Crawford, G ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7499-3864
2015,
'Is it in the Game? Reconsidering play spaces, game definitions, theming and sports videogames'
, Games and Culture, 10 (6)
, pp. 571-592.
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Abstract
From the very first days of digital gaming, sport-themed videogames have been a constant and ever-popular presence. However, compared with many other genres of games, sports-themed videogames have remained relatively under-research. Using the case of ‘sports videogames’ this paper advocates a critical and located approach to understanding videogames and gameplay. Unlike many existing theorisations of gameplay, such as the ‘magic circle’ (Huizinga 1949 [1938]), which theorise play as a break from ordinary life, this paper argues for a consideration of play as a continuation of ‘the control of the established order’ (Lefebvre (1991 [1974]: 383). It argues that many videogames, and in particular sports videogames, can be understood as ‘themed’ spaces; which share similarities to other themed locations, such as fast-food restaurants and theme parks. These are ‘non-places’ (Augé 1995) themed to provide a sense of individuality, control and escape in a society that increasingly offers none.
Item Type: | Article |
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Themes: | Media, Digital Technology and the Creative Economy |
Schools: | Schools > School of Health and Society > Centre for Applied Research in Health, Welfare and Policy Schools > School of Arts & Media > Arts, Media and Communication Research Centre |
Journal or Publication Title: | Games and Culture |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
ISSN: | 1555-4120 |
Related URLs: | |
Funders: | Non funded research |
Depositing User: | G Crawford |
Date Deposited: | 20 Feb 2015 11:33 |
Last Modified: | 15 Feb 2022 18:56 |
URI: | http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/33499 |
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