Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games Festivals
Play is fundamental to being Human. It helps to make sense of the self, to learn, to be creative and to relax. The advent of video games challenged traditional notions of play, introducing a single player experience to what had primarily been a communal social activity. As technology has developed,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cogitatio
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Media and Communication |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1382 |
| _version_ | 1811220845729677312 |
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| author | Lynn H. C. Love |
| author_facet | Lynn H. C. Love |
| author_sort | Lynn H. C. Love |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Play is fundamental to being Human. It helps to make sense of the self, to learn, to be creative and to relax. The advent of video games challenged traditional notions of play, introducing a single player experience to what had primarily been a communal social activity. As technology has developed, communal play has found both online and real-world spaces within video games. Online streaming, multiplayer games and built-in spectator modes within games underpin online communal play experiences, whilst ‘alternative’ games festivals, play parties and electronic sports, provide real world spaces for people to meet, play and exchange knowledge relating to both playing and making video games. This article reports the study of social play events which bring people together in the same space to explore video games making and playing. Expert interviews with curators, and event facilitators provides qualitative data from which design processes are formalised into a ‘model of participation’ of social play. Four key areas of balance are proposed as core considerations in supporting participation in event design. The study of these events also suggests that their design and fostering of participation has the potential to evoke cultural change in game making and playing practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:49:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3cb4c687449b4aaa87ae0b55d1cd0a64 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2439 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:49:52Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Media and Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-3cb4c687449b4aaa87ae0b55d1cd0a642022-12-22T03:41:37ZengCogitatioMedia and Communication2183-24392018-06-0162697910.17645/mac.v6i2.1382733Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games FestivalsLynn H. C. Love0School of Design and Informatics, Abertay University, UKPlay is fundamental to being Human. It helps to make sense of the self, to learn, to be creative and to relax. The advent of video games challenged traditional notions of play, introducing a single player experience to what had primarily been a communal social activity. As technology has developed, communal play has found both online and real-world spaces within video games. Online streaming, multiplayer games and built-in spectator modes within games underpin online communal play experiences, whilst ‘alternative’ games festivals, play parties and electronic sports, provide real world spaces for people to meet, play and exchange knowledge relating to both playing and making video games. This article reports the study of social play events which bring people together in the same space to explore video games making and playing. Expert interviews with curators, and event facilitators provides qualitative data from which design processes are formalised into a ‘model of participation’ of social play. Four key areas of balance are proposed as core considerations in supporting participation in event design. The study of these events also suggests that their design and fostering of participation has the potential to evoke cultural change in game making and playing practices.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1382cultural intermediariescultural transformationgamesindependent video gamessocial play events |
| spellingShingle | Lynn H. C. Love Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games Festivals Media and Communication cultural intermediaries cultural transformation games independent video games social play events |
| title | Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games Festivals |
| title_full | Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games Festivals |
| title_fullStr | Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games Festivals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games Festivals |
| title_short | Do We Need Permission to Play in Public? The Design of Participation for Social Play Video Games at Play Parties and ‘Alternative’ Games Festivals |
| title_sort | do we need permission to play in public the design of participation for social play video games at play parties and alternative games festivals |
| topic | cultural intermediaries cultural transformation games independent video games social play events |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1382 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lynnhclove doweneedpermissiontoplayinpublicthedesignofparticipationforsocialplayvideogamesatplaypartiesandalternativegamesfestivals |