Through my recent studies of new media technologies and virtual cultures, I have noticed that gaming is an area that has changed dramatically due to Web 2.0’s capabilities. In the past, gamers had to link up their computers or game consoles in order to play ‘double player’. Even then gamers could only explore the landscape and use the tools that the game publisher had created, follow a set story and move from level to level as they achieved tasks. The capabilities of Web 2.0 seem to have changed all of this, and consequently the gaming environment has evolved dramatically. If someone had told me ten years ago when I was playing Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo 64 that in the future I could play a game on the internet with massive amounts of players from all over the world and that I could create my own content, I would not have believed them.
These days, I believe that this is normal. The geographical boundaries of the past seem to have been eliminated as the internet provides a platform where massive amounts of players can connect from anywhere around the world, provided they have the technology. Players are no longer passive users of technology; instead they are simultaneously producers and users of content. These people of ‘Generation C’ (Bruns, 2007) have been described by Axel Bruns (2007) as produsers, as they are not only content users, they are content creators. Game play has shifted from having “strict narrative structures which are played out by gamers, to providing a rich narrative and social environment in which multiple gamers cooperate in creating their own narrative paths” (Bruns, 2007). The technology is now user-led and gamers no longer have to rely on game publishers to develop content, the publishers simply have to create a skeleton and the produsers will create the flesh and blood. It seems that game developers are becoming increasingly reliant on the content created by produsers, with 90% of The Sims being user generated (Herz in Bruns, 2007). This creates many opportunities for new and interesting content, as who knows where the minds of ‘Generation C’ will wander.
In my study of virtual cultures I have come across many critics who believe that online game play is anti-social, however I (along with many of my peers) believe that massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) are a social technology, as people interact on a social basis just as they do offline. Many MMORPGs such as Everquest and World of Warcraft rely on gamers teaming up, creating friendships and bonds in order to conquer certain tasks to move forward with the game. In some games such as Second Life, gamers can start relationships, get married, pay off a mortgage and even have children. People can use these games just like social networking sites, finding like-minded people and starting friendships, and cultures emerge in these online worlds just as they do in ‘real life’. In my study of these games I have found that groups that mobilise and collaborate in online worlds have more power and influence in the game.
Why does all of this interest me, a non-gamer who has no interest in joining an online world or starting a ‘second life?’ Well, it is because I believe that MMORPGs are changing more than just people’s social lives. The fact that more than 30 million people world wide are involved in MMORPGs (Alter, 2007) is hard to ignore, as there is power in groups, and it seems that the power of people in online communities is growing, affecting many different aspects of our lives such as the economy and politics. MMORPGs help to support the economy, as people spend real money in online worlds in order to buy themselves virtual luxuries such as holidays (Alter, 2007), clothing or more advanced weapons. For example, Second Life’s ‘Marketplace’ takes millions of US dollars every month in online transactions (Second Life, 2008). As for politics, Henry Jenkins (2007) has predicted that in the near future Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will have a debate in Second Life, which is not such a far fetched idea, as many political figures are increasingly utilising Web 2.0’s social capabilities such as YouTube to connect with voters. Politicians could use online worlds to announce new policies and gauge public opinion. Maybe one day we will vote for the next Australian Prime Minister using online polls in Second Life.
Although I believe that MMORPGs are predominantly played for fun and their social aspects, my study has led me to notice that these games are affecting many parts of people’s lives, both gamers and non-gamers. It seems that this is where produsage is taking us; the online is increasingly affecting the offline. Almost anyone can create and collaborate online, and the overall effect that this will have on society really is up to the imagination of produsers around the world.
References
Alter, A. (2007). Is This Man Cheating On His Wife? Wall Street Journal Online. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://biz.yahoo.com/wallstreet/070810/sb118670164592393622_id.html?.v=6.
Bruns, A. (2007). Produsage: Towards a broader framework for user-led content creation. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://snurb.info/files/Produsage%20(Creativity%20and%20Cognition%202007).pdf.
Jenkins, H. (2007). Henry Jenkins@Beyond Broadcast 2007. [Interview with Jenny Attiyeh of ThoughtCast]. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from http://thoughtcast.org/casts/beyond-broadcast-2007.
Second Life. (2008). Second Life: Your World. Your Imagination. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from http://secondlife.com/.
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3 comments:
A well written and thought out blog Lucy! I myself am not part of gaming culture either; however, find it a fascinating example of participatory culture and produsage. Games are definitely one of the most participatory mediums as they cannot only be read or watched but must be played and interacted with. I think this alone makes game playing one of the most interactive and creative entertainment mediums that people involve themselves in today. The individual playing the game is ultimately a fundamental feature; each and every game depends on the skills and involvement of the player even before one looks at the opportunities for that gamer to become a produser and be creative with game content (Sotamaa). Today, due to new media technologies, we are active users and participants in a variety of online communities and are constantly “constructing new ways of interpreting, using and manipulating the media environment” (Sotamaa). I’m sure when looking at gamers altering game content you looked into mods, or game-made modifications. Modders are a very good example of people who are both consuming and producing media. Game developers make available what is needed for modders to create new content so that these consumer individuals can be successful with further developing the company’s game (Wikipedia). Mods also do a lot for the extended gaming community; I find these gamer-made custom contents for official game titles extremely fascinating as these user created versions extend the game’s life span as they can be easily distributed and make the game more exciting and extended for users and they have even been known to overtake and become more popular than the official game itself (Sotamaa). Ultimately it is pretty amazing how these communities work; they interact within a game, complete a game, develop further content for the game and share their creations. I agree it's a very social and creative community.
References
Sotamaa, O. Comupter Game Modding, Intermediaility and Participatory Culture. http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:rI_L3qruAoIJ:old.imv.au.dk/eng/academic/pdf_files/Sotamaa.pdf+About+Game+Mods+AND+%22participatory+culture%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1 (accessed May 4, 2008).
Wikipedia. 2008. Mod (computer gaming). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mod_(computer_gaming) (accessed May 4, 2008).
I agree that the online gaming is a an interesting example of produsage and participatory culture. The Sims is definately a good example of corporations and producers recognising a consumer need and allowing them to become involoved in the creation process. Of course this is a win win situation for both the consumer and the company. Consumers are happy to get involved and the games are improving and expanding with new additions, at no extra cost or effort to the company themselves.
I do think that we should be wary of the impact of gaming culture on individuals who become too involved in their online identities and communities and become distanced from reality. As a non-gamer i was recently extremely disturbed when i mistook an internet gaming room for an internet cafe and was confronted with approximately 50 people so absorbed in their computer screens that no one even looked up. I've personally observed a friend lose his job because of his obsession with WOW. This may be extreme and certainly not everyone becomes so involved, but it is disturbing to think that we are evolving into a society that is even somewhat substituting face to face socialising and communicating with online socialising in virtual worlds.
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