Tagged: video games

Feminist Theory / Gender & Sexuality / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

The Attack on Anita Sarkeesian: From Media Analysis to Anti-Feminism and Online Harassment

AUTHOR’S WARNING: This post, and especially the links leading from it, contains images and language that some readers may find offensive or unsettling. Anita Sarkeesian is clever, eloquent, and seemingly fearless, but the recent fame she has achieved is not entirely pleasant. With a B.A. in communications from California State University, Northridge and a Master’s degree in social and political thought from York University, Sarkeesian is thoroughly knowledgeable and aptly qualified for her role as media critic and feminist activist....

Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

Indie Games and the Need for Gatekeepers

by bmckernan Earlier this year, I posted an article exploring the manner talent agencies serve as cultural gatekeepers. While the post focuses particularly on talent agencies, it also highlights the continuing influence cultural gatekeepers play in both the production and consumption of a significant portion of today’s cultural expression. Recently, Microsoft’s attempt at revitalizing Xbox Live Indie Games and the praise and critiques Microsoft has received for doing so illustrates the continued importance of cultural gatekeepers, even in today’s digital...

Sociology of Media & Communication

"Acceptable" Language in Video Games

by bmckernan In recent months, software giant Microsoft has come under strong criticism for its censoring of particular “gamertags” on its Xbox Live Service that Microsoft officials consider to contain sexual innuendo. However, as an article on the gaming site Kotaku documents, in practice this has led to the banning of gamertags used by gamers to express their sexual orientation. A recent opinion article by game journalist Mike Fahey on the gaming site Kotaku provides an insightful and engaging account...

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

Consuming in a Recession

by bmckernan While at the start of the economic downturn many media outlets were claiming the video game industry to be “recession proof,” recent sales figures seem to indicate that even an industry often characterized as “escapist” seems not to be fully impervious to financial realities. A recent article in the New York Times reports that sales figures for the game industry were down in March from the previous year, leading the article to conclude that the economic downturn may...

Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

Video Games = Art?

by bmckernan In Hollywood Highbrow, Shyou Baumann examines the sociological factors that led to Hollywood’s historical transformation from being considered merely a form of mass entertainment to an artistic medium. Adopting a sociology of culture framework, Baumann identifies what he considers to be the three essential factors needed for any cultural medium to be considered an art, including: an opportunity space, institutionalized resources/activities, and intellectualization. Given the massive popularity of video games in contemporary America, it may be useful to...

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

To Sell or Not to Sell

by bmckernan A battle is looming within the video game industry between video game developers and video game retail outlets. Over the last decade, the trading in of used video games for store credit has become an increasingly popular activity for a significant portion of the gaming world. For many gamers, trading in their old games for store credit is the only way they can afford to continue to pursue their video game hobby, while on the retail side the...

Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Game Studies

by bmckernan Towards the end of 2008, the PEW Internet & American Life Project released two studies on video games whose results were met with some shock by the mainstream media. The first PEW survey focused on youth and video games and found that 97% of the respondents (ages 12 to 17) play video games, including 99% of boys and 94% of girls. A few months later, the project followed this up with a second study which found that 53%...