Papers by Alesha Serada
2021 IEEE Conference on Games (CoG)
Will humankind ever be able to live underwater? To answer this question from the perspective of v... more Will humankind ever be able to live underwater? To answer this question from the perspective of visual media studies, I analyze narrative and expressive means used for positive representation of underwater experiences in several examples of screen media. My examples are principally different by origin and yet united by their highly enjoyable effect of immersion into underwater worlds. My primary focus is on Amphibian Man (1928), a cult early science fiction novel by Alexandr Belyaev adapted for screen in 1962 in the USSR.I also explore its unintentionally close contemporary reproduction in The Shape of Water (2016), which even led to accusations in plagiarism. The third example is a contemporary independent video game ABZU by Giant Squid (2016), which replays the same theme of amphibian human existence in a positive light. These cases present a surprisingly rare view of a safe, friendly and interactive marine world, approached by the protagonist who can breathe underwater. I apply t...
Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies, 2019
In this paper, I am looking for the common ground to judge video game's formal qualities, such as... more In this paper, I am looking for the common ground to judge video game's formal qualities, such as its interface, the rule system and game goals, which would include and explain both intentionally and unintentionally subversive games labeled as 'bad' and 'not games'. I start with two cases of games that subvert expectations to the degree when players actively refuse to recognize them as games. Such games have inspired a variety of research and critique, but there is surprisingly little agreement on what makes them "bad" or subversive, as opposed to typical genre-conforming violent games, which are supposed to be subversive or "bad" but rarely produce the same disruptive experience. Relying on existing analysis of subversive and violent games, I apply user-centered, goal-oriented approaches of UX design (Norman, 1998; Cooper, 2007) to games and complement this framework with a new category, 'phantom affordances': perceived formal properties of a game that actively afford an action but do not deliver the expected outcome. This category can be productively applied to describe and design subversions in games.
The article explores the surrealistic approach to an ordinary thing in the film «Neco z Alenky» o... more The article explores the surrealistic approach to an ordinary thing in the film «Neco z Alenky» of Jan Svankmajer, which results in emancipation of a thing in a philosophical, cultural and artistic sense. A thing, an object from reality becomes animated not only in a technical sense of «animation film», but also in our perception of (quasi-)reality. The thing talks for itself, acts side by side with human actors and speaks out its nature by just being a thing, according to Heidegger’s doctrine. The concept of a living thing, a subjective object, is more likely to be materially presented in the culture of a society with socialistic history than in a welfare capitalist state with a more pragmatic attitude to things.
Thesis Chapters by Alesha Serada
Объект магистерской работы – экономические отношения между игроками криптоигры CryptoKitties, пер... more Объект магистерской работы – экономические отношения между игроками криптоигры CryptoKitties, первой игры на криптовалютной платформе Ethereum, получившей мировую известность. Цель работы – найти и проанализировать связь между ценой и ценностью внутриигровых товаров в игре. У работы следующие задачи: во-первых, интерпретация денежных трансакций в криптоигре с точки зрения социологии коммуникаций; во-вторых, подробное и осмысленное описание правил и практик игры экономически активного сообщества; в третьих, сравнение того, как связаны цена и ценность в системе игры, с тем, как интерпретируют эту связь игроки.
This paper explores specific forms of playbor that can be found in a typical free-to-play game Ro... more This paper explores specific forms of playbor that can be found in a typical free-to-play game Royal Story. The research objective is to reveal game design patterns when play becomes work, and vice versa, and explain them from the economic perspective. To achieve it, we conceptualize playbor within context of game studies and apply our working definition of it to our observations of 60 highly dedicated players of the game. Thus, we verify existence of playbor in Royal Story in a number of sometimes unexpected forms, such as, communicating with other members of the gaming community or purchasing luxury goods.
Conference Presentations by Alesha Serada
Firstly, I present the current state of criticism of free-to-play games. Then, I reveal exploitat... more Firstly, I present the current state of criticism of free-to-play games. Then, I reveal exploitation in so-called ‘good’ free-to-play games that are based on rewarded ads. In the third part, I problematize negative assessment of exploitation. Finally, I make my own assessment of exploitation in case of rewarded video ads.
Book Reviews by Alesha Serada
The Popular Culture Studies Journal, 2020
Zombie studies are a vibrant discipline at the intersection of horror, film, and game studies. Th... more Zombie studies are a vibrant discipline at the intersection of horror, film, and game studies. They form a distinct cluster within more general monster studies, the subject matter of which spans from ancient compounds of legendary creatures to contemporary video games. In The Playful Undead and Video Games: Critical Analyses of Zombies and Gameplay, eighteen authors explore influences from all kinds of media on the well-established zombie survival genre to find out what
makes zombies preferred “chainsaw fodder” in video games.
The Popular Culture Studies Journal, 2020
Taken together, this collection of papers takes us on an encouraging journey from the gloom and ... more Taken together, this collection of papers takes us on an encouraging journey from the gloom and doom of current news reports to possible utopias — but also to much more ubiquitous dystopias — in literature, film, TV, and games. As in any game with multiple possible outcomes, there is no single future for all. In fact, Playing Utopia shows that it would be oppressive to force everyone into the same future, without
the possibility to make one’s own interesting choices in the process.
Sociology of Power, 2020
Для тех, кто всерьез собирается изучать видеоигры, «Marx at the Arcade» — добротное, легко написа... more Для тех, кто всерьез собирается изучать видеоигры, «Marx at the Arcade» — добротное, легко написанное введение в game studies. Но тем, кто в своих исследованиях игр продвинулся дальше, чем споры вокруг «магического круга» Хейзинги, и уже прошел школу терминологических баталий в Твиттере, будет полезнее сосредоточиться на теоретических основах, проработанных менторами Вудкока.
Practical Affectology, 2019
Алеся Серада сопоставляет две точки зрения на этику геймеров: классический проект «добродетельног... more Алеся Серада сопоставляет две точки зрения на этику геймеров: классический проект «добродетельного игрока» Мигеля Сикарта и недавнее исследование токсичных геймеров и троллей Меган Кондис
Talks by Alesha Serada
Беларусский Журнал, 2019
Криптовалюты – платежные средства (по крайней мере, согласно замыслу их разработчиков), созданные... more Криптовалюты – платежные средства (по крайней мере, согласно замыслу их разработчиков), созданные на основе блокчейна. Биткойн – первая и наиболее популярная из криптовалют, хотя в этой статье мы будем чаще обращаться к второй по популярности после биткойна и более технологически совершенной криптовалюте – «эфиру»: его технологическую платформу Ethereum иногда называют «всемирным компьютером». А главной темой нашей беседы будет технология блокчейна как предмет социальной и философской рефлексии: какой ее видят криптоэнтузиасты, медиафилософы и, наконец, обычные пользователи.
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Papers by Alesha Serada
Thesis Chapters by Alesha Serada
Conference Presentations by Alesha Serada
Book Reviews by Alesha Serada
makes zombies preferred “chainsaw fodder” in video games.
the possibility to make one’s own interesting choices in the process.
Talks by Alesha Serada
makes zombies preferred “chainsaw fodder” in video games.
the possibility to make one’s own interesting choices in the process.