Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds - Volume 5, Issue 2, 2013

Though theorists have long regarded spatiality as an essential facet of the videogame, the figure of the player has been largely absent from this research. In the language of Michel de Certeau, videogame space is theorized as ‘from above’, and outside of the direct experience of the player. Therefore, this article seeks to re-place the figure of the player as central within a theoretical schema of videogame space, and gesture towards the study of videogame space ‘from below’. Through the theoretical framework provided by de Certeau, we can understand the player in space as more prone to error, appropriation and unintended movements through videogame diegeses. The player is comparable to de Certeau’s city walker, and theory which instead finds itself at the perspective of the bureaucrat, looking down on the videogame ‘from above’, can never fully account for the player. This article will examine the possibilities of spatial analysis ‘from below’.

Response cries are often viewed by an audience as instinctive, asocial and primitive: as simply cathartic release for whatever sensation currently overwhelms the invoker, whether that be the dropping of a phone, stubbing a toe or burning of one’s hand. Yet these response cries, as articulated by Erving Goffman, are in many instances also social performances, as the performer attempts to create or sustain a particular impression beneficial to his or her status within a group or larger community. This article focuses upon the response cries of digital game players, discussing what kinds of social meaning are communicated through such shouts and curses, and how they can be productively viewed through the prism of social status, role and gaming capital. In doing so, response cries, though often neglected in analyses of gamers, are shown to be an essential facet of player performance in social contexts, filled with meaning for the attentive analyst.

This article examines the procedural and constructivist approaches to interpreting political meaning in interventionist video games, i.e., games that are designed to play with the fundamental beliefs of the player to change or reinforce these beliefs. The procedural approach involves the meaning being embedded in the game’s rule set and the constructivist approach asserts that the player constructs the meaning through the performative process of game play. These two approaches are frequently viewed as a binary opposition. This article attempts to reconcile these approaches by introducing a continuum of procedurality, bounded at its ends by ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ procedurality, which favour procedural and constructivist interpretive approaches, respectively. By examining case studies of interventionist games and game play near each end of the spectrum, it makes claims about the relative efficacy of strong and weak procedurality as approaches for designing interventionist video games and advocates for a holistic general game criticism informed by these concepts.

Online communities have developed rapidly in the last few years, and key to this is their growing visibility outside the game itself. Fan conventions, cosplay, videos on YouTube and gamer ‘chic’ are becoming increasingly prevalent parts of mainstream culture. This article investigates the growth of these groups through a discussion of ‘fan-producers’: gamers who make videos, machinima and webcasts. Specifically, it examines the role of the group. The Yogscast, and the game Minecraft, in developing the relationship between game and fan. It also argues that the self-supporting nature of the gaming community has, despite some notable issues, started to change the ways in which gaming is perceived and developed. The player now takes an active role in the development and dissemination of many games – especially indie titles such as Minecraft – and this in turn is changing the ways in which the game text is interpreted.

What is the ‘audience’ for digital games? This article argues that measurement is a crucial component of conceptions of the audience, exemplifying the complexities of translating theories and models of the audience to digital games. Beginning with mass communication studies, the common audience conception based on invisibility, exposure, institutional agreement, advertising value, and technological measurement found widespread resistance from game studies. This model gave way to reception studies’ focus on interpretation and sociocultural context, more readily aligned with game studies’ emphasis on interactivity. However, the shift towards a constructionist model of the audience, as a discursive construct separate from actual people and reified by measurement technologies, has not been widely applied to digital games. Ultimately, this article argues that a constructionist approach complicates naturalized notions of game ‘players’ and ‘cultures’ as the medium both integrates into and disrupts traditional conceptions of the audience.

Walking through Limbo’s German Expressionistic Nightmare. Limbo, Playdead (2010) Redmond, WA,USA/Copenhagen, Denmark: Microsoft Game Studios/Playdead, $9.99 (USD)

Machinima Open Studio Project (MOSP) Debuts with No Regrets: Interview with MOSP Director/Film-maker Chic Aeon