Lesson 7 Resources

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Welcome to the resources section for Lesson 7, a lesson that takes everything weve discussed and
focuses it on the culture, or more accurately, the cultures of gaming. Culture is a slippery word that
captures so many different perceptions of how people define themselves and define others. We begin by
simply trying to define what it means to be a gamer a word that is equally fraught with contested
meanings. To unpack this, we begin with a quick review of First Person Shooters (FPSs), which is a genre
of video games over which the term gamer is frequently debated.
This lesson focuses less on the games themselves, and more on the people playing them. Having said
that, it is very difficult to separate those two things. As Yeats said in his poem "Among School Children,"
How can we know the dancer from the dance? People construct meaning while playing games, and
interacting with those who also play, make, and criticise games.
Two elements feature heavily in trying to understand the cultures of gaming. The first is language, which
when studied formally is called semiotics. Semiotics is the study of the signs and symbols used to convey
conceptions and ideas, and the remarkable room for play and creativity between those two things. For
example, the use and familiarity of specialised language in an online game quickly identifies those
members of a community. Not knowing most of the meanings of the word train in World of Warcraft, for
example, will quickly mark you as an outsider in any conversation.
What is important to remember is that discussions of meanings, of membership, of identity, and of
community are constantly re-negotiated by that community. This process serves as a means for the
community to identify itself and to identify others. This means that language shapes culture, and culture
shapes language.
The second major strand that contributes to understanding communities of gamers is the collection of
physical artifacts that are used by a community. This material culture is vast, and includes everything from
the consoles people use to play games to the the Nintendo cup sleeve bought on Etsy used to chill their
Mountain Dew. Approaching the study of material culture is difficult, as researchers need to understand the
values that the culture place on the objects themselves and the context in which they were situated. We
use an extended example of alien archaeologists uncovering a hoard of game consoles as an example to
explain this difficulty. Remember as well, that all games are part of a large, complex economic system.
Even games that position themselves as outside mainstream development, like Indie games, are still part
of this system. In the words of some old school theorists, the system is robust and flexible (and pervasive)
enough such that every need is catered for.
Both factors contribute to how groups of gamers define themselves and define others, which is no easy
thing. How Indie game developers and players, for example, define themselves is fraught with
contradictions and assumptions. Factors considered important to some groups, such as controlling your
own finances, is viewed skeptically by other groups, as that factor would capture some very large studies
as Indie. And Indie game development is starting to look a lot more like traditional game development as
the tools for game production and the platforms for game distribution overlap in more and more places.

Sorter Question:
For the sorter question in Language and Community, youll need to know something about these five
games. We talked about a few of them before, but here are some links that might help as a refresher. You
can google the title for a few more if you need more information:
Farmville - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCpR4ZiLtms
Angry Birds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiiQ8btusrs&t=12m01s
Minecraft - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOWAYsHVQkc&t=25s
Halo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_eEetQThTU&t=18m00s
Call of Duty - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpHCgL9FWcc

Required Reading:
The reading for this lesson focuses on how games and their associated technologies can facilitate the
formation of culture and community. Sue Morris explores how meaning is created when people play First
Person Shooters. This is an interesting article that picks up some of the threads weve been discussing,
namely that meaning in a game is negotiated between the players and the developers. The experience is
co-created. You might find of particular interest the section on how players can influence the design of
games based on their interactions with the developers. Mod development plays an important part of this
process.
Morris, Sue. WADs, Bots and Mods: Multiplayer FPS Games as Co-creative Media. Level Up
Conference Proceedings, University of Utrecht, November, 2003. http://www.digra.org/wpcontent/uploads/digital-library/05150.21522.pdf

Problem Statement
Participating in multiplayer online first person shooter (FPS) video games often involves more than just
playing. Increasingly, video games are becoming a place for community-based production of media,
eschewing the traditional, unidirectional mode of video game consumption. Can this new mode of
production be named and analyzed?
Purpose
Morris argues that multiplayer online FPS video games have become a site for something called "cocreated media", where both players and game designers are responsible for the cultural artefacts
surrounding and including video games. This new, multi-dimensional mode of production requires a
critical framework that accounts for the transformative social effect of this emerging fusion of
community and technology.
Summary
Morris writes that "In addition to actual gameplay, the FPS community engages in practices of game
development, criticism,commentary, debate, information exchange, file-sharing and social organisation"
(p. 1-2). Player communities have also been included in game testing and development, which
challenges the traditional economic and social practices of video game production.

Morris names one of the original FPS game developers, id Software, as responsible for influencing the
current structure of online FPS communities. id Software released the source code for the game Doom
in the early nineties, allowing players to modify and release alternate versions of the game. These
modifications, along with detailed user guides about both playing and designing the games, were
shared in newsgroups. This practice spawned a number of diverse, online communities dedicated to
gaming.
Modern FPS games include a number of different community-based activities that go beyond playing
the game itself. These include in-game chat rooms or messaging; webpages that review, educate and
act as social venues; and file sharing. FPS communities exist on servers hosted by the users
themselves or by internet service providers, and not the game's developers. These communities often
adhere to stringent codes of social conduct and gameplay etiquette.
The size and success of these communities, coupled with the popularity of user-created game
modifications, are challenging the distinction between game developer and game consumer. Examples
of this include developers releasing games to large communities for bug testing before a release, and
user-created modifications becoming part of the official game. These communities are also partially
responsible for the increase in the number of independently produced and distributed games, leading
to an increased diversity in the content matter of video games as a whole.
Morris argues that FPS communities do more than participate in gaming culture, but that they are in
effect, co-creating the games with the game developers. The game requires the input of both the
developer and the player, and neither "can be solely responsible for production of the final assemblage
regarded as 'the game'" (p. 8). She demonstrates this with the example of Quake III Arena. In order to
play, one needs not only the game itself, but "a variety of software, game content and services
provided by mod makers and the wider gaming community" (p. 8).

Additional Resources:
Much like the last topic, there is an incredible amount of research on this gaming cultures. If you are
interested in exploring this further, here are three to get you started:
Newman, J. (2002). The Myth of the Ergodic Videogame: Some Thoughts on Player Character
Relationships in Videogames. Game Studies, 2(1). http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/newman/.
Taylor, N. (2008). Periscopic Play: Re-positioning "the Field" in MMO Research. Loading 1(3).
http://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/view/43.
Voorhees, G. (2009). The Character of Difference: Procedurality, Rhetoric, and Roleplaying Games.
Game Studies, 9(2). http://gamestudies.org/0902/articles/voorhees.

Games We Mention in this Lesson:

Here are some of the games we mentioned in this lesson. If you don't know a game we mention, follow one
of the links we provide below. Again, we dont control these files, so some of the links may expire. Help us
keep the links fresh by letting us know if one goes down. Also, you can find play-throughs, trailers, and fan
sites for just about any game you can imagine, so a quick google search will give you a taste of how a
game works.
Battlefield
Clip one is gameplay from Battlefield 1942 (the first game). Clip two is a trailer for Battlefield 4 expansion

Dragon's Teeth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvIg9i7G9Y&t=4m13s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNIc-1hAAYE
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Gameplay from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA3TENcuJyw&t=13m00s
Counter Strike
Multiplayer competitive match from the first Counter Strike game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsO8iyxkOEg&t=26m00s
Dungeons of Daggerath
Gameplay clip showing the 3D perspective, beating heart health indicator, and multilevel maze map.
(Watch to3m15s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQKQHKdWTRs
Wolfenstein 3D
Gameplay of the final battle with Hitler (mecha-hitler included).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIZvU2l9_9o
Doom
Gameplay, violent content
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs3G-S3drso
Half-Life
Clip showing the use of story and interactive NPC's. (Watch to 2m00s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDZzgVFXcYo&t=30s
Unreal Tournament
Player vs. Player (PVP) deathmatch gameplay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-2mIAK6S4g&t=7m06s
Halo
Gameplay clip from Halo: Combat Evolved anniversary edition (a remake of the 1st Halo game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_eEetQThTU&t=18m00s
Team Fortress
Clip one is the Intro to the original Team Fortress (Half-Life mod). Clip two is a trailer for Team Fortress 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FVJ__rBFxk&t=08s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_c3iQImXZg
Loom
Brian Moriarty's Game Loom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnEMcquu2lc
World of Warcraft

A WoW dance party

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A34ZaCyStk
Farmville
Gameplay that shows a player building a farm and helping their Facebook friends with their farms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCpR4ZiLtms
Angry Birds
Gameplay that shows the simple concept but challenging game mechanics. (Watch to 13m45s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiiQ8btusrs&t=12m01s
Minecraft
Clip shows gameplay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOWAYsHVQkc&t=25s
Call of Duty
A short montage of gameplay clips demonstrating the intensity of the series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpHCgL9FWcc
The Witcher
The polish trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjXib_Zl5Jk
Gunpoint
Gameplay clip demonstrating the "non-mainstream" style of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YrbQEJ-F3o&t=6m00s
Adventure
The "created by" easter egg location.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3AN3n1MtKM&t=1m50s
Cave Story
Gameplay showing the player obtaining a Life Capsule in the shape of a heart. (Watch to 1m10s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHEjxmMKB0&t=50s
Legend of Zelda
Compilation of clips showing the location of Heart Containers which increase Max Life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZtJedafwnk&t=16s
Sword & Sworcery
The hero enters the symbolic "belly of the whale". (watch until 7m45s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB11wIG6pZ4&t=5m35s
Ultima
Gameplay from Ultima. While the clip does not show stealing, it does show how the player can interact with
town inhabitants and explore the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRBqQTzEQ6I&t=8m00s

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

Gameplay using an unofficial patch and mods (listed in the video description). (Watch to 4m00s)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQs5r0up_4&t=2m51s
AGD's King's Quest III
Gameplay showing the updated graphics and inclusion of a narrative voice. (watch to 2m00s)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T689VceEF54
Black Mesa's Half-Life
Video that shows a side-by-side comparison of Black Mesa mod (left) and original Half Life (right).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA8hy0gNLYc&t=6m00s
Halo 2600
Clip shows the 'retro Atari' gameplay style of this demake.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOhtFAUcAKw
Sonic II
A video (with commentary) that explains how to do the Sonic 2 level select (and other) cheat codes.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FQT4X6AVVc

Created Wed 27 Aug 2014 11:49 AM PET

Last Modified Mon 22 Sep 2014 9:48 PM PET