978-1319102852 Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Digital Gaming and the Media Playground

In this chapter, we will take a look at the evolving mass medium of digital gaming and:

• Examine the early history of electronic gaming, including its roots in penny arcades

• Trace the evolution of electronic gaming, from arcades and bars into living rooms and our

hands

• Discuss gaming as a social medium that forms communities of play

• Analyze the economics of gaming, including the industry’s major players and various

revenue streams

• Raise questions about the role of digital gaming in our democratic society

Preview Story: Scholarship college athletes, competitions to make the team, long hours in

grueling practice sessions, matches in arenas drawing 30,000 people or more and hopes to one

day be at the Olympics.

This is not swimming, track and field, soccer, hockey, or skiing. These are eSports

athletes – i.e., athletes who competitively play video games at the highest levels. In the past two

decades, eSports have followed the trajectory of traditional sports, with an increasing number of

colleges and universities recruiting scholarship athletes, professional sports teams underwritten

by major sponsors, big media contracts, and Olympic participation—perhaps in the near future.

I. The Development of Digital Gaming

A. Mechanical Gaming

B. The First Video Games

C. Arcades and Classic Games

D. Consoles and Advancing Graphics

1. Nintendo

2. Sony

3. Microsoft

E. Gaming on PCs

F. Portable Players

II. The Internet Transforms Gaming

A. MMORPGs, MOBAs, Virtual Worlds, and Social Gaming

B. Gaming Apps

III. The Media Playground

A. Video Game Genres

B. Communities of Play: Inside the Game

C. Communities of Play: Outside the Game

1. Collective Intelligence

2. Game Sites

3. Conventions

IV. Trends and Issues in Digital Gaming

A. Electronic Gaming and Media Culture

B. Electronic Gaming and Advertising

C. Addiction and Other Concerns

1. Addiction

2. Violence and Misogyny

D. Regulating Gaming

E. The Future of Gaming and Interactive Environments

V. The Business of Digital Gaming

A. The Ownership and Organization of Digital Gaming

1. Game Publishers.

B. The Structure of Digital Game Publishing

1. Development

2. Licensing

3. Marketing

C. Selling Digital Games

1. Pay Models

2. Digital Distribution

D. Alternative Voices

VI. Digital Gaming, Free Speech, and Democracy

Case Study: Finding Positive Effects in Digital Games

Examining Ethics: The Gender Problem in Digital Games

Media Literacy and the Critical Process: First–Person Shooter Games: Misogyny as

Entertainment?

Global Village: Phones in Hand, the World Finds Pokémon (and Wizards)

LECTURE IDEAS

I. The Development of Digital Gaming

• Describe the development of electronic games in comparison to other mass media.

II. The Internet Transforms Gaming

• Explain how electronic gaming converges with other mass media, and discuss how these

convergences can potentially transform businesses, institutions such as schools or

government, neighborhoods and cities, and, finally, our own homes.

• Explore the evolution of video games from simple, single-player games to more complex,

multiplayer social activities. Discuss how the Internet contributed to making video games

part of mass media. What are some future possibilities for video games and video game

consoles?

• Discuss how mobile devices have changed electronic gaming. Ask students what kinds of

mobile game devices they have, and if they have multiple devices, ask them how they use

each device. Has their use of such devices changed in recent years? If so, discuss how.

III. The Media Playground

• Some of your students might have played The Oregon Trail, an educational simulation game

that aims at reproducing the circumstances and drastic choices faced by white settlers

traveling the two-thousand-mile journey from Independence, Kansas, to the Willamette

Valley in Oregon. Throughout the game, players make choices to help their ox-driven wagon

parties survive numerous potential horrors, including measles, dysentery, typhoid, cholera,

snakebites, drowning, physical injuries, floods, mountains, heat, and cold, all the while

maintaining provisions and predicting weather conditions. First developed by educators in

1971, The Oregon Trail has been played by millions of students.

IV. Trends and Issues in Digital Gaming

• The kinetic and tactile experience of motion-sensing gaming consoles (like the Nintendo Wii

and the Xbox Kinect) is popular with consumers and represents a revolution in video games.

From the old Atari joysticks to the two-handed modern video game controllers with close to

a dozen buttons, playing video games has been considered a mostly sedentary activity. But

with a system that can sense and track the movement of the players themselves, the Wii and

Kinect require much more movement to play the games. An example on the Wii is a version

of a game of tennis in which a figure on the screen (an avatar) swings its racket as the human

player moves the Wii controller as if it were the racket. Another game designed for the

Kinect system allows players to imitate the dance moves shown onscreen, and a motion-

sensing device records and assesses the accuracy of the players’ moves. The active nature of

this style of gaming has made it popular in a number of atypical settings for playing video

games. Numerous assisted living and nursing home facilities now use such games to help

keep seniors active. With systems like the Wii and the Kinect, gaming continues to become

more and more integrated into the mainstream.

• Twitch, a website where you can watch other people play video games, gained more than 100

million viewers in its first four years and has become one of the most visited Internet sites

during peak traffic periods. In 2014, Twitch was purchased by Amazon for $1 billion. The

New York Times Magazine’s fascinating, and scary, article on Twitch (Jason Fagone, “The

Serial Swatter,” November 24, 2015) is available at

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/the–serial–swatter.html?_r=0.

V. The Business of Digital Gaming

• Video games, despite their emphasis on play, are actually big business. The gaming industry

is astoundingly huge with annual revenues expected to top $100 billion by 2017.

• A 2015 study by the Pew Research Center found that about half of adults in the United States

play video games on a computer, TV, game console, or portable device like a cell phone.

Fifty percent of men and 48 percent of women play games. Among Americans between the

ages of eighteen and twenty-nine, more than three-fourths of men say they play video games,

compared with 57 percent of women. The full report is available at

http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2015/12/PI_2015-12-15_gaming-

and-gamers_FINAL.pdf.

• In 2015, Activision Blizzard (publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Destiny,

Skylanders, and Guitar Hero) bought King Digital Entertainment, maker of Candy Crush, for

$5.9 billion. Activision Blizzard has more than half a billion active monthly users.

• The market research company NPD Group has been tracking the business of video games

since 1995. Here is an excerpt of its findings from its “Gamer Segmentation 2016” report

about different types of gamers

(https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/infographics/2016/gamer-segmentation–

2016):

• Avid Omni Gamers spend 19 hours per week gaming

• Core Console Gamers spend an average of $4 on physical games

• Free & Mobile Gamers are the segment most likely to prefer digital games over physical,

at 64%

• Social Gamers outpace all other segments when it comes to gaming on social networks,

spending an average of 9 hours per week on these sites

• Casual Gamers are the segment most likely to prefer playing free games and paying for

additional content as needed

• 85% of Family Gamers prefer physical games over digital

• Not only can a video game generate huge sales on several different brands of game consoles,

but the success of the release of a popular video game title can rival, or even surpass, the

release of popular films, DVDs, and albums. For example, Grand Theft Auto V sales totaled

$800 million (12 million units) on the first day it was available in September 2013, whereas

Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke the record for biggest opening ever, taking in just over

$119 million on its first day, and the fastest selling album of all time, Adele’s 25, sold less

than 2.5 million copies in the first three days after its release.

• The website VGChartz tracks video game sales. The sales chart below gives an idea of the

kinds of numbers a popular video game can sell worldwide (in millions of units sold):

Game

Platform

Year

Genre

Publisher

North

America

Global

Wii Sports

Wii

2006

Sports

Nintendo

41.49

82.74

Super Mario Bros

NES

1985

Platform

Nintendo

29.08

40.24

Mario Kart Wii

Wii

2008

Racing

Nintendo

15.85

35.82

Wii Sports Resort

Wii

2009

Sports

Nintendo

15.75

33.00

Pokemon Red/

Pokemon Blue

1996

Role

Playing

Nintendo

11.27

31.37

Tetris

1989

Puzzle

Nintendo

23.20

30.26

New Super Mario

Bros.

2006

Platform

Nintendo

11.38

30.00

Wii Play

Wii

2006

Misc

Nintendo

14.03

29.02

New Super Mario

Bros. Wii

Wii

2009

Platform

Nintendo

14.59

28.62

Duck Hunt

NES

1984

Shooter

Nintendo

26.93

28.31

Source: http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb

• The controversy around #GamerGate highlights gender-related issues in gaming culture. The

cancellation of some of Anita Sarkeesian’s public appearances (because of threats of

violence) has also sparked debates about freedom of speech issues.

• A 2017 study by the Pew Research Center (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-

tank/2017/07/11/key-takeaways-online-harassment/) found that harassment is a common

feature of online life for many adults: “Around four-in-ten U.S. adults (41%) have

experienced some form of online harassment, and an even larger share—66%—have seen

this happen to others.” Key findings included the fact that young adults were the most likely

to face online abuse with 67 percent of adults 18- to 20-years–old reporting some form of

online harassment. Social media was the most most common venue for online harassment.

MEDIA LITERACY DISCUSSIONS AND EXERCISES

INAPPROPRIATE GAME CONTENT

This “think-pair–share” exercise focuses on gaming and its content.

1. Think. On your own, spend two to three minutes writing down what kind of content—if

any—you think should not be in electronic games. Be sure to consider misogyny and

violence as well as ad content within games.

2. Pair. Turn to your neighbor and compare notes. Are you concerned about certain kinds of

gaming content that children might see? Did either of you list excessive commercialism as a

problem?

What are some valuable uses of electronic games?

3. Share. As a class, consider electronic gaming content. Should game content be legally

censored?

Does it seem to be developing in a positive direction? If you could rethink the direction and

uses of electronic games, what would they be?

ELECTRONIC GAMING AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES

It should be easy to get students talking about games, considering their availability and

popularity.

General Questions

• Have students discuss the ways new technologies have changed electronic gaming. Consider

the rapid advances in technology since the first gaming consoles were developed in the

1970s. Discuss where new technology might lead next.

• Ask students if they use motion-sensing game consoles such as Xbox Kinect and Nintendo

Wii. If so, are they likely to use these games with friends or on their own?

• What are some of the possible uses of new gaming technologies outside the realm of games?

How could motion-sensing controllers and motion-detecting technology be used in education

or in the military, for example?

• If the option for gaming on mobile devices were suddenly eliminated from smartphones and

tablets, would students miss them? How much time do students spend with games in a given

day? Do they use smartphones and tablets, gaming systems, computers, or some combination

of these devices?

Possible activity: Ask students how they obtain games. Do they visit brick-and–mortar stores

such as GameStop, or are they more likely to download games directly to their device? How

does this direct availability of games influence their purchasing habits?

Phones and portable electronic devices: Ask students if they play games on smartphones and

touchscreen tablets. What do they like and dislike about gaming on smartphones and tablets?

How have these devices changed their use of games?

TRACKING RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DIGITAL GAMING INDUSTRY: A

SEMESTER–LONG CRITICAL PROCESS EXERCISE AND PAPER

In this exercise students discover the most recent developments in the industry, and they become

familiar with industry trade sources. The paper they produce is due in sections, which

correspond with the steps in the Critical Process.

1. Description. Read industry trade sources to get a sense of the main issues affecting the

electronic gaming industry. Look at the websites of industry trade associations and

professional societies. (Links to websites of some industry trade sources are given in the

Classroom Media Sources below.) Take notes on topics that have multiple stories or

mentions in the current year. What issues or developments in the industry have received a lot

of recent attention, discussion, or commentary in industry sources? (Focus only on

information from the current year—and only from trade sources.) Write a one-page synopsis

of the information you found about current topics in the industry. Cite your sources properly.

2. Analysis. Look for one development or pattern that has received significant attention on trade

sites and from trade journalists in the current year. Choose one specific trend, and write one

or two pages with details about the information you found about that trend. Continue to track

news about your topic as the semester progresses. Cite sources properly.

3. Interpretation. What does the trend mean for the state of the industry? Is it evolving? How?

What does it tell you about media in general at the current time? What might it say about our

culture or our society? Can your information help us interpret the role of the industry in our

lives? Write up your interpretation in a five-page paper. (The first page should be a synopsis

of the trend, with proper citations.) You might not have to provide information from your

sources for the next four pages because this section is your interpretation of the trend. (Save

any ideas you have about whether the trend is “good” or “bad” for the Evaluation step of the

Critical Process.) Cite any sources properly.

4. Evaluation. Is the trend “good” or “bad?” For the industry? society? culture? democracy? us?

What do you think might happen in the future?

5. Engagement. Are there any actions you can take (related to your trend and the industry)?

Possibilities include posting your views on social media, creating a petition, contacting

people in the industry to see what they think of your interpretation and evaluation, or going

to an industry event if any are held nearby. (This step need not be required if students are not

motivated to take action.)

Note: This exercise works well if each step of the Critical Process is due two weeks after the

prior step is due. Limiting students to only trade sources and only information from the current

year helps keep them on track. Your institution’s librarians should be able to provide students

with information on how to access industry trade sources.

CLASSROOM MEDIA RESOURCES

LAUNCHPAD FOR MEDIA & CULTURE:

launchpadworks.com

Anita Sarkeesian and GamerGate (2014, 31:44 minutes). Tropes vs. Women is a web series from

Anita Sarkeesian about sexism in video games, which became a target of angry fans.

New Games Journalism On Screen (2014, 14:38 minutes). In this video from Gamasutra, Alex

Wawro interviews a creator about the indie game he’s Kickstarting.

Tablets, Technology, and the Classroom (2010, 3:07 minutes). Featuring Glenn Simpson, an

English teacher at Chico Green School, and his students, this video examines the benefits and

drawbacks of using the iPad and other handheld (and sometimes game-like) technology in the

classroom.

Video Games at the Movies (2012, 0:58 minutes). In this clip from a film in the Resident Evil

series, heroine Alice fights off a horde of zombie attackers.

VIDEOS/DVDS/CDS

Angry German Kid (2006, 4:19 minutes). A German boy named Leopold wants to play Unreal

Tournament but can’t (the computer is too slow), and he has a violent fit. This video, which

became an Internet meme, was believed to be true, but it was staged. It is still a good discussion

starter about violence and video games (and there are other similar examples online as well).

Available for download at http://www.complex.com/tech/2012/06/the-100-greatest-internet-

memes-of-all–time/angry–german-kid.

The Drug-Like Effect of Screen Time on the Teenage Brain (May 1, 2016, 7:31 minutes). This

PBS NewsHour segment features an interview with Dr. Delaney Ruston, producer of a new

documentary called “Screenagers.” Dr. Ruston discusses the reasons young people are drawn to

social media and video games, and explores what screen time does to young brains. Available for

download at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCT5JcCXMP.

Game Over: Gender, Race, and Violence in Video Games (2000, 41 minutes). This video offers a

dialogue about the complex and controversial topic of video game violence, and it is designed to

encourage students to think critically about the video games they play. Distributed by the Media

Education Foundation, 800-897-0089; http://www.mediaed.org.

Leroy Jenkins (2006, 2:51 minutes). This famous YouTube clip illustrates World of Warcraft

gameplay in action: A guild is working to overthrow enemy forces, and Leroy Jenkins (one of

the gamers) decides to go in on his own. It’s funny (almost 34 million views) and a perfect

introduction to this game. Available for download at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkCNJRfSZBU.

South Park Episode: Make Love, Not Warcraft (2008, 22 minutes). A hilarious critique of World

of Warcraft addiction. Available at http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s10e08-

make-love-not-warcraft.

What Research Says About Video Games and Violence in Children (March 18, 2018, 4:22

minutes). NPR interviews an Iowa State University psychology professor about research on the

effects of violence in video games on kids. Available for download at

https://www.npr.org/2018/03/08/592046294/what-research–says–about-video–games–and–

violence-in–children.

WEB SITES

Altered Gamer: http://www.alteredgamer.com

Common Sense Media: http://www.commonsensemedia.org

Digital Games Research Association: http://www.digra.org

Entertainment Software Association: http://theesa.com

Entertainment Software Rating Board: http://www.esrb.org

Fantasy Sports Trade Association: http://fsta.org

Feminist Frequency: https://feministfrequency.com

Foundations of Digital Games conference: http://www.foundationsofdigitalgames.org

Gamasutra: http://www.gamasutra.com

GameInformer: http://www.gameinformer.com

Games for Change: http://www.gamesforchange.org

Interactive Fiction Database: http://ifdb.tads.org

International Game Developers Association: https://www.igda.org

Leading websites for gaming mentioned in the text of Chapter 3 (with their corporate owners):

GameSpot (CBS): http://gamespot.com

GameTrailers (MTV Networks/Viacom): http://gametrailers.com

IGN (Ziff Davis, a publishing and digital media company): http://ign.com

Kotaku (Univision; previously Gawker): http://kotaku.com