Contributors

Sotamaa, Olli; Švelch, Jan Š

doi:10.1515/9789048551736-002

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Drawing on Stuart Hall’s (1977) understanding of materiality in cultural communication, we argue that the dimension of materiality in Aarseth and Calleja’s (2015) model needs to be expanded to also include wider contexts of political economy, business models, labour conditions in the games industry in relation to both software development, use, and hardware production (Kline et al, 2003; Kerr, 2017; Sotamaa & Švelch, 2021; Tulloch & Johnson, 2022; Hammar & Pötzsch, 2022). In such an extended understanding of materiality, issues such as working conditions for developers and manufacturers, data security for users and players, energy and resources required for production and play, e-waste disposal, pace of obsolescence, as well as the growing environmental footprints of server centers and streaming services move center stage.…”

Section: Theory and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Games as Media for Teaching and Learning: A Template for Critical Evaluation

Pötzsch

Hansen²,

Hammar

2023

Simulation & Gaming

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Background Videogames can be useful tools for teaching and learning. To plan educational uses, potential benefits and possible problematic aspects of specific titles need to be critically assessed by teachers and school leaders prior to implementation. Theory and Method Based on game ontological models, we identify salient areas of inquiry in games research and use these to structure a template for evaluation. This way we operationalize foundational games research and put key insights to practical use in the planning and preparation of videogame-based teaching sessions. Aims We develop a template for the evaluation of videogames as tools for and objects of teaching and learning to facilitate critical uses of these technologies in schools and other educational settings. Results We present a template for critical evaluation to facilitate the use of videogames for educational endeavors. The template distinguishes between videogames as tools for and objects of teaching and learning and is structured along the game ontological dimensions of 1) sign system, 2) rules and mechanics, 3) materiality and 4) players, and includes aspects of both representation and simulation. This way, we disentangle a complex phenomenon and make its components amendable for critical analysis and constructive intervention. Discussion and Conclusion We offer illustrating examples for how the template can be used to assess the usability of specific titles in education and discuss advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we suggest steps for implementation and further improvement.

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Section: Theory and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Games as Media for Teaching and Learning: A Template for Critical Evaluation

Pötzsch

Hansen²,

Hammar

2023

Simulation & Gaming

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“…Recent work on game production has been marshalled under the banner of ‘game production studies’, an interdisciplinary social scientific field that ‘emphasizes the cultural, economic, political, and social circumstances in which games are created and the production cultures associated with development’ (Sotamaa and Švelch, 2021: 12). For example, work has focused on areas like the precarious nature of labour (Keogh, 2019), the political economy of software – particularly within the platform-based economy (Nieborg et al, 2020), the role of production and distribution intermediaries such as trade shows (Parker et al, 2018) and the regulatory conditions that inform game work (Ozimek, 2019b).…”

Section: Game Production Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, and most broadly, it contributes further to how game production is understood as grounded in social, economic and political conjunctures (cf. Sotamaa and Švelch, 2021). Second, it contributes an understanding of how commensuration techniques operate at a macro level within the industry, where scholarship has typically focused on the more situated implications – such as through studies of the metrification of videogame development (Whitson, 2019; Werder et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Techniques of commensuration in the videogame industry

Egliston

Padua

2022

Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Med

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This article considers the role of techniques of measurement and quantification, or ‘commensuration’, within the videogame industry. We argue that commensuration is performed as a discursive technique by institutional actors in the videogame industry to shape the form of, and ultimately derive value from, videogame markets – doing so by influencing collectively held perceptions concerning public policy and financial investment. This article draws on two case studies. First, the use of commensuration techniques by the Entertainment Software Association in lobbying the US government on behalf of large publishers, hardware manufacturers and videogame holding companies within the videogame industry. Second, the use of metrics and enumeration by videogame software companies in their financial reporting to craft narratives of user scale, engagement and ultimately value, particularly as it relates to articulating the value of their data-driven advertising services.

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“…The complex interdisciplinary process in game development, the demand for specialized tools and systems, and the need to maintain creativity show the need for researching game development in the wild (Engström, 2020). The game studies community also shows an increased interest to pursue this line of research (Sotamaa & Svelch, 2021). Currently, most studies can be found in the management and software engineering community.…”

Section: Game Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Level Design Processes and Challenges: A Cross Section of Game Development

2022

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This article examines level design processes and challenges at professional game studios. Thematic analysis of data, recorded through field studies and semi-structured interviews, identify four key themes: level design as an interdisciplinary effort; who is the level designer; the role of narrative in level design; and challenges of managing creativity in the level design process. Results indicate that while the role called level designer is often assigned to specific disciplines, the process of level design is usually highly interdisciplinary. Furthermore, this interdisciplinary collaboration requires management to maintain both creativity and efficient pipelines, by distributing ownership and facilitating communication and planning. The level design process seems particularly vulnerable to suboptimal interdisciplinary communication and planning, due to significant reliance on narrative design, game design, art, sound design, and tool development. While this article addresses level design specifically, most observations are comparable to previous findings on game development in general.

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Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Digital Games as Media for Teaching and Learning: A Template for Critical Evaluation

Digital Games as Media for Teaching and Learning: A Template for Critical Evaluation

Techniques of commensuration in the videogame industry

Level Design Processes and Challenges: A Cross Section of Game Development

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