t. l. taylor » mmog

Gaming Lifeworlds

T.L. — Wed, 04 May 2011 10:12:49 +0000

“Gaming Lifeworlds: Social Play in Persistent Environments” in S. Giddings and M. Lister (eds.) The New Media and Technocultures Reader, New York: Routledge, 2011.[edited selections from Play Between Worlds]

Copy unavailable, check back for updates.

Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:45:10 +0000

Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture. The MIT Press, March 2006.

hardcover & paperback.

Ethnography as Play

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:42:37 +0000

“Ethnography as Play”, under preparation.

Copy unavailable – Check back for updates/copy.

Assemblage of Play

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:40:55 +0000

“The Assemblage of Play”, Games and Culture, vol. 4, no. 4, 331-339, 2009.

(Correction to text: This piece was funded by the MacArthur Foundation.)

[PDF]

Abstract
This article explores the notion of assemblage for computer game studies. Drawing on this framework the author proposes a multi-faceted methodological approach to the study of games and the play experience. Drawing on user-created mods (modifications) in the game World of Warcraft and an analysis of a raid encounter there, a discussion is undertaken about the relationship between technological artifacts, game experience, and sociality. Primary to the consideration is an argument for the centralizing the inter-relation of a variety of actors and nodes when analyzing lived play in computer games.

Internet & Games

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:40:02 +0000

“Internet & Games” in M. Consalvo, C. Ess, R. Burnett (eds.) The Blackwell Handbook of Internet Studies, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.

[PDF]

Becoming a Player: Networks, Structures, and Imagined Futures

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:38:19 +0000

“Becoming a Player: Networks, Structures, and Imagined Futures” in Y. Kafai, C. Heeter, J. Denner, and J. Sun (eds.) Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender, Games, and Computing, Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2008.

[PDF]

Pushing the Borders: Player Participation and Game Culture

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:35:44 +0000

“Pushing the Borders: Player Participation and Game Culture” in J. Karaganis (ed.), Network_Netplay: Structures of Participation in Digital Culture, New York: Social Science Research Council, 2007.

[PDF]

Unruly Play, History Lessons, and a Call for Non-Dichotomous Models

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:32:17 +0000

“Unruly Play, History Lessons, and a Call for Non-Dichotomous Models,” State of Play II, October 2004.

Copy unavailable. Please refer to my book Play Between Worlds for most recent version of the argument.

Beyond Management: Considering Participatory Design and Governance in Player Culture

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:30:24 +0000

“Beyond Management: Considering Participatory Design and Governance in Player Culture”, First Monday, October 2006.

[link to online journal]

Does WoW Change Everything?

T.L. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:27:50 +0000

“Does WoW Change Everything?: How a PvP Server, Multinational Playerbase, and Surveillance Mod Scene Caused Me Pause,” Games & Culture, v. 1 n. 4, October 2006.

[PDF]

Note: An abbreviated version of this article (does not include age & nationality discussion) appears in in J. Walker and H. Corneliussen (eds.) Digital Culture, Play, and Identity: A World of Warcraft Reader, Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2008.

Abstract

Rather than simply identifying “emergence”as a prime property of massively multiplayer online game life,a better understanding of the complex nature of player-produced culture is needed. Life in game worlds is not exempt from forms of player-based regulation and control. Drawing on ethnographic and interview work within World of Warcraft, the author undertakes initial inquiries on this subject by looking at three areas: nationalism, age, and surveillance. This case study shows systems of stratification and control can arise from the bottom up and be implemented in not only everyday play culture but even
player-produced modifications to the game system itself. Due to the ways these systems may simultaneously facilitate play, there is often an ambivalent dynamic at work. This piece also prompts some methodological considerations. By discussing field site choice, the author argues that context is of utmost importance and needs to be more thoughtfully foregrounded within game studies.