Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture
Not a member yet
223 research outputs found
Sort by
How to Define a Genre: A Lacanian-marxist Case Study of the NES Platform Game
No full textThis article’s purpose is to define the NES platform game as a specific genre through a materialist approach. Discarding both inductive and deductive ways, we select two games that can be said to be extreme translations of the genre and thus derive the concept from their analysis: the games are Super Mario Bros. 3 (SMB3) and Mega Man 2 (MM2). This article develops concepts from our materialist framework, notably the Lacanian Borromean knot and derived semiotics, and our own definition of narrative as a symbolic predication of the Real. After analyzing our games and establishing a model, we relate SMB3 to identification and MM2 to recognition, and define the NES “platformers” as games where there is at least one metaphorical non-jump button
The Sentimental Mood of All Star Baseball 2004
No full textAll Star Baseball 2004 is a baseball video game made for fans of the sport. It references the rich history that surrounds American baseball, and the grand cultural context that informs the sport. Historic players, ballparks, and a mood of sentimentality set All Star Baseball 2004 apart from other baseball simulations
Career attitudes of men and women working in the computer games industry
No full textThere is a paucity of research on game workers attitudes of working in the male domain of computer games. The overall objective of this article is to look at both female and male attitudes towards work-life balance issues, women’s career barriers within the industry and their attitudes towards their own career progression. The study gained quantitative, international data from 454 women and 93 men working in the industry. Analysis revealed some surprising similarities and interesting differences. Results and implications are discussed
Ambivalence and Recursion in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
No full textThis article is a close reading of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (KCE Tokyo, 1997) that offers its various forms of recursion as performed by the player, the character and the plot as means of enriching the characterisation of the protagonist, Alucard, as ambivalent. It draws on theories of the labyrinth as a way of enacting a meaningful routine to illustrate this relationship between space, performance and meaning in the game.
Moving Targets: The Constant Change of Mobile Game Development
No full textThis interview is excerpted from a series we conducted in early 2011 with James Johnson, an independent mobile game developer in the US. Prior to creating his own games, Johnson worked as a programmer for Octopi, F.U.N. Technologies, World Winner, and Sony Online Entertainment on titles such as Snood Deluxe, Makeover Madness, Pox Nora, and The Agency: Covert Ops. In this interview, he talks about the dynamism of mobile game development, the interplay between programmers and designers, the differences between large and small companies, and the future of the game industry
The Performance of Gameplay: Developing a Ludoliteracy
No full textThe best way to understand a game is to play it, as the playing of video games is a performative experience. This short essay explores the idea of performance and gameplay and how they relate on various levels. It is through performance that we develop a ludoliteracy and become well versed, or well played, in understanding of games
First-Person Shooters: Immersion and Attention
No full textFirst-Person Shooter computer games are designed to be immersive experiences yet the phenomenon of immersion is little understood. This article surveys theories of immersion in virtual worlds and examines FPS game elements that might contribute to the state. The roles of attention and positive feedback in facilitating player immersion in FPS games is explored. In particular, the role of selective attention is highlighted before the article finishes with a discussion on the design of immersion in FPS games using the principles presented here
How Linearity Affects Narrative: The Incomplete Story of Final Fantasy XIII
No full textThis review looks at the structure of the Final Fantasy XIII narrative and how it gets in the way of the overall game. It further looks at the purely narrative elements of the game, such as story and characterization, and makes a statement on how the linearity and pacing of the game prevent it from successfully exploring critical topics
Geocaching: Interactive Communication Instruments Around the Game
No full textThis article presents a study of geocaching, a mobile outdoor game, and explores the interactive communication instruments players use. In this case study, an interaction communication instrument refers to all the means by which players communicate with each other, including devices and services related to the game. This case study was carried out as an Internet survey with 21 geocachers. The study also discusses articles, which offer more of an informative picture of the global game of geocaching, several related applications, communication channels used by players, and new services around the game. Digital communication channels bring about new varieties of communities, which connect desktop computers to pervasive global networks. Some of these are extensions of non-digital forms of play, while others offer entirely new experiences and playscapes. There are about 3 million people worldwide participating in the game world. Geocaching is a game made by the players, who use GPS technology in a new way, develop it continuously, and create more interactive communication channels and services; it can thus be seen as a pilot test area for game designers and developers. This study will introduce the concept of geocaching and present and define the interaction communication instruments used therein. In the discussion, main conclusions are given in relation to different geocaching approaches and suggestions for future work are outlined
Review of Video Game Spaces: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Game Worlds
No full textA book review of Michael Nitsche\u27s Video Game Space: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Game Worlds