, I examine characteristics of the Assassin legend, as an intersection between history, legend and contemporary fiction. Understanding the game not as a historically real 'simulation' is important in enjoying the historical fiction it supports.
In this long critical reflection, I review the videogame Bioshock and engage with the academic di... more In this long critical reflection, I review the videogame Bioshock and engage with the academic discourse surrounding it. As a literary artefact, Bioshock uses its ludic medium to engage with and eventually deconstruct notions of freedom, agency, coercion and control in a presently unmatched way. The game has already received a great deal of critical attention, though some of it seems to miss the 'point.' Must gamers only ever interpret the mechanical rules of the game, or can designers allow for purely narrative/aesthetic choices? Bioshock is an important milestone in the history of videogames as an artistic medium and deserves the attention it is paid.
This paper highlights and discusses the function of several tropes and artefacts found within con... more This paper highlights and discusses the function of several tropes and artefacts found within contemporary videogames. These tropes are analysed in their capacities to simultaneously distance the videogame from reality, but to make possible the playing of the game. This play is as opposed to the unmitigated experience of real life, as directed by an auteur of some sort. The existence and strength of these abstractions will place the games on axes of measurement. Two axes will be suggested to place various videogame titles in relation to one another. The first is the ‘thickness of metaphor’ utilized by a game. This axis describes how far from pure code or mathematics the videogame’s aesthetic exterior is. Of course all games are rooted in their code, but very few do not attempt to cloak this system in some kind of metaphor, from invading aliens to guitar notation. The second axis describes the game’s structure, from strict level-based situations to sprawling open-world scenarios. The word level has been chosen here as it most readily applies to videogames, but is also related to the discreet, iterative puzzles in crosswords or soduku games. These axes help to describe the balance of a videogame’s ‘gameness’ with its ‘metaphor’, premise or, to borrow Juul’s term, fiction. It is hoped that by developing such vocabulary and measurements, many games, past, contemporary and future may be usefully analysed in relatively stable terms.
This article uses a particular game, Fable 2, to explore broader issues in contemporary game theo... more This article uses a particular game, Fable 2, to explore broader issues in contemporary game theory. These include the debates which seek to position video games as either narrative forms or ludic experiences. Ruch moves beyond these debates in his consideration of the competing imperatives involved in playing - and analysing - games such as Fable 2. He demonstrates the competing forces at play as three sets of rules - pertaining to simulation, game and story - interact. Through a close study of this specific game, Ruch shows the complexity of this contemporary form, an intersection of technology, aesthetic strategies, design, narrative drive, and commercial imperative.
This article seeks to explore the relationship between the concept of Blizzard's World of Warcraf... more This article seeks to explore the relationship between the concept of Blizzard's World of Warcraft in legal terms, in Blizzard's End-User License Agreement (EULA) and the Terms of Use (TOU), and the concept of the game as conceived by the players of the game. Blizzard present their product as a service, and themselves as a service provider, in the EULA/TOU. Meanwhile, the product itself seems to be more akin to a space or place, which subjective players move about in. This conflict is essentially a difference between a passive viewer accessing certain content within a range available to him, and an individual who inhabits a space and acts within that space as an agent. The meaning of this subjectivity-in-space (or denial of the same) problematizes the relationship Blizzard has with its customers, and the relationships between those customers and Blizzard's product.
An evolution of the governance of these spaces is inevitable. Where Castronova and Lessig's answers differ, their basic assertion that the virtual political landscape can and will change seems clear. These changes will be influenced by the values placed on the social capital generated within the spaces themselves. The identities as per Turkle, Koster, and Dibble are human identities. Arguments as to why we should pay attention to synthetic worlds have been made by these authors already, so this article seeks to actually pay that attention. This is one practical example of the work that must be done around synthetic/virtual worlds, which directly affects tens of millions of people.
World of Warcraft is to date the world’s most successful MMORPG, and represents the epitome of th... more World of Warcraft is to date the world’s most successful MMORPG, and represents the epitome of this genre. Though a descendant of the older role-playing game genre, MMOs now represent a genre in their own right. The massively multiplayer aspect of these shared worlds differentiate them from otherwise similar virtual environments sustained by other gaming software in two important ways. Firstly, MMOs never end; secondly the player does not and cannot affect the gameworld at large in meaningful, lasting ways. Instead of measuring victory in binary terms of final goals, the successful gameplay of Warcraft is a constant state of motion. Because this game is constantly played together by groups of people who rely upon or compete with each other, a particular pace of progression evolves. Players are not only measured by their accomplishments, but by how long those accomplishments took to complete. Warcraft is designed to be accessible by any players, so the majority of in-game tasks are more a commitment of time rather than practice or skill. Finally, the opportunity to complete the same tasks must be made available to all the game’s players regardless of how many other players have passed that way before. So, we have the curious experience of the same supposedly unique character being killed and resurrecting, the same damsel rescued, or the same artifact recovered, hundreds or thousands of times, in the same shared gameworld, by different players. So not only is there no one final boss, none of the enemies that are defeated stay dead. Instead, we can only measure how long it took a certain group to kill that boss, rescue that damsel or find that artifact. Warcraft, then represents a new paradigm of gaming, as well as a new kind of textual object which is entirely concerned with the maintenance of a continuing experience, rather than of achieving any one particular objective.
The trajectory of identity theory has seen the once-solid, embodied notion become decentred and d... more The trajectory of identity theory has seen the once-solid, embodied notion become decentred and distributed across multiple ‘windows’ of performance. From the exploration of multiple selves in the MUDs in the 1990s to World of Warcraft, SecondLife and Facebook, contemporary identity management has continued to change. The specific functional differences between the Facebook network, WoW and the now out-dated MUD experience lead to a very different experience of identity. Social networking tools take a very different path towards identity, one of full-disclosure, grounded in corporeal reality rather than the imagined or psychological self. Facebook brings together communities that were once discreet, presenting the same image of the individual to disparate audiences, and undermining the distributed-self phenomenon of the earlier technologies. The disconnection from corporeal reality that the MUD created a safe area of free play. WoW limits that freedom to menu selection. Both of these new kinds of technologies provide different sets of affordances, and so demand that we handle our shards of personality differently. We must be more conscious of who knows what about each of us.
This thesis is a critical examination of videogame theory and of videogames. The analysis of vari... more This thesis is a critical examination of videogame theory and of videogames. The analysis of various approaches to videogames, from ludology to unit operations and simulation, places each approach alongside each other to compare and contrast what is gained and lost by adhering to each perspective. Following from this, I develop a framework which considers the role of the player as part of the game system, whose attitude will influence their relationship with the videogame. Critics must acknowledge and respect the varied play practices of various kinds of players in exploring what any given videogame means. Finally, I explore three broad videogame-play experiences: ludic play, narrative or dramatic pleasure, and paidic curiosity and exploration. Each of these offer fundamentally different ways of addressing videogames as objects and the play of games as a practice, which creates a more nuanced language with which to discuss various kinds of videogames and experiences of play. Through close studies of a range of contemporary, mainstream videogames, I conclude that not only are there fundamentally different kinds of videogames which cannot all be adequately served by a single approach, but that players utilise different approaches themselves when playing. Therefore, videogame theory should become at least as varied and agile as videogame players themselves. The goal of this thesis is to explore what certain games mean, to certain players, rather than appeal to a higher, objective sense of true, universal meaning.
This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first i... more This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first in Australia and second in the United States at a private, post-secondary institution in the creative arts. The specific example program is in game design and development. The paper will explore pedagogical aims and objectives, as well as the challenges of devising and implementing curricula in two different cultural and regulatory contexts, despite apparent similarities.
Interactive Entertainment Conference 2013, Oct 2013
World of Warcraft (WoW) represents a melting pot of popular culture myths, taking inspiration fro... more World of Warcraft (WoW) represents a melting pot of popular culture myths, taking inspiration from a huge number of existing works and incorporating them together into its own vast lore. Amongst the many influences it draws upon are the works of H. P. Lovecraft, an influential horror writer. Lovecraft's writing encapsulated a particular pessimistic view of the universe, which stands in contrast to the heroic fantasy of World of Warcraft. This paper examines the presence in World of Warcraft for particular examples of influences from Lovecraft's writings. More importantly the use of these influences is compared to the underlying philosophy of horror that can be found in Lovecraft's work. It is our contention that the aspects of World of Warcraft inspired by Lovecraft are not employed in a way congruent with that source material.
Interactive Entertainment Conference 2013, Oct 2013
In videogames the player's avatar often dies, but because time is not a straight-forward line, th... more In videogames the player's avatar often dies, but because time is not a straight-forward line, the meaning of death is changeable. This paper will analyse this aspect of time in games, a present a model for theorizing how players conceive of time and causation in games.
... Scott Rettberg suggests that WoW is a kind of theatre version of corporate capitalism, and th... more ... Scott Rettberg suggests that WoW is a kind of theatre version of corporate capitalism, and though his argument is strong, I wonder if there isn'ta way to escape the tendency to ... Aarseth, E, A Hollow World: World of Warcraft as Spatial Practice in Corneliussen, H. & Rettberg, J. et. ...
Developers of AAA videogames which feature recognizable military forces, governmental law enforce... more Developers of AAA videogames which feature recognizable military forces, governmental law enforcement agencies, and geopolitical conflicts routinely make claims that their works do not make “political statements.” This article takes seriously the claims made by serveral developers, revealing their attempts to radically narrow the definition of the term “political.” Through a critical discourse analysis, this article will articulate several key theses held forth by the developers regarding systemic media and expressivity, the responsibility of the player, and the inevitable constraints of production and technology. These points are deployed by the developers to build an argument for a reduced scope of the term “political,” as well as to propose an ideological framing of videogames as an expressive medium, which ultimately serve to obscure the role that ideology plays in the production of videogames.
This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual envi... more This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual environment, Liberty City, as part of a dynamic textual object, Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV). The second is to demonstrate these techniques with an analysis in the narrative of GTA IV as a very modernist, dystopian version of the American Dream. Further, the suitability of the video game as a medium for modernist themes and concerns as exemplified by the work of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and T. S. Eliot will be explored. Liberty City is an interactive city which a player can experience, rather than read about, answering many of the questions modernist writers posed to their frustrating, linear medium.
As the single most successful social-networking Website to date, Facebook has caused a shift in b... more As the single most successful social-networking Website to date, Facebook has caused a shift in both practice and perception of online socialisation, and its relationship to the offline world. While not the first online social networking service, Facebook’s user base dwarfs its nearest competitors. Mark Zuckerberg’s creation boasts more than 750 million users (Facebook). The currently ailing MySpace claimed a ceiling of 100 million users in 2006 (Cashmore). Further, the accuracy of this number has been contested due to a high proportion of fake or inactive accounts. Facebook by contrast, claims 50% of its user base logs in at least once a day (Facebook). The popular and mainstream uptake of Facebook has shifted social use of the Internet from various and fragmented niche groups towards a common hub or portal around which much everyday Internet use is centred. The implications are many, but this paper will focus on the progress what Mimi Marinucci terms the “Facebook effect” (70) and the evolution of lists as a filtering mechanism representing one’s social zones within Facebook. This is in part inspired by the launch of Google’s new social networking service Google+ which includes “circles” as a fundamental design feature for sorting contacts. Circles are an acknowledgement of the shortcomings of a single, unified friends list that defines the Facebook experience. These lists and circles are both manifestations of the same essential concept: our social lives are, in fact, divided into various zones not defined by an online/offline dichotomy, by fantasy role-play, deviant sexual practices, or other marginal or minority interests. What the lists and circles demonstrate is that even very common, mainstream people occupy different roles in everyday life, and that to be effective social tools, social networking sites must grant users control over their various identities and over who knows what about them. Even so, the very nature of computer-based social tools lead to problematic definitions of identities and relationships using discreet terms, in contrast to more fluid, performative constructions of an individual and their relations to others.
This critical review of Assassin's Creed 2 examines functional gameplay features as well as aesth... more This critical review of Assassin's Creed 2 examines functional gameplay features as well as aesthetics and its relationship to history. The meat of the review investigates the historical parallels with the many historically real characters and events found in the game, in a similar vein to the original Assassin's Creed.
Another in the series of long critical reviews for the JGVW, I examine Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed... more Another in the series of long critical reviews for the JGVW, I examine Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. Firstly, I perform a mechanical assessment, comparing the mechanical affordances created by the game, and analyze their effectiveness for creating experiencing Altair's adventures. Does the game make me "feel" like an assassin? Secondly, I examine characteristics of the Assassin legend, as an intersection between history, legend and contemporary fiction. Understanding the game not as a historically real 'simulation' is important in enjoying the historical fiction it supports.
In this long critical reflection, I review the videogame Bioshock and engage with the academic di... more In this long critical reflection, I review the videogame Bioshock and engage with the academic discourse surrounding it. As a literary artefact, Bioshock uses its ludic medium to engage with and eventually deconstruct notions of freedom, agency, coercion and control in a presently unmatched way. The game has already received a great deal of critical attention, though some of it seems to miss the 'point.' Must gamers only ever interpret the mechanical rules of the game, or can designers allow for purely narrative/aesthetic choices? Bioshock is an important milestone in the history of videogames as an artistic medium and deserves the attention it is paid.
This paper highlights and discusses the function of several tropes and artefacts found within con... more This paper highlights and discusses the function of several tropes and artefacts found within contemporary videogames. These tropes are analysed in their capacities to simultaneously distance the videogame from reality, but to make possible the playing of the game. This play is as opposed to the unmitigated experience of real life, as directed by an auteur of some sort. The existence and strength of these abstractions will place the games on axes of measurement. Two axes will be suggested to place various videogame titles in relation to one another. The first is the ‘thickness of metaphor’ utilized by a game. This axis describes how far from pure code or mathematics the videogame’s aesthetic exterior is. Of course all games are rooted in their code, but very few do not attempt to cloak this system in some kind of metaphor, from invading aliens to guitar notation. The second axis describes the game’s structure, from strict level-based situations to sprawling open-world scenarios. The word level has been chosen here as it most readily applies to videogames, but is also related to the discreet, iterative puzzles in crosswords or soduku games. These axes help to describe the balance of a videogame’s ‘gameness’ with its ‘metaphor’, premise or, to borrow Juul’s term, fiction. It is hoped that by developing such vocabulary and measurements, many games, past, contemporary and future may be usefully analysed in relatively stable terms.
This article uses a particular game, Fable 2, to explore broader issues in contemporary game theo... more This article uses a particular game, Fable 2, to explore broader issues in contemporary game theory. These include the debates which seek to position video games as either narrative forms or ludic experiences. Ruch moves beyond these debates in his consideration of the competing imperatives involved in playing - and analysing - games such as Fable 2. He demonstrates the competing forces at play as three sets of rules - pertaining to simulation, game and story - interact. Through a close study of this specific game, Ruch shows the complexity of this contemporary form, an intersection of technology, aesthetic strategies, design, narrative drive, and commercial imperative.
This article seeks to explore the relationship between the concept of Blizzard's World of Warcraf... more This article seeks to explore the relationship between the concept of Blizzard's World of Warcraft in legal terms, in Blizzard's End-User License Agreement (EULA) and the Terms of Use (TOU), and the concept of the game as conceived by the players of the game. Blizzard present their product as a service, and themselves as a service provider, in the EULA/TOU. Meanwhile, the product itself seems to be more akin to a space or place, which subjective players move about in. This conflict is essentially a difference between a passive viewer accessing certain content within a range available to him, and an individual who inhabits a space and acts within that space as an agent. The meaning of this subjectivity-in-space (or denial of the same) problematizes the relationship Blizzard has with its customers, and the relationships between those customers and Blizzard's product.
An evolution of the governance of these spaces is inevitable. Where Castronova and Lessig's answers differ, their basic assertion that the virtual political landscape can and will change seems clear. These changes will be influenced by the values placed on the social capital generated within the spaces themselves. The identities as per Turkle, Koster, and Dibble are human identities. Arguments as to why we should pay attention to synthetic worlds have been made by these authors already, so this article seeks to actually pay that attention. This is one practical example of the work that must be done around synthetic/virtual worlds, which directly affects tens of millions of people.
World of Warcraft is to date the world’s most successful MMORPG, and represents the epitome of th... more World of Warcraft is to date the world’s most successful MMORPG, and represents the epitome of this genre. Though a descendant of the older role-playing game genre, MMOs now represent a genre in their own right. The massively multiplayer aspect of these shared worlds differentiate them from otherwise similar virtual environments sustained by other gaming software in two important ways. Firstly, MMOs never end; secondly the player does not and cannot affect the gameworld at large in meaningful, lasting ways. Instead of measuring victory in binary terms of final goals, the successful gameplay of Warcraft is a constant state of motion. Because this game is constantly played together by groups of people who rely upon or compete with each other, a particular pace of progression evolves. Players are not only measured by their accomplishments, but by how long those accomplishments took to complete. Warcraft is designed to be accessible by any players, so the majority of in-game tasks are more a commitment of time rather than practice or skill. Finally, the opportunity to complete the same tasks must be made available to all the game’s players regardless of how many other players have passed that way before. So, we have the curious experience of the same supposedly unique character being killed and resurrecting, the same damsel rescued, or the same artifact recovered, hundreds or thousands of times, in the same shared gameworld, by different players. So not only is there no one final boss, none of the enemies that are defeated stay dead. Instead, we can only measure how long it took a certain group to kill that boss, rescue that damsel or find that artifact. Warcraft, then represents a new paradigm of gaming, as well as a new kind of textual object which is entirely concerned with the maintenance of a continuing experience, rather than of achieving any one particular objective.
The trajectory of identity theory has seen the once-solid, embodied notion become decentred and d... more The trajectory of identity theory has seen the once-solid, embodied notion become decentred and distributed across multiple ‘windows’ of performance. From the exploration of multiple selves in the MUDs in the 1990s to World of Warcraft, SecondLife and Facebook, contemporary identity management has continued to change. The specific functional differences between the Facebook network, WoW and the now out-dated MUD experience lead to a very different experience of identity. Social networking tools take a very different path towards identity, one of full-disclosure, grounded in corporeal reality rather than the imagined or psychological self. Facebook brings together communities that were once discreet, presenting the same image of the individual to disparate audiences, and undermining the distributed-self phenomenon of the earlier technologies. The disconnection from corporeal reality that the MUD created a safe area of free play. WoW limits that freedom to menu selection. Both of these new kinds of technologies provide different sets of affordances, and so demand that we handle our shards of personality differently. We must be more conscious of who knows what about each of us.
This thesis is a critical examination of videogame theory and of videogames. The analysis of vari... more This thesis is a critical examination of videogame theory and of videogames. The analysis of various approaches to videogames, from ludology to unit operations and simulation, places each approach alongside each other to compare and contrast what is gained and lost by adhering to each perspective. Following from this, I develop a framework which considers the role of the player as part of the game system, whose attitude will influence their relationship with the videogame. Critics must acknowledge and respect the varied play practices of various kinds of players in exploring what any given videogame means. Finally, I explore three broad videogame-play experiences: ludic play, narrative or dramatic pleasure, and paidic curiosity and exploration. Each of these offer fundamentally different ways of addressing videogames as objects and the play of games as a practice, which creates a more nuanced language with which to discuss various kinds of videogames and experiences of play. Through close studies of a range of contemporary, mainstream videogames, I conclude that not only are there fundamentally different kinds of videogames which cannot all be adequately served by a single approach, but that players utilise different approaches themselves when playing. Therefore, videogame theory should become at least as varied and agile as videogame players themselves. The goal of this thesis is to explore what certain games mean, to certain players, rather than appeal to a higher, objective sense of true, universal meaning.
This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first i... more This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first in Australia and second in the United States at a private, post-secondary institution in the creative arts. The specific example program is in game design and development. The paper will explore pedagogical aims and objectives, as well as the challenges of devising and implementing curricula in two different cultural and regulatory contexts, despite apparent similarities.
Interactive Entertainment Conference 2013, Oct 2013
World of Warcraft (WoW) represents a melting pot of popular culture myths, taking inspiration fro... more World of Warcraft (WoW) represents a melting pot of popular culture myths, taking inspiration from a huge number of existing works and incorporating them together into its own vast lore. Amongst the many influences it draws upon are the works of H. P. Lovecraft, an influential horror writer. Lovecraft's writing encapsulated a particular pessimistic view of the universe, which stands in contrast to the heroic fantasy of World of Warcraft. This paper examines the presence in World of Warcraft for particular examples of influences from Lovecraft's writings. More importantly the use of these influences is compared to the underlying philosophy of horror that can be found in Lovecraft's work. It is our contention that the aspects of World of Warcraft inspired by Lovecraft are not employed in a way congruent with that source material.
Interactive Entertainment Conference 2013, Oct 2013
In videogames the player's avatar often dies, but because time is not a straight-forward line, th... more In videogames the player's avatar often dies, but because time is not a straight-forward line, the meaning of death is changeable. This paper will analyse this aspect of time in games, a present a model for theorizing how players conceive of time and causation in games.
... Scott Rettberg suggests that WoW is a kind of theatre version of corporate capitalism, and th... more ... Scott Rettberg suggests that WoW is a kind of theatre version of corporate capitalism, and though his argument is strong, I wonder if there isn'ta way to escape the tendency to ... Aarseth, E, A Hollow World: World of Warcraft as Spatial Practice in Corneliussen, H. & Rettberg, J. et. ...
World of Warcraft (WoW) represents a melting pot of popular culture myths, taking inspiration fro... more World of Warcraft (WoW) represents a melting pot of popular culture myths, taking inspiration from a huge number of existing works and incorporating them together into its own vast lore. Amongst the many influences it draws upon are the works of H. P. Lovecraft, an influential horror writer. Lovecraft's writing encapsulated a particular pessimistic view of the universe, which stands in contrast to the heroic fantasy of World of Warcraft. This paper examines the presence in World of Warcraft for particular examples of influences from Lovecraft's writings. More importantly the use of these influences is compared to the underlying philosophy of horror that can be found in Lovecraft's work. It is our contention that the aspects of World of Warcraft inspired by Lovecraft are not employed in a way congruent with that source material.
This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first i... more This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first in Australia and second in the United States at a private, post-secondary institution in the creative arts. The specific example program is in game design and development. The paper will explore pedagogical aims and objectives, as well as the challenges of devising and implementing curricula in two different cultural and regulatory contexts, despite apparent similarities.
This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual envi... more This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual environment, Liberty City, as part of a dynamic textual object, Grand Theft Auto IV ( GTA IV). The second is to demonstrate these techniques with an analysis in the narrative of GTA IV as a very modernist, dystopian version of the American Dream. Further, the suitability of the video game as a medium for modernist themes and concerns as exemplified by the work of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and T. S. Eliot will be explored. Liberty City is an interactive city which a player can experience, rather than read about, answering many of the questions modernist writers posed to their frustrating, linear medium.
Adam Ruch is a graduate of the University of Sydney where he completed a "hybrid&quo... more Adam Ruch is a graduate of the University of Sydney where he completed a "hybrid" degree combining Information Systems, English, and Informatics. His honours thesis addressed World of Warcraft, and a cycle of player self-identification experienced in-game. He is ...
Page 1. Videogame Interface: Artefacts and Tropes Adam. W Ruch Abstract This paper highlights and... more Page 1. Videogame Interface: Artefacts and Tropes Adam. W Ruch Abstract This paper highlights and discusses the function of several tropes and artefacts found within contemporary videogames. These tropes are analysed ...
Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games
This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first i... more This paper describes a curriculum-development project carried out in two distinct phases, first in Australia and second in the United States at a private, post-secondary institution in the creative arts. The specific example program is in game design and development. The paper will explore pedagogical aims and objectives, as well as the challenges of devising and implementing curricula in two different cultural and regulatory contexts, despite apparent similarities.
This paper highlights and discusses the function of several tropes and artefacts found within con... more This paper highlights and discusses the function of several tropes and artefacts found within contemporary videogames. These tropes are analysed in their capacities to simultaneously distance the videogame from reality, but to make possible the playing of the game. This play is as opposed to the unmitigated experience of real life, as directed by an auteur of some sort. Two axes of measurement will be suggested which can be used to place various videogame titles in relation to one another. The first is the ‘thickness of metaphor’ utilized by a game. This axis describes how far from pure code or mathematics the videogame’s aesthetic exterior is. Of course all games are rooted in their code, but very few do not attempt to cloak this system in some kind of metaphor, from invading aliens to guitar notation. The second axis describes the game’s structure, from strict level-based situations to sprawling open-world scenarios. The word level has been chosen here as it most readily applies t...
Videogame Cultures and the Future of Interactive Entertainment, 2010
... Scott Rettberg suggests that WoW is a kind of theatre version of corporate capitalism, and th... more ... Scott Rettberg suggests that WoW is a kind of theatre version of corporate capitalism, and though his argument is strong, I wonder if there isn'ta way to escape the tendency to ... Aarseth, E, A Hollow World: World of Warcraft as Spatial Practice in Corneliussen, H. & Rettberg, J. et. ...
As the single most successful social-networking Website to date, Facebook has caused a shift in b... more As the single most successful social-networking Website to date, Facebook has caused a shift in both practice and perception of online socialisation, and its relationship to the offline world. While not the first online social networking service, Facebook’s user base dwarfs its nearest competitors. Mark Zuckerberg’s creation boasts more than 750 million users (Facebook). The currently ailing MySpace claimed a ceiling of 100 million users in 2006 (Cashmore). Further, the accuracy of this number has been contested due to a high proportion of fake or inactive accounts. Facebook by contrast, claims 50% of its user base logs in at least once a day (Facebook). The popular and mainstream uptake of Facebook has shifted social use of the Internet from various and fragmented niche groups towards a common hub or portal around which much everyday Internet use is centred. The implications are many, but this paper will focus on the progress what Mimi Marinucci terms the “Facebook effect” (70) and...
This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual envi... more This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual environment, Liberty City, as part of a dynamic textual object, Grand Theft Auto IV ( GTA IV). The second is to demonstrate these techniques with an analysis in the narrative of GTA IV as a very modernist, dystopian version of the American Dream. Further, the suitability of the video game as a medium for modernist themes and concerns as exemplified by the work of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and T. S. Eliot will be explored. Liberty City is an interactive city which a player can experience, rather than read about, answering many of the questions modernist writers posed to their frustrating, linear medium.
This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual envi... more This article has two goals: one is to establish techniques for content analysis of a virtual environment, Liberty City, as part of a dynamic textual object, Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV). The second is to demonstrate these techniques with an analysis in the narrative of GTA IV as a very modernist, dystopian version of the American Dream. Further, the suitability of the video game as a medium for modernist themes and concerns as exemplified by the work of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and T. S. Eliot will be explored. Liberty City is an interactive city which a player can experience, rather than read about, answering many of the questions modernist writers posed to their frustrating, linear medium.
Adam Ruch is a graduate of the University of Sydney where he completed a "hybrid&quo... more Adam Ruch is a graduate of the University of Sydney where he completed a "hybrid" degree combining Information Systems, English, and Informatics. His honours thesis addressed World of Warcraft, and a cycle of player self-identification experienced in-game. He is ...
Macquarie University, in 2012, introduced two undergraduate coursework programs in the area of vi... more Macquarie University, in 2012, introduced two undergraduate coursework programs in the area of video games. These programs are a joint initiative of the Departments of Computing and Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies. The programs represent an innovative approach to curriculum structure in this area, combining technical, design and reflective critical practice to produce rounded graduates with a wide knowledge of issues and practices in interactive media. This paper describes the process of designing these programs, the aims and rationales guiding their design and their detailed structure. The central guiding principle behind the programs was that accomplished designers of interactive media, particularly video games, need both a sound technical background and an appreciation of the relationship between users, society and their designs. This is reflected in both the structure of the programs and the pedagogical approaches in the specialist units.
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An evolution of the governance of these spaces is inevitable. Where Castronova and Lessig's answers differ, their basic assertion that the virtual political landscape can and will change seems clear. These changes will be influenced by the values placed on the social capital generated within the spaces themselves. The identities as per Turkle, Koster, and Dibble are human identities. Arguments as to why we should pay attention to synthetic worlds have been made by these authors already, so this article seeks to actually pay that attention. This is one practical example of the work that must be done around synthetic/virtual worlds, which directly affects tens of millions of people.
Following from this, I develop a framework which considers the role of the player as part of the game system, whose attitude will influence their relationship with the videogame. Critics must acknowledge and respect the varied play practices of various kinds of players in exploring what any given videogame means. Finally, I explore three broad videogame-play experiences: ludic play, narrative or dramatic pleasure, and paidic curiosity and exploration. Each of these offer fundamentally different ways of addressing videogames as objects and the play of games as a practice, which creates a more nuanced language with which to discuss various kinds of videogames and experiences of play.
Through close studies of a range of contemporary, mainstream videogames, I conclude that not only are there fundamentally different kinds of videogames which cannot all be adequately served by a single approach, but that players utilise different approaches themselves when playing. Therefore, videogame theory should become at least as varied and agile as videogame players themselves. The goal of this thesis is to explore what certain games mean, to certain players, rather than appeal to a higher, objective sense of true, universal meaning.
An evolution of the governance of these spaces is inevitable. Where Castronova and Lessig's answers differ, their basic assertion that the virtual political landscape can and will change seems clear. These changes will be influenced by the values placed on the social capital generated within the spaces themselves. The identities as per Turkle, Koster, and Dibble are human identities. Arguments as to why we should pay attention to synthetic worlds have been made by these authors already, so this article seeks to actually pay that attention. This is one practical example of the work that must be done around synthetic/virtual worlds, which directly affects tens of millions of people.
Following from this, I develop a framework which considers the role of the player as part of the game system, whose attitude will influence their relationship with the videogame. Critics must acknowledge and respect the varied play practices of various kinds of players in exploring what any given videogame means. Finally, I explore three broad videogame-play experiences: ludic play, narrative or dramatic pleasure, and paidic curiosity and exploration. Each of these offer fundamentally different ways of addressing videogames as objects and the play of games as a practice, which creates a more nuanced language with which to discuss various kinds of videogames and experiences of play.
Through close studies of a range of contemporary, mainstream videogames, I conclude that not only are there fundamentally different kinds of videogames which cannot all be adequately served by a single approach, but that players utilise different approaches themselves when playing. Therefore, videogame theory should become at least as varied and agile as videogame players themselves. The goal of this thesis is to explore what certain games mean, to certain players, rather than appeal to a higher, objective sense of true, universal meaning.