scholarly journals Heroes and Hooligans: The Heterogeneity of Video Game Modders

2021 ◽  
pp. 155541202110262
Author(s):  
Joanna Curtis ◽  
Gavin Oxburgh ◽  
Pam Briggs
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Homogeneous Group ◽  
Grey Area ◽  
Gaming Communities ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Self Defence

Video games are hugely popular, generating more than twice the revenue of global movie and music industries combined. Whilst technically illegal and often carrying negative connotations, modding constitutes a moral grey area that is commonly accepted, often encouraged by proprietary owners and forum-centred gaming communities. Literature reflects a disparity between outsider and insider perceptions of modding, with a paucity of studies reflecting insider perspectives. Using Reddit forum data, this study contributes insight into perceptions of modding held by gamers and ‘modders’, as described in their words and their territory. Thematic analysis revealed four main themes relating to unfairness in the vendor community, modders as antagonists, differences between modders and modding as forms of self-defence. Conclusions include that modding appears to have both pro- and antisocial applications, but many people and organisations demonise modders as a homogeneous group, which may encourage antisocial behaviours.

The Games Men Play

2017 ◽  
pp. 71-87
Author(s):  
Eric Niemi
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Discourse Communities ◽  
Critical Part ◽  
Insight Into

This chapter conveys the results of a study examining how male students use video games to construct their masculinity. Applying a critical discourse methodology, the study provides insight into how men construct their masculinity within video game discourse communities and how the construction applies to other discourses. It examines how men enter the discourse, what they learn in the discourse, and then how they apply that learning to other discourse communities. It concludes with recommendations and suggestions regarding how video games are a critical part of popular culture that facilitates construction of an identity through the multitude of encounters and relationships within the discourse.

Factors Influencing the Adoption of Video Games in Late Adulthood

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Vale Costa ◽  
Ana Isabel Veloso
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Cognitive Effects ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Adventure Games ◽  
Game Industry ◽  
Insight Into

In the video game industry, older adults tend to be avid consumers. Although considerable research has been devoted to the positive cognitive effects of video games, less attention has been paid to the older adult gamer profile. The aim of this paper is to describe a survey conducted from November 2012 until May 2013, which includes 245 gamers aged 50 and over, about their game preferences. Specifically, the authors examined: (a) what types of video games are played and (b) what leads these players to be engaged by video games. The results indicate that adventure games with problem-solving are preferred, suggesting the skills that participants would like to practise. The study provides insight into a new video gamer profile.

scholarly journals Game Transfer Phenomena in Video Game Playing

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortari ◽  
Karin Aronsson ◽  
Mark Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Game Playing ◽  
Optical Illusions ◽  
Video Game Playing ◽  
Video Game Content ◽  
Game Environment ◽  
Game Elements

Video game playing is a popular activity and its enjoyment among frequent players has been associated with absorption and immersion experiences. This paper examines how immersion in the video game environment can influence the player during the game and afterwards (including fantasies, thoughts, and actions). This is what is described as Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP). GTP occurs when video game elements are associated with real life elements triggering subsequent thoughts, sensations and/or player actions. To investigate this further, a total of 42 frequent video game players aged between 15 and 21 years old were interviewed. Thematic analysis showed that many players experienced GTP, where players appeared to integrate elements of video game playing into their real lives. These GTP were then classified as either intentional or automatic experiences. Results also showed that players used video games for interacting with others as a form of amusement, modeling or mimicking video game content, and daydreaming about video games. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate how video games triggered intrusive thoughts, sensations, impulses, reflexes, optical illusions, and dissociations.

The Positive Impact Model in Commercial Games

2009 ◽  
pp. 1303-1317
Author(s):  
Rusel DeMaria
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Impact Model ◽  
Legal Challenges ◽  
The Future ◽  
Game Industry ◽  
Insight Into

What is the future of video games? Is it more realism? More violence? Better physics? Artificially intelligent characters? More social networking games? Free to play and advertising supported? Games for non-gamers? More controversy, political scapegoating, and legal challenges? It’s probably all of the above, and more. In fact, while we may expect to see more of the same from the commercial video game industry, there is always the potential for surprises, both pleasant and not-so pleasant. One area of the future of games is less often discussed, but represents one of the most powerful and positive directions the industry could take. I call it the “positive impact model,” and for the rest of this chapter, I will attempt to provide some insight into what that phrase is meant to convey.

Game Transfer Phenomena in Video Game Playing

2013 ◽  
pp. 170-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortari ◽  
Karin Aronsson ◽  
Mark Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Game Playing ◽  
Optical Illusions ◽  
Video Game Playing ◽  
Video Game Content ◽  
Game Environment ◽  
Game Elements

Video game playing is a popular activity and its enjoyment among frequent players has been associated with absorption and immersion experiences. This paper examines how immersion in the video game environment can influence the player during the game and afterwards (including fantasies, thoughts, and actions). This is what is described as Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP). GTP occurs when video game elements are associated with real life elements triggering subsequent thoughts, sensations and/or player actions. To investigate this further, a total of 42 frequent video game players aged between 15 and 21 years old were interviewed. Thematic analysis showed that many players experienced GTP, where players appeared to integrate elements of video game playing into their real lives. These GTP were then classified as either intentional or automatic experiences. Results also showed that players used video games for interacting with others as a form of amusement, modeling or mimicking video game content, and daydreaming about video games. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate how video games triggered intrusive thoughts, sensations, impulses, reflexes, optical illusions, and dissociations.

scholarly journals Unusual canvasses: resolving copyright infringement through the lens of community customs

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-20
Author(s):  
Daniel Lintaman
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Copyright Law ◽  
Moral Rights ◽  
Fair Dealing ◽  
The Public ◽  
Video Game Technology ◽  
Gaming Communities ◽  
Magic Circle

The evolution of video game technology is outpacing intellectual property law. As augmented realities and online gaming environments continue to collapse the distinction between real and virtual worlds, they have rendered traditional frameworks for copyright law unworkable. Gaming environments were traditionally circumscribed by the magic circle. Video games now interact with the outside world in a way that obscures the divide between the public domain and the private. Such disruption undermines copyright's core purpose of balancing interests, and transforms issues such as implied license, fair dealing, and moral rights into enigmas. This article proposes a framework that redraws the magic circle using the consent-based customs of gaming communities. Only those who play at the vanguard have the expertise to reconcile copyright with modern video games without constraining creativity or innovation. Deferring to community norms restores compatibility between copyright and unusual canvasses while preserving the integrity of these interesting works.

Contextualizing Game Audio Aesthetics

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Bridgett
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
The World ◽  
Reflective Discourse ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Technological Perspective

This article appears in theOxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aestheticsedited by John Richardson, Claudia Gorbman, and Carol Vernallis. This chapter is a reflective discourse on the aesthetics and production processes of sound in video games, not only from a technological perspective, but also from the viewpoint that video games are part of an ongoing cultural continuum that deeply involves cinema, music, and other media. The chapter takes the form of a meditative discussion on the practice, process, and craft of designing and directing interactive sound for a game, providing insight into some of the collaborative work that is involved in creating the overall effect of a finished soundtrack for a modern video game. The article makes specific reference to the role and thought processes of the audio director on the video gameScarface: The World is Yours(2006).

scholarly journals Speech Acts in Post-Apocalyptic Games: The Last of Us (2014)

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50
Author(s):  
Onoriu Colăcel
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Group Versus ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Communication Styles ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Didactic Texts ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Among everything else post-apocalyptic video games have come to stand for, notions of in-group versus out-group communication are paramount. The Last of Us (2014, Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment) is a case in point. I look into the game’s use of subtitles and didactic texts in order to find out to the extent speech acts shape the player’s understanding of what the video game is. As an understudied aspect of video games, HUD or menu elements, as well as characters’ exchanges and voice-over narration, disclose what it is like to be alive, dead or in-between. Essentially, they show the tensions between the avatar and the gamer: the hero makes all of the decisions by himself and the player has to abide or stop playing all together. The avatar’s identity comes alive through speech acts, while the player is left outside decision-making processes. Survival horror gaming, with a religious twist, gives insight into the in-game discussion on the representation of the zombie rather than on the zombie experience as such. On screen, the interplay between speech acts and written language amounts to a procedural language, which suggests that variability in language creates an environment conducive to learning. Particularly, language use is all about group values and communication styles that should help gamers tell apart friends from enemies, good from evil and, finally, people from zombies.

Frustration and Violence in Mobile Video Games

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-70
Author(s):  
Petr Květon ◽  
Martin Jelínek
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Implicit Association Test ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Mobile Video ◽  
Violent Content ◽  
Before And After

Abstract. This study tests two competing hypotheses, one based on the general aggression model (GAM), the other on the self-determination theory (SDT). GAM suggests that the crucial factor in video games leading to increased aggressiveness is their violent content; SDT contends that gaming is associated with aggression because of the frustration of basic psychological needs. We used a 2×2 between-subject experimental design with a sample of 128 undergraduates. We assigned each participant randomly to one experimental condition defined by a particular video game, using four mobile video games differing in the degree of violence and in the level of their frustration-invoking gameplay. Aggressiveness was measured using the implicit association test (IAT), administered before and after the playing of a video game. We found no evidence of an association between implicit aggressiveness and violent content or frustrating gameplay.

Only problem gamblers spend less money when loot boxes are removed from a game: A before and after study of Heroes of the Storm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Zendle
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Problem Gambling ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Real World ◽  
Complex Pattern ◽  
Problem Gamblers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Gambling Severity ◽  
Reliable Correlation ◽  
Before And After Study

Loot boxes are items in video games that may be paid for with real-world money, but which contain randomised contents. There is a reliable correlation between loot box spending and problem gambling severity: The more money gamers spend on loot boxes, the more severe their problem gambling tends to be. However, it is unclear whether this link represents a case in which loot box spending causes problem gambling; a case in which the gambling-like nature of loot boxes cause problem gamblers to spend more money; or whether it simply represents a case in which there is a general dysregulation in in-game spending amongst problem gamblers, nonspecific to loot boxes.The multiplayer video game Heroes of the Storm recently removed loot boxes. In order to better understand links between loot boxes and problem gambling, we conducted an analysis of players of Heroes of the Storm (n=112) both before and after the removal of loot boxes.There were a complex pattern of results. In general, when loot boxes were removed from Heroes of the Storm, problem gamblers appeared to spend significantly less money in-game in contrast to other groups. These results suggest that the presence of loot boxes in a game may lead to problem gamblers spending more money in-game. It therefore seems possible that links between loot box spending and problem gambling are not due to a general dysregulation in in-game spending amongst problem gamblers, but rather are to do with specific features of loot boxes themselves.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document