ionoi

The following text is a short introduction into the topic of my dissertation, which can be found and downloaded here.

http://gaming-2-0.blogs.sonance.net

Gaming 2.0 – Computer Games and Cultural Production

Participation Analysis of Computer Gamers
in a convergent Media Culture
and taxonomy of ludic artefacts

This text thesis aims to examine media products which are produced by computer game players. Players approach these games in a non-trivial way and are part of cooperative and intensive communication project-communities. Within these communities they generate ludic artefacts in form of videos, images and real objects, produced out of games and by playing. Beginning with a very general discussion of the term game, the thesis continues with examining concepts of the computer game, web participation and convergent media culture. Additionally, a series of case studies is collected and described. The examinations lead to a taxonomy of ludic artefacts, which is divided into six main groups. Each of them contains further six subcategories, which explain the motivations for the production of such pieces of art, as well as different ways of using the medium computer game.

The proposal of this taxonomy of ludic artefacts aims to support the understanding of gamers who produce media artefacts, which transport and communicate the mental state and emotions of the gaming community. Convergent media culture, which incorporates participation of users and collective intelligence, enables a very special way of creativity. Thereby, the gamer is transformed into a prosumer and team player, who is able to articulate and express himself as an individual through these artefacts, travelling between the fields of popular culture and art. Therefore, the social type of the gamer is a co-creative representative of an avantgardistic gaming-, creation-, and networking-community, which uses the computer game as a platform and a creative programme.

(click on the thumbnails for a larger image)