Social networks, casual  games and mobile devices:  The shifting contexts of gamers and gaming

Willson, Michèle; Leaver, Tama

doi:10.5040/9781501310591.ch-001

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…This game, followed by "Pokémon GO" [21] in 2016 and "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" [22] in 2019, marked the mass commercialization of location-based gaming [17]. These games took advantage of multiple devices and platforms that players could use to immerse themselves in location-based gameplay [23].…”

Section: Related Work 21 Background On Lbgsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Analysis of Low or No-Code Authoring Tools for Location-Based Games

Batsaras,

Xinogalos

2023

MTI

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This article presents a comparative analysis of four low or no-code location-based game (LBG) authoring tools, namely Taleblazer, Aris, Actionbound, and Locatify. Each tool is examined in detail, with an emphasis on the functions and capabilities it provides for the development of LBGs. The article builds on the history and purpose of LBGs, their characteristics, as well as basic concepts and previous applications, placing emphasis both on the technological and pedagogical dimensions of these games. The evaluation of the tools is based on certain criteria, or metrics, recorded in the literature and empirical data collected through the development of prototype games for each tool. The tools are comparatively analyzed in terms of the LBG’s constituent features they incorporate, the fundamental and additional functionality provided to the developer, as well as the existence or absence of features that captivate players in the game experience. Moreover, feedback is provided based on the practical use of the platforms for developing LBGs in order to support prospective developers in making an informed choice of an LBG platform for implementing a specific game. The games were created by taking advantage of as many features of the tools as possible in order to have a more fair and complete evaluation. This study aims to highlight the affordances and limitations of the investigated low or no-code LBG authoring tools, enabling anyone interested in developing an LBG to choose the most appropriate tool taking into account their needs and technological background or designing their own LBG authoring tools.

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Section: Related Work 21 Background On Lbgsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Analysis of Low or No-Code Authoring Tools for Location-Based Games

Batsaras,

Xinogalos

2023

MTI

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“…Social games refer to a genre of casual games integrated into social networking platforms or played on independent gaming apps (Bergstrom, 2019; Leaver, 2016; Nieborg, 2015, 2016). Distinct from hardcore, PC-based games such as World of Warcraft , social games are characterized by simple user interfaces and game rules, often blending gaming with social networking (Bergstrom, 2019).…”

Section: Social Games Lgbtq Platforms and Transgressive Gameplaymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emergence of smartphones and tablets as popular platforms for publishing has brought about a significant transformation in the gaming industry, affecting both the commodity form of games and their operational logic. As a result, the “free-to-play” model has become the dominant business model, replacing traditional game sales (Leaver, 2016; Nieborg, 2015). In a connective mobile ecosystem, the market power is concentrated and centralized within a few major players (e.g., the so-called “Big Five” in the Western market and the “BAT” in the Chinese market).…”

Section: Social Games Lgbtq Platforms and Transgressive Gameplaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Transgressive Play and the Inherent Limits of Business Growth for China’s LGBTQ Platforms: The Case of a Social Game in Aloha

Wang

2023

Social Media + Society

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Since 2016, China’s online LGBTQ platforms, such as Blued and Aloha, have been seeking to increase user acquisition and retention by introducing new functionalities to their interfaces. Although these attempts were promising at first, most of their endeavors proved unsustainable, largely due to the condition in which their businesses operate: a niche audience segment in a winner-take-all mobile market and a highly regulatory market in which LGBTQ content is often made a site for the execution of power. This article investigates the now-defunct role-playing social game Werewolf embedded in Aloha, one of the popular dating apps for queer men in China. By bringing together scholarship on game studies and queer media studies, it is argued that social games embedded in dating apps foster a new form of sexual sociality in which desires become increasingly gamified and intimacy networked, which are essential for queer social media to retain users. Although Werewolf was ultimately closed due to Aloha’s budgetary controls, queer players have emerged as a promising market for their unique engagement in social games. LGBTQ platforms, however, are not the main beneficiary of the queer gaming market because of the winner-take-all mobile ecosystem. The article highlights the inherent limits of “outward” expansion of China’s LGBTQ platforms into the mainstream market and suggests that prioritizing the unaddressed needs of their niche audience through an inward approach may be a more viable strategy for business growth in a mobile ecosystem dominated by a handful of major players.

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Prologue

N. Delioglanis

2023

Narrating Locative Media

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Social networks, casual games and mobile devices: The shifting contexts of gamers and gaming

Cited by 4 publications

References 5 publications

A Comparative Analysis of Low or No-Code Authoring Tools for Location-Based Games

A Comparative Analysis of Low or No-Code Authoring Tools for Location-Based Games

Transgressive Play and the Inherent Limits of Business Growth for China’s LGBTQ Platforms: The Case of a Social Game in Aloha

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