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Games Theory May 10, 2010


Different fields and disciplines have demonstrated an interest in videogames and their study.

The approaches can be characterised in 2 ways:

Social science approach

Studying the effects of games on people What do games do to people?

E.g

Learning, effects of violence in games How do people create and negotiate a game?

Humanities approach Studying the meaning and context of games

E.g.

What meanings are made through game use?


Social learning theory (e.g., Bandura, 1986)

Playing aggressive videogames stimulates aggressive behavior

Active participant (as opposed to a passive observer as the case of aggression in film and television).

Catharsis theory (e.g., Feshbach and Singer, 1971)

Implies playing aggressive videogames would have the opposite effect

Channeling latent aggression resulting in a positive effect on players.

Theory


Gee and Shaffer, 2003,

Argued that certain qualities present in the medium of videogames provide valuable opportunities for learning.

Sherry Turkle ('Life on the Screen')

Explored how people that participated in MMORPG used their experiences with the game to explore personal issues of identity


Consalvo, 2007

Gamers choose to play the games negotiate how, when, why to subvert a game’s rules

“Cheating” is continually negotiated by players, the game industry, and various gaming sub-cultures

Narratology vs. Ludology

Narratological view is that games should be understood as novel forms of narrative and can thus be studied using theories of narrative

The ludological position is that games should be understood on their own terms.

In other words, the focus of game studies should be on the rules of a game


Refers to computer games as 'Prometheus Engines'

Millions of pixels radiate complex message through computer and TV screens around

the world.

These Prometheus Engines are the subject of criticisms by people who claim they are

harmful.

The claims are carried gleefully by those whose job it is to reduce, entertain and sell

absorbing stories.