Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies

The Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies has now been operating for three full years. There are many research results already available, both for the key overarching research questions related to understanding the key processes and characteristics of meaning making and cultural agency in games and play, and to the four more focused sub-themes: meaning and form of games, creation of games, players of games, and societal frames of games.

Publications

The broad range and coverage of the CoE GameCult reseach should be highlighted on its own terms as an element of scientific, interdisciplinary, and societal impact. Overall (at the time of annual reporting in August 2020), there already were a total of 221 peer-reviewed and/or expert and general audiences directed publications published from the CoE, all of them contributing to the scientific and societal impacts in their own topic areas.

Selected publications from our primary research themes:

Theme 1: Meaning and form of games

Selected publications

Arjoranta, J. (2019) How to Define Games and Why We Need to. The Computer Games Journal, 8, 109–120.
Arjoranta, J., Kari, T. & Salo, M. (2020) Exploring Features of the Pervasive Game Pokémon GO That Enable Behavior Change: Qualitative Study. JMIR Serious Games, 8(2).
Arjoranta, J. (2019) Playing the Nonhuman: Alien Experiences in Aliens vs. Predator. In S. Karkulehto, A. Koistinen & E. Varis (Eds.) Reconfiguring Human, Nonhuman and Posthuman in Literature and Culture. London: Taylor & Francis, 108–124.
Garda, M.B. & Karhulahti, V. (2019) Let’s Play Tinder! Aesthetics of a Dating App. Games and Culture, online first.
Hopia, H., Siitonen, M. & Raitio, K. (2018) Mental Health Service Users’ and Professionals’ Relationship with Games and Gaming. Digital Health, 4, 1–12.
Junnila, M., Reunanen, M. & Heikkinen, T. (2019) The Interplay of Thematic and Ludological Elements in Western-Themed Games. Kinephanos, special issue, May 2019.
Kankainen, V., Arjoranta, J., & Nummenmaa, T. (2019) Games as Blends: Understanding Hybrid Games. Journal of Virtual Reality and Broadcasting, 14(2017)(4).
Karhulahti, V. (2020) Computer game as a pragmatic concept: ideas, meanings, and culture. Media, Culture & Society, 42(3), 471-480.
Karhulahti, V. (2020) Esport Play: Anticipation, Attachment, and Addiction in Psycholudic Development. Bloomsbury.
Karhulahti, V. & Koskimaa, R. (2019) On the Prevalence of Addicted or Problematic Gaming in Finland. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 10.
Kari, T., Siutila, M., & Karhulahti, V. (2018) An Extended Study on Training and Physical Exercise in Esports. In B. R. Dubbels (Ed.) Exploring the Cognitive, Social, Cultural, and Psychological Aspects of Gaming and Simulations. IGI Global, 270–292.
Kerttula, T. (2019) “What an Eccentric Performance”: Storytelling in Online Let’s Plays. Games and Culture, 14(3), 236–255.
Stenros, Jaakko (2019) Guided by Transgressions: Defying Norms as an Integral Part of Play. In K. Jørgensen & F. Karlsen (Eds.) Transgression in Games and Play. The MIT Press.
Stenros, J. & Kultima, A. (2018) On the Expanding Ludosphere. Simulation & Gaming, 49(3), 338–355.

Theme 2: Creation of games

Selected publications

Chia, A. (2019) The Moral Calculus of Vocational Passion in Digital Gaming. Television and New Media, 20(8), 767–777.
Harrer, S., Nielsen, S. & Jarnfelt, P. (2019) Of Mice and Pants: Queering the Conventional Gamer Mouse for Cooperative Play. CHI EA ’19: Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–11.
Heljakka, K. & Ihamäki, P. (2018) Designing an Urban Adventure Gamescape: Avoiding the Pitfalls in Creating Opportunities for Learning through Location-Based Games. Proceedings of Play2Learn 2018.
Karhulahti, V. & Grabarczyk, P. (in press) Split-Screen: Videogame History through Local Multiplayer Design. Design Issues.
Komulainen, L. & Sotamaa, O. (2020). IGDA Finland Hubs and Their Role in Local Game Development. AcademicMindtrek ’20: Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Academic Mindtrek. New York: ACM, 92–99.
Laiti, O., Harrer, S., Uusiautti, S. & Kultima, A (2020) Sustaining Intangible Heritage through Video Game Storytelling: The Case of the Sami Game Jam. International Journal of Heritage Studies, online first.
Lehtonen, M., Lu, C., Nummenmaa, T. & Peltonen, J. (2020) Adoption of Requirements Engineering Methods in Game Development: A Literature and Postmortem Analysis. In Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation: 8th EAI International Conference, ArtsIT 2019, and 4th EAI International Conference, DLI 2019, 436–457.
Leorke, D. (2019) Reappropriating, Reconfiguring and Augmenting the Smart City Through Play. In A. Nijholt (Ed.) Making Smart Cities More Playable: Exploring Playable Cities. Singapore: Springer, 51–70.
Lämsä, J., Hämäläinen, R., Äyrämö, S., Aro, M. & Koskimaa, R. (2018) Games for Enhancing Basic Reading and Maths Skills: A Systematic Review of Educational Game Design in Supporting Learning by People with Learning Disabilities. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(4), 596–607.
Meriläinen, M., Aurava, R., Kultima, A. & Stenros, J. (2020) Game Jams for Learning and Teaching: A Review. International Journal of Game-Based Learning ,10(2).
Mertala, P. & Meriläinen, M. (2019) The Best Game in the World: Exploring Young Children’s Digital Game-Related Meaning-Making via Design Activity. Global Studies of Childhood, 9(4), 275–289.
Nylund, N., Prax, P. & Sotamaa, O. (2020) Rethinking Game Heritage: Towards Reflexivity in Game Preservation. International Journal of Heritage Studies, online first.
Siitonen, M., Uotila, P., Uskali, T., Varsaluoma, J., & Välisalo, T. (2019) A Pilot Study on Developing Newsgames in Collaboration between Journalism and Computer Science Students. Nordicom Review, 40(2), 143–155.
Sotamaa, O., Jørgensen, K. & Sandqvist, U. (2020) Public Game Funding in the Nordic Region. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 26(5), 617–632.
Švelch, J. (2019) Mediatization of a Card Game: Magic: The Gathering, Esports, and Streaming. Media, Culture & Society, 42(6), 838–856.
Tyni, H. & Sotamaa, O. (2019) Game Retail and Crowdfunding. In D. Herbert & D. Johnson (Eds.) Point of Sale: Analyzing Media Retail. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 75–90.

Theme 3: Players of games

Selected publications

Alha K., Kinnunen J., Koskinen E. & Paavilainen J. (2018) Free-to-Play Games: Paying Players’ Perspective. Proceedings of the 22nd International Academic Mindtrek Conference: ACM, 49–58.
Apperley, T. & Gandolfi, E. (2019) Evaluating Gamer Achievements to Understand Player Behavior. In G.Wallner (Ed.) Data Analytics Applications in Gaming and Entertainment. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 15–31.
Arjoranta, J., & Siitonen, M. (2018) Why Do Players Misuse Emotes in Hearthstone? Negotiating the Use of Communicative Affordances in an Online Multiplayer Game. Game Studies, 18(2).
Hassan, L., Rantalainen, J., Xi, N., Pirkkalainen, H. & Hamari, J. (2020) The Relationship Between Player Types and Gamification Feature Preferences. Proceedings of the 4th International GamiFIN Conference (GamiFIN2020).
Innocent, T. & Leorke, D. (2019) Heightened Intensity: Reflecting on Player Experiences in Wayfinder Live. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 25(1), 18–39.
Koskinen, E., Alha, K., Leorke, D. & Paavilainen, J. (2019) Middle-aged Players’ Memorable Experiences with Pokémon GO. Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference.
Lu, C., Lu, X., Nummenmaa, T., Zhang, Z. & Peltonen, J. (2020) Patches and Player Community Perceptions: Analysis of No Man’s Sky Steam Reviews. Proceedings of DiGRA 2020.
Mäyrä, F. (2020) The Hybrid Agency of Hybrid Play. In A. de Souza e Silva & R. Glover-Rijkse (Eds.) Hybrid Play: Crossing Boundaries in Game Design, Player Identities and Play Spaces. London & New York: Routledge.
Ruotsalainen, M. & Friman, U. (2018) “There Are No Women and They All Play Mercy”: Understanding and Explaining (the Lack of) Women’s Presence in Esports and Competitive Gaming. Proceedings of the Nordic DiGRA 2018.
Stenros, J. & Sihvonen, T. (2019) Queer while Larping. Community, Identity, and Affective Labor in Nordic Live Action Role-Playing. Analog Game Studies, 6(4).
Torner, E. (2018) RPG Theorizing by Designers and Players. In J. P. Zagal & S. Deterding (Eds.) Role-playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations. New York: Routledge.
Vahlo, J., Smed, J. & Koponen, A. (2018) Validating Gameplay Activity Inventory (GAIN) for Modeling Player Profiles. User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction, 28, 425–453.
Vahlo, J. & Hamari, J. (2019) Five-Factor Inventory of Intrinsic Motivations to Gameplay (IMG). Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).
Välisalo, T. & Ruotsalainen, M. (2019) “I Never Gave Up” Engagement with Playable Characters and Esports Players of Overwatch. Proceedings of FDG ’19.
Wiik, E. (2019) “More Interaction, More Story, More Lore”: Motivations Related to Game-centric Transmedia. Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference.

Theme 4: Societal frames of games

Selected publications

Garda, M.B. (2019) Last But Not Least? ROMChip: A Journal of Game Histories, 1:1.
Hassan, L. & Hamari, J. (2020) Gameful Civic Engagement: A Review of the Literature on Gamification of E-Participation. Government Information Quarterly, 37:3.
Heljakka, K., Ihamäki, P., Tuomi, P. & Saarikoski, P. (2019) Gamified Coding: Toy Robots and Playful Learning in Early Education. Proceedings of the The 2019 International Conference on Computational Science & Computational Intelligence (CSCI 2019).
Korkeila, H. & Hamari, J. (2020) Avatar Capital: The Relationships Between Player Orientation and Their Avatar’s Social, Symbolic, Economic and Cultural Capital. Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 14–21.
Pasanen, T. & Suominen, J. (2018) Epäonnistunut yritys suomalaisen digitaalisen peliteollisuuden käynnistämiseksi: Amersoft 1984–1986. Lähikuva, 31:4, 27–47.
Reunanen, M. (2019) Trackerit: paradigman synty, kukoistus ja myöhemmät vaiheet. Musiikki, 49:2–3, 14–31.
Sihvonen, L. (2018) From a Board Game to a Drinking Game: One Biography of the Finnish Board Game Kimble. Well Played, 7:1, 127–142.
Suominen, J., Saarikoski, P. & Reunanen, M. (2018) Digitaalisen kilpapelaamisen esihistoriaa Suomessa 1980-luvulta 1990-luvun puoliväliin. In R. Koskimaa, J. Arjoranta, U. Friman, F. Mäyrä, O. Sotamaa & J. Suominen (Eds.) Pelitutkimuksen vuosikirja 2018. Tampere: Suomen pelitutkimuksen seura.
Suominen, J., Silvast, A. & Harviainen, J. T. (2018) Smelling Machine History: Olfactory Experiences of Information Technology. Technology & Culture, 59:2, 313–337.
Suominen, J., Sivula, A. & Garda, M. B. (2018) Incorporating Curator, Collector and Player Credibilities: Crowdfunding Campaign for the Finnish Museum of Games and the Creation of Game Heritage Community. Kinephanos, special issue, August 2018.
Xi, N., & Hamari, J. (2019) Does Gamification Satisfy Needs? A Study on the Relationship Between Gamified Interaction and Intrinsic Need Satisfaction. International Journal of Information Management, 46, 210–221.
Xi, N. & Hamari, J. (2019) The Relationship Between Gamification, Brand Engagement and Brand Equity. Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), 812–821.

Societal impact

During its first three years of operation, the CoE’s main areas of societal impact have been creating opportunities for inclusive game creation, exploring play in public spaces, examining (e)sports in relation to physical, mental, and social well-being, and promoting the recognition of demoscene as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Our impact stories (2018–2020):

Media presence

Our researchers are actively participating as academic experts of games and play in public discussions on various game cultural topics.

Selected media appearances (in Finnish):

Tero Kerttula: Mikä on hittipelien suosion salaisuus? Ylen aamu 8.12.2020.
Usva Friman & Mikko Meriläinen: Peliala haluaa eroon trollaamisesta, naisvihasta ja kiusaamisesta – myös riistosopimukset syynissä. Yle radio Kulttuuriykkönen 17.11.2020.
Kati Alha: Älypuhelinten ilmaispelit tuottavat miljardeja, pelitutkija kaipaa säätelyä: ”Peliraha voi hämärtää käsitystä siitä, mitä asiat todellisuudessa maksavat”. Seura 15.11.2020.
Maria Ruotsalainen & Usva Friman: ”Kiusaamisella näytetään, että sinä et kuulu tänne” – verkkopelaavat naiset veivät kiusaamisen oikeuteen ja aloittivat kilpapelaamisen #MeToon. Tivi 3.7.2020
Tero Kerttula: Miljoonat ihmiset villiintyivät pandemian keskellä pelistä, jossa nypitään rikkaruohoja reaaliajassa – Hittipelin lohdullisessa maailmassa on nähty myös mielenosoituksia. Aamulehti 29.5.2020
Maria Ruotsalainen & Tanja Välisalo: Overwatch kilpaurheiluna ja fanittamisen kohteena. Yle Podcast, Juuso Pekkinen, 25.5.2020
Mikko Meriläinen: Puheen peliviikon vieras pelikasvatuksen tutkija Mikko Meriläinen: Aikaraja ei ole kasvattamista. Yle Puheen Aamu 26.2.2020.
Frans Mäyrä: Pelaajat ovat nousseet poteroistaan kahviloihin, koska tietokonepelaaminen yhdessä on mukavampaa. Yle Uutiset 8.2.2020
Jonne Arjoranta: Luulitko että Pokémon Go on kuollut? Aikuiset ihmiset kiertävät kahden puhelimen kanssa pitkin kaupunkia ja pelifirma tahkoaa satumaisia voittoja. Helsingin Sanomat 5.2.2020
Mikko Meriläinen: Se, että pelaa paljon, ei ole välttämättä ongelma, sanoo tutkija ja toivoo kaikkien haastavan omat käsitykset pelaamisesta. Yle Uutiset 22.1.2020