Digital Library Keyword Archives
- Proceedings of DiGRA23
political economy
- 6 articles or papers
The Games Industry as 21st Century Imperialism & Its Cultivation of Fascism
Hammar Emil Lundedal
2020 DiGRA ’20 – Proceedings of the 2020 DiGRA International Conference: Play Everywhere
Fired in a blog post: The End of Heroes of the Storm Esports
Prax Patrick
2019 DiGRA '19 - Abstract Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix
Indie as Usual: Localising Australian Videogame Development
Keogh Brendan Banks John A. L.
2018 DiGRA ’18 – Abstract Proceedings of the 2018 DiGRA International Conference: The Game is the Message
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.
“Have Fun Working with Our Product!”: Critical Perspectives On Computer Game Mod Competitions
Sotamaa Olli
2005 DiGRA '05 - Proceedings of the 2005 DiGRA International Conference: Changing Views: Worlds in Play
This paper suggests that the digital games industry products are not limited to games-related hardware and software or the related spin-off industry products. Further, consumers “labour” with games is transformed into a product that is sold to advertisers and sponsors. In case of gamer-made modifications, this commodification of leisure is taken into extreme. It is obvious that the cultivation of unpaid modder labour necessitates different methods than the traditional forms of labour. It is suggested that mod competitions are used as a strategy of control over the hobbyist developers. Through competitions modders become interpellated as important members of the industry and simultaneously end up surprisingly comfortably harnessed. Finally, the paper suggests that the competitions that offer an attractive means to monitor the mod scene, paradoxically also work against industry’s advantages by revealing the laborious nature of computer game development to the hobbyists.