Together we brand: America’s Army


Graaf Shenja van der
2003 DiGRA '03 - Proceedings of the 2003 DiGRA International Conference: Level Up

This paper signals the aesthetic and socio-economic implications of a new generation of commercial media culture in an age of computer network-facilitated participation. It explores the cultural status of the online game America’s Army: Operations (US Army, 2002) that has commerce at the core of its brand identity. The game exemplifies the linkage of commercial goals with cultural texts through creating engaging experiences, initiated by commercial corporations for reasons of promotion and profit, enabled by computer networks, and – to a lesser extent - given form by various members of the public.

 

The new gatekeepers: The occupational ideology of game journalism


Sihvonen Tanja
2009 DiGRA '09 - Proceedings of the 2009 DiGRA International Conference: Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory

This paper will contextualize the occupational ideology of game journalism by providing a brief introduction to the political economy of game publications. The role of various industry actors (e.g. game publishers, PR agents and brand managers) will be positioned against those of the peripheral industry (e.g. critics, journalists, and editors). Because the game industry is the principal advertiser for many game publications, and because of its tight grip on the most valuable source material, i.e. (early) access to games and restricted insider information, the job of a game journalist consists in many ways of balancing acts between a perceived loyalty to the reading public and a dependency on industry material.

 

The winner takes all: Standardization and console games


Nieborg David B
2011 DiGRA '11 - Proceedings of the 2011 DiGRA International Conference: Think Design Play

Drawing on media economics and critical theory and political economy, this paper will provide a critical reading of the blockbuster video game. While blockbuster games are considered to be highly innovative by constantly pushing technological boundaries, they are also considered to be formulaic and its themes and game mechanics fairly predictable. The hit-driven nature of contemporary console publishing translates into a particular mode of cultural production and circulation affecting all aspects of the video game's cultural form.