@article{Karhulahti2022i,

title = {From Claw Crane to Toy Crane: Catching, Courting, and Gambling in South Korea},

author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Katriina Heljakka and Dongwon Jo},

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202212195750},

doi = {10.1353/ks.2018.0037},

issn = {1529-1529},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-12-30},

urldate = {2022-12-30},

journal = {Korean Studies},

issue = {Early release},

publisher = {University of Hawaii press},

abstract = {The claw crane—an arcade game that invites its players to remotely grab a prize with a “claw”—has undergone a long process of development from an eye-catching “steam shovel” to a calculated gambling machine across amusement arcades, train stations, and traveling carnivals. Recently, the claw crane has become a common transmedia object in various consumer outlets around the world, serving today’s “kidults” who are willing to play and be playful with toys as grownups. Especially in South Korea, the claw crane now rewards its players with cutified character plushies, which arguably reflects and resonates with the local sociocultural conventions. In this mixed-methods study, we deconstruct the claw crane as a historical artifact that promotes diverse forms of human interaction and engagement in the techno-cultural and social context of South Korea. The claw crane (or in South Korea, rather the “toy crane”) is investigated by means of historical design analysis, a review of contemporary South Korean media texts, and field observations in Seoul. We suggest the claw crane to serve as a multipurpose medium for playful interactions beyond the act of play itself—and in South Korea, having become a means for playful courting and emotional support, which at times of anxiety, stress, and uncertainty may contribute to one’s confidence and belief in the future.},

keywords = {Claw crane, Cuteness, Doll drawing, K-drama, Kidults, Kolikkopelit, Leikkiminen, Pehmolelut, Pelikulttuuri, Romantic play, Seurustelu, Transmedia culture},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Meriläinen2022f,

title = {Sanailua, suunsoittoa ja syrjintää: Nuorten kokemuksia pelikäytöksestä},

author = {Mikko Meriläinen and Maria Ruotsalainen},

url = {https://pelitutkimus.journal.fi/article/view/116988

http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202301051152},

issn = {1798-355X},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-12-19},

urldate = {2022-12-19},

journal = {Pelitutkimuksen vuosikirja},

pages = { 49–71},

publisher = {Suomen pelitutkimuksen seura},

abstract = {Artikkelissa tarkastellaan laadullisen kyselyaineiston (N=180) avulla suomenkielisten, 15–25-vuotiaiden nuorten kokemuksia pelikäytöksestä digitaalisten pelien parissa. Teema-analyysin avulla rakennetut teemat valottavat epäasiallisen pelikäytöksen syitä ja seurauksia, kilpailullisten pelien suunsoittokulttuuria, pelikulttuureissa esiintyvää rakenteellista syrjintää, sekä myönteistä pelikäytöstä. Pelikäytös näyttäytyy artikkelissa monipuolisena ja monimutkaisena kokonaisuutena, johon vaikuttavat niin yksilöiden ominaisuudet ja mieltymykset kuin pelikulttuurien ja yhteiskunnan rakenteet. Artikkelin lopussa esitetään ehdotuksia keinoista vähentää asiatonta pelikäytöstä.

 

This article explores the experiences of online gaming conduct of Finnish-speaking, 15–25-year-old digital gameplayers through qualitative questionnaire data (N=180). Themes constructed through thematic analysis shed light on the reasons and outcomes of hostile online behaviour, trash talk culture prevalent in competitive online games, structural discrimination in gaming cultures, and prosocial online gaming behaviour. Online gaming conduct is shown to be a complex whole impacted by both individual features and preferences and structures in society and game cultures. At the end of the article, suggestions are made for ways of reducing hostile and discriminating online conduct in gaming.},

keywords = {Nuoret, Pelikäytös, Syrjintä, Trash talk, Verkkopelaaminen},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Karhulahti2022e,

title = {Phenomenological Strands for Gaming Disorder and Esports Play: A Qualitative Registered Report},

author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Miia Siutila and Jukka Vahlo and Raine Koskimaa},

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202211015042},

doi = {10.1525/collabra.38819},

issn = {2474-7394},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-10-24},

urldate = {2022-10-24},

journal = {Collabra},

volume = {8},

issue = {1},

abstract = {The recent inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD-11 as a mental disorder has further increased the importance of researching the health spectrum related to gaming. A critical area in this regard is the lack of clarity concerning the differences between gaming disorder and intensive play, the latter of which often involves several gaming hours per day without related health problems. In this study, we approached the above question by interpretive phenomenological analysis with interviews in two groups of highly involved videogame players: those who seek or have sought clinical help for their problems with gaming (n=6), and those who play esports more than 4 hours per day without self-reported related health problems (n=10). The interviews were carried out by using a new Phenomenology of Play (POP) interview frame. These data were contextualized with interviews of medical experts (n=6) who have experience of working with the former group. The findings imply that experiences of disorder derive from gaming interfering with what one wants to be, do, and have throughout life, whereas the experiences of intensive esport play derive from gaming being integrated into self throughout life. To our knowledge, this was the first registered report using qualitative phenomenological methods—we encourage researchers to explore the utility of registered reports with other qualitative methods to further optimize scientific progress.},

keywords = {Addiction, Health, Phenomenology, Psychopathology, Video games},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Järvenpää2022,

title = {Interpretation, Negotiation, Play: A Multiple Case Study of Playful Reader Engagement with an Augmented Reality Picturebook},

author = {Hanna Järvenpää},

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202210114843},

doi = {10.14811/clr.v45.717},

issn = {0347-772X},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-10-06},

urldate = {2022-10-06},

journal = {Barnboken},

volume = {45},

abstract = {Augmented reality (AR) picturebooks combine printed children's literature with augmented reality. This study examines the shared reading of the Finnish AR picturebook Mur, eli karhu (2016) by Kaisa Happonen and Anne Vasko. The main aim of the study is to explore the playful reading experience of three Finnish families with children between the ages of 4 and 6. Three main categories of engagement with the book are discussed in the article: interpretation, negotiation, and play. The findings of the study suggest that children are skilled users of mobile digital media but may not understand the content of AR without parental mediation. In addition, parents and educators are required to have substantial pedagogical and aesthetic knowledge to successfully support children’s engagement with hybrid and multimodal literary works. This knowledge involves understanding both children’s literature and the digital medium.},

keywords = {Aesthetics and pedagogy, Augmented reality, Digital children’s literature, Picturebook apps, Playfulness, Shared reading},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Grasmo2022,

title = {Nordic Erotic Larp: Designing for Sexual Arousal},

author = {Hanne Grasmo and Jaakko Stenros},

url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202210107540},

issn = {2210-4909},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-10-05},

urldate = {2022-10-05},

journal = {International Journal of Role-Playing},

issue = {12},

pages = {62-105},

abstract = {Erotic larp is an emerging trend in the Nordic countries. Sexuality and socio-dramatic play have been combined in numerous ways in the past; what is new about this concentration of erotic embodied adult pretend play is that it is emerging from a culture of reflexive, critical, and bespoke design, as a tradition of art games. By studying 25 design abstracts of Nordic art larps from the last decade, this article seeks not only to map, classify, organize, and understand the phenomena of erotic larp design, but to discuss how norms of sexuality are reflected in the Nordic larp community through looking at how sexuality is thematised, described, signalled, and designed. The analysis in this article is rooted in game studies and informed by sexuality studies. In the design abstracts, we uncover how sexuality is thematised by the designers and signalled to the players, as well as how larp rules, mechanics, and expectations are designed for erotic role-play interactions. The article shows that a Nordic tradition of larps with design for erotic and sexual play has emerged during the 201 Os, how new larp mechanics scaffold erotic role-play in ways that give room for sexual arousal through layered alibis, and that these form of larps are inclusive of people of marginalised genders and sexualities, as well as of sexual kinks. The discussion also addresses the tension between liberation and oppression of sexuality in erotic larp design, as well as tensions around player agency and compelling game mechanics.},

keywords = {Alibi, Design, Design abstract, Larp, Make-believe, Marketing, Nordic larp, Oppression, Queer games, Role-play, Sex in games, Sexual arousal},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Nygren2022,

title = {Offsetting Game—Framing Environmental Issues in the Design of a Serious Game},

author = {Nina V. Nygren and Ville Kankainen and Lucas Brunet},

url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202210047407},

doi = {10.1177/10468781221126786},

issn = {1046-8781},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-28},

urldate = {2022-09-28},

journal = {Simulation & Gaming},

volume = {53},

issue = {6},

pages = {579-675},

abstract = {Background



Biodiversity crisis requires researchers to reflect on tools and strategies to engage with different stakeholders. We propose that serious games can be designed to introduce stakeholders to a novel environmental policy tool and to communicate research on environmental issues. Our case is biodiversity offsetting (BDO), a novel policy tool aiming to reconcile nature conservation with other land uses. As any media, games offer certain framings of the issues they communicate about—some aspects are made more salient than others. However, frame analysis has not been widely used to analyze the design choices or the messages communicated by games. We analyze how these framings are designed into a game communicating about environmental issues.



Aim



To intervene in the emerging public discussion on BDO in Finland, we designed a land use board game and during the design process, played it with public and private stakeholders who would soon encounter and implement biodiversity offsetting policies in Finland. The aim of this article is to describe how our framings of BDO affected the design process and how those framings interacted with the design decisions we made. With our analysis, we want to contribute to the understanding of how framings and design choices interact in game design and how paying attention to framings is especially important for the design of SGs.



Method



We analyze how our framings of biodiversity offsetting and our design choices interact in game design. Our understanding of biodiversity offsetting guided our game design, but the design choices also contribute to the framing of the issue itself.



Results



Game design choices strongly frame the topic of the game and thus influence the function of a serious game. Thus, the framings of the topic should be considered carefully during the game design process, especially in the context of serious games.},

keywords = {Biodiversity offsetting, Conservation conflicts, Frame analysis, Game design, Nature conservation, Serious games, Simulation games, Stakeholders},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Suominen2022b,

title = {Pokémon Go (2016) -pelin suosion nostalgiaselittäminen},

author = {Jaakko Suominen},

url = {http://widerscreen.fi/numerot/2022-1-2/pokemon-go-2016-pelin-suosion-nostalgiaselittaminen/},

issn = {1795-6161},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-15},

urldate = {2022-09-15},

journal = {Widerscreen},

volume = {25},

issue = {1-2},

abstract = {Nostalgialla tarkoitetaan katkeransuloista tunnetta, joka ilmenee kaipuuna johonkin aiemmin olleeseen tai aiemmin koettuun asiaan tai tilanteeseen. Tässä artikkelissa käsittelen, miten lisätyn todellisuuden pelin Pokémon Go:n suosiota selitettiin nostalgian avulla julkisuudessa pelin tultua markkinoille heinäkuussa 2016. Sovellan aiemmin tehtyjä nostalgian luokitteluja ja esittelen nostalgialla selittämisen jaottelun, joka sisältää yksinkertaisen ja tulkitsevan nostalgiaselityksen mediakulttuurin kontekstissa. Nostalgialla selittäminen näkyy erityisesti populaarimediassa mutta myös mediatuotteiden suosiota ja käyttöä koskevissa asiantuntijapuheenvuoroissa sekä tutkimuksessa. Tässä teemanumeron artikkelissa tarkastelen nostalgialla selittämistä keinona, jolla institutionaaliset toimijat, kuten tiedotusvälineiden edustajat ja tutkijat kesyttävät tai kotoistavat uusia kulttuurituotteita vuorovaikutuksessa käyttäjien kanssa osaksi vakiintuneita toiminnan muotoja. Artikkelin lähteinä toimivat Pokémon- ja nostalgiatutkimuksen lisäksi vuonna 2016 julkaistut Pokémon Go:ta käsittelevät uutiset.},

keywords = {Domestikaatio, Lisätty todellisuus, Mobiilipelit, Nostalgia, Pokémon Go},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Suominen2022,

title = {Uutuudesta yhteiskunnan osaksi: Instituutionäkökulma pelialan kulttuuriseen omaksumiseen 1990-luvulta 2010-luvulle},

author = {Jaakko Suominen and Antti Silvast and Tero Pasanen and Markku Reunanen},

url = {http://widerscreen.fi/numerot/2022-1-2/uutuudesta-yhteiskunnan-osaksi-instituutionakokulma-pelialan-kulttuuriseen-omaksumiseen-1990-luvulta-2010-luvulle/},

issn = {1795-6161},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-15},

urldate = {2022-09-15},

journal = {Widerscreen},

volume = {25},

issue = {1-2},

abstract = {Digitaalisen pelaamisen arkipäiväistyminen on tuonut pelit julkiseen keskusteluun viimeistään 1990-luvulta lähtien. Artikkelissa tutkitaan digitaalisen pelialan omaksumista Suomessa instituutioiden synnyn ja muodonmuutosten kautta. Artikkeli käsittelee muodonmuutoksia neljällä keskeisellä, mutta toisistaan eroavalla alueella: koulutusjärjestelmissä, pelialan julkisessa rahoituksessa, elektronisessa urheilussa ja kulttuuriperinnön säilyttämiseen tähtäävissä muistiorganisaatioissa. Artikkeli soveltaa Mikael Hårdin ja Andrew Jamisonin käsitteellistä mallia tieteen ja teknologian kulttuurisesta omaksumisesta ja rakentaa kulttuuri- ja yhteiskuntatieteellistä ymmärrystä omaksumiseen liittyvistä institutionalisoitumisen prosesseista. Artikkelin aineistoina on käytetty pelialan institutionalisoitumisesta kertovia julkisia uutisia, asiakirjoja ja raportteja, joista on koottu ja analysoitu temaattisesti erilaisia institutionalisoitumisen ilmenemismuotoja. Keskeisimpiä löydöksiämme ovat harrastajakentän ja julkisten toimijoiden välinen kiinteä vuorovaikutus sekä olemassa olevien instituutioiden sopeutuminen digitaalisten pelien mukanaan tuomiin uusiin haasteisiin.



As digital games have become commonplace, they have also become part of public discourse starting from the 1990s the latest. In this article, we discuss the appropriation of digital games from the perspective of institutions: how they came to be and evolved over time. We study the subject through four interrelated yet distinct lenses: education, public funding, electronic sports and memory institutions. We apply Mikael Hård’s and Andrew Jamison’s model of cultural appropriation of technology and science with the intent of broadening the cultural and sociological understanding on how novelties become institutionalized. The study is based on public news, documents and reports dealing with game-related organizations, which have been thematically analyzed to reveal different forms of institutionalization. Two of our most important findings concern the tight interaction between hobbyist and official efforts, and how existing institutions have reacted to meet the needs of digital games.},

keywords = {Digitaaliset pelit, Digital games, Institutions, Instituutiot, Mediasosiologia, Omaksuminen, Tieteen- ja teknologiantutkimus},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Suominen2022c,

title = {Lapuanpeli (1930) osallistavana ajankohtaismediana ja mediahistoriallisena lähteenä},

author = {Jaakko Suominen and Tero Pasanen and Karoliina Koskinen},

url = {https://agricolaverkko.fi/tietosanomat/historiallinen-aikakauskirja-3-2022-ilmestynyt/},

issn = {2489-6969},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-14},

urldate = {2022-09-14},

journal = {Historiallinen Aikakauskirja},

volume = {120},

number = {3},

abstract = {Artikkelissa tutkitaan F. Tilgmann -yhtiön Kuvataide-osaston julkaisemaa Lapuanpeli-lautapeliä (1930), jonka aiheena oli Lapuanliikkeen talonpoikaismarssi. Lautapeleissä oli aiemminkin käsitelty ajankohtaistapahtumia, erityisesti sotia, mutta poliittinen mielenilmaus oli pelien aiheena poikkeuksellinen. Monica Ehrströmin kuvittama peli ei kuvannut talonpoikaismarssia täysin dokumentaarisesti vaan yhdisteli marssin tapahtumia vapaasti, korosti ja liioitteli sekä käytti myös kiertoilmaisuja patrioottisen, mutta samalla kuvitteellisen lopputuloksen aikaansaamiseksi.},

keywords = {Ajankohtaismedia, Board games, Lapua game, Lapuanpeli, Lautapelit, Mediahistoria},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Karhulahti2022b,

title = {Reasons for Qualitative Psychologists to Share Human Data},

author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti},

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202209124552},

doi = {10.1111/bjso.12573},

issn = {0144-6665},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-06},

urldate = {2022-09-06},

journal = {British Journal of Social Psychology},

abstract = {Qualitative data sharing practices in psychology have not developed as rapidly as those in parallel quantitative domains. This is often explained by numerous epistemological, ethical and pragmatic issues concerning qualitative data types. In this article, I provide an alternative to the frequently expressed, often reasonable, concerns regarding the sharing of qualitative human data by highlighting three advantages of qualitative data sharing. I argue that sharing qualitative human data is not by default ‘less ethical’, ‘riskier’ and ‘impractical’ compared with quantitative data sharing, but in some cases more ethical, less risky and easier to manage for sharing because (1) informed consent can be discussed, negotiated and validated; (2) the shared data can be curated by special means; and (3) the privacy risks are mainly local instead of global. I hope this alternative perspective further encourages qualitative psychologists to share their data when it is epistemologically, ethically and pragmatically possible.},

keywords = {Ethics, Human data, Open science, Qualitative Methods},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Karhulahti2022c,

title = {Ontological Diversity in Gaming Disorder Measurement: A Nationally Representative Registered Report},

author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Jukka Vahlo and Marcel Martončikc and Matti Munukka and Raine Koskimaa and Mikaela von Bonsdorff},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2022.2115033},

doi = {10.1080/16066359.2022.2115033},

issn = {1606-6359},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-05},

urldate = {2022-09-05},

journal = {Addiction Research & Theory},

abstract = {Gaming-related health problems have been researched since the 1980s with numerous different ontol-ogies as reference systems, from self-assessed‘game addiction’to‘pathological gambling’(in theDiagnostic  and  Statistical  Manual  of  Mental  Disorders[DSM]-IV),‘internet gaming disorder’(in the thirdsection of the DSM-5) and most recently‘gaming disorder’(in theInternational Classification of Diseases[ICD]-11). Our goal was to investigate how screening instruments that derive from different ontologiesdiffer in identifying associated problem groups. By using four central screening instruments, each rep-resenting a different ontological basis, we hypothesized differences and similarities inprevalence,over-lap, andhealth. A nationally representative (N¼8217) sample of Finnish participants was collected. Thescreening instruments produced significantly different prevalence rates (from 0.4% to 6.9%) and thebinomial probabilities of group overlap ranged from poor (0.419) to good (0.919). Expectedly, the prob-lem groups had lower mental health than the general population, yet exploratory analyses impliedequivalent or significantlyhigherphysical health. We also found strong exploratory evidence for mis-chievous responding to complicate the measurement of gaming problems. Considering that severalmajor differences were confirmed between the four gaming problem constructs, we recommendresearchers to clearly define theirconstruct  of  interest, i.e. whether they are studying the ICD-11 basedofficial mental disorder, the DSM-5 proposed‘internet gaming disorder’, or other gaming problems—especially in future meta-analyses.},

keywords = {Behavioral addiction, Games, Open science, Philosophy, Prevalence, Technology use},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Välisalo2022b,

title = {“Sexuality Does Not Belong to the Game”: Discourses in Overwatch Community and the Privilege of Belonging},

author = {Tanja Välisalo and Maria Ruotsalainen},

url = {http://gamestudies.org/2203/articles/valisalo_ruotsalainen},

issn = {1604-7982},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-08-31},

urldate = {2022-08-31},

journal = {Game Studies: the international journal of computer game research},

volume = {22},

issue = {3},

abstract = {Players can experience a sense of belonging to videogames and the transmedial worlds surrounding them. There nevertheless exist ongoing negotiations over who has the right to belong to these spaces. Multiple works addressing related issues have highlighted that white heterosexual men still maintain the position of power in the majority of game communities (e.g., Consalvo, 2012; Paul, 2018). This position can translate into an ease of belonging while others can find themselves struggling for the right to belong.



We examine the transmedial world of Overwatch, an online game, as a place of belonging and non-belonging. Since the game’s launch, two characters have been revealed as queer. In contrast, a third character is considered a gay icon by fans, even though there is no official narrative supporting this. We analyze discussions around these cases using rhetoric-performative discourse analysis (Palonen & Saresma, 2017), an approach originally developed for research of political populism. In addition to similar affective and persuasive rhetoric in both contexts, politics have become an inherent part of online and fan communities (Dean, 2017), making this approach even more apt.



Our analysis makes visible how belonging and non-belonging are constructed in Overwatch communities in relation to gender, sexuality, their intersections and also to identities such as “player” and “fan.” We take into account ongoing design choices in the game’s development and analyze how the complex structures of production and reception interact with these discourses. Discussions analyzed here expand beyond Overwatch, touching upon highly politicized issues of gender and sexuality in games, the right to be represented and the current political climate in Western countries, and reenact divisions present more broadly in media discussions. Our findings also show how characters function as a nexus for these political debates and as limits and horizons for belonging.},

keywords = {Belonging, Discourse analysis, Homosexuality, MMO, Overwatch, Representation},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Arjoranta2022,

title = {How are Games Interpreted? Hermeneutics for Game Studies},

author = {Jonne Arjoranta},

url = {http://gamestudies.org/2203/articles/arjoranta_how_are_games_interpreted},

issn = {1604-7982},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-08-31},

urldate = {2022-08-31},

journal = {Game Studies: the international journal of computer game research},

volume = {22},

issue = {3},

abstract = {This paper presents a hermeneutic theory for game studies. It starts by giving an overview of hermeneutics, shows how in understanding games it is useful to divide hermeneutics into two aspects -- real-time hermeneutics and game hermeneutics -- and finishes by detailing complementary approaches to hermeneutics for games. The article builds upon earlier work in the hermeneutics of games and draws from philosophical hermeneutics.},

keywords = {Game hermeneutics, Hermeneutics, Ludo-hermeneutics, philosophical hermeneutics, Real-time hermeneutics},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Karhulahti2022,

title = {Eight Hypotheses on Technology Use and Psychosocial Wellbeing: A Bicultural Phenomenological Study of Gaming during the COVID-19 Pandemic},

author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Henri Nerg and Tanja Laitinen and Antti Päivinen and Yingrong Chen},

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202208254339},

doi = {10.1007/s12144-022-03586-x},

issn = {1046-1310},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-08-22},

urldate = {2022-08-22},

journal = {Current Psychology},

abstract = {In this nonconfirmatory qualitative study, we pursued a range of hypotheses regarding how gaming operates in the lives and psychosocial wellbeing of those who actively play videogames during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Informed by an explorative survey (N = 793), interpretive phenomenological analysis was applied to interview data from actively gaming Chinese (n = 10) and Finnish (n = 10) participants. Our findings demonstrate how the general increase of pandemic-time gaming did not manifest in all player groups, but in some life contexts gaming activity rather decreased along with reformations in subjective meaning hierarchies and values. Ultimately, eight subordinate themes were refined into testable hypotheses. The study encourages policies that promote socially supportive gaming during pandemic-like situations to consider including personally meaningful solitary play in their recommendations and highlighting context-specificity over generalization. Finally, as almost all our data points echoing experiences of decreasing gaming activity came from China, we stress the importance of culturally diverse samples in the psychological study of global phenomena.},

keywords = {COVID-19, Gaming, Qualitative Methods, Technology use, Wellbeing},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Blom2022c,

title = {Attachment, Possession or Personalization?: Why the Character Trade in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Exploded},

author = {Joleen Blom},

url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202208106341},

doi = {10.34382/00017634},

issn = {2433-8060},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-07-31},

urldate = {2022-07-31},

journal = {Replaying Japan},

volume = {4},

pages = {23-34},

abstract = {A month after the release of the video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo 2020), virtual player markets arose where players could exchange characters and other goods, but this simultaneously led to players scamming each other during those trades. A year later Nintendo announced the Amiibo Sanrio Collaboration Pack, a set of character cards to be used in New Horizons, which a minute after its release was completely sold out so that consumers could only obtain the cards at private online vendors, another market economy, for a much higher price. This article is occupied with the question of why players are so willing to go through such great lengths to obtain virtual characters they desire, even risking being deceived? What do these characters mean to them? The article argues that the affective relationships between players and virtual characters cannot be understood independently from the marketing practices of a video game. It shows how the Animal Crossing ludo mix strategy’s uneven distribution of characters in- and outside of New Horizons is the underlying reason for fraudulent player practices to occur. It explains how Animal Crossing uses a blend of monetization approaches resembling the current game monetization trend of free-to-play games with random in-game purchases that use characters as fuel. Finally, it will argue that Nintendo needs to foster a community infrastructure that facilitates a safe exchange of the villagers and other items but due to its neglect to do so, it is actually the player market economies instead that are fostering such responsible gameplay.},

keywords = {Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Character trade, Characters, Nintendo, Video games},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Siutila2022,

title = {”Mammat menee kahville, me koneelle”: Kilpapelaaminen poikien elämässä},

author = {Miia Siutila and Tapani Joelsson and Veli-Matti Karhulahti},

url = {https://journal.fi/nuorisotutkimus/article/view/120329},

issn = {0780-0886},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-06-23},

urldate = {2022-06-23},

journal = {Nuorisotutkimus},

volume = {40},

number = {2},

pages = {41-60},

abstract = {Tämä artikkeli käsittelee e-urheilua osana aktiivisesti pelaavien turkulaisten poikien elämää. Laadullisen haastatteluaineiston (N=14) kautta artikkeli avaa nuorten näkemyksiä e-urheilun asemasta sekä henkilökohtaisena että yhteiskunnallisena toimintana. Tutkimus viittaa siihen, että e-urheilun rooli aktiivisesti yhdessä pelaavien poikien arjessa toimii perinteisten urheilulajien tavoin tavoitteellisena kilpailuna kuin myös vähemmän tavoitteellisena sosiaalisena ajanvietteenä. Kyseiselle joukolle e-urheilu on harrastus, jota myös perhe, ystävät ja yhteiskunta yhä useammin tukevat. Ohjattu e-urheilutoiminta sekä siihen liittyvät sosiaaliset infrastruktuurit todennäköisesti edesauttavat terveen videopeliharrastuneisuuden

kehitystä.},

note = {Embargoed until: 2023-07-01. Request copy from author.},

keywords = {Asenteet, Boys, E-urheilu, Education, Elektroninen urheilu, Esports, Harrastukset, Kasvatus, Kilpaurheilu, Nuoret, Pelaaminen, Pojat, Upbringing, Verkkopelit, Videopelit, Youth},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Ng2022,

title = {Associations Between Sports Videogames and Physical Activity in Children},

author = {Kwok Ng and Ari-Pekka Kaskinen and Rauli Katila and Pasi Koski and Veli-Matti Karhulahti },

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202208124051},

doi = {10.2478/pcssr-2022-0012},

issn = {2081-2221},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-05-30},

urldate = {2022-05-30},

journal = {Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research},

volume = {95},

issue = {1},

pages = {68-75},

abstract = {Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the associations of sports video gaming behaviour in the sociological concept of Physical Activity Relationships (PAR) and to see if sports video gaming differs by gender. Methods: A convenience sample of children between 11–12 years of age (n = 114) from three Finnish regions completed a questionnaire on perceptions of their video gaming and physical activity habits. Differences by gender were tested by contingency tables, and blockwise binary logistic regressions were used to examine the strength of association with physical activity behaviour in PAR. Results: Almost all girls had low importance to video gaming and over two thirds (71%) reported their frequency in sports video gaming was less than monthly. Sports video gaming was positively associated with physical activity behaviours (OR = 3.4, CI = 1.3–9.0), but when combined with perceived physical activity importance and spectating in sports, the association was no longer statistically significant. There were no differences in gender for non-sports video gaming. Conclusions: For children who partake in sports video games, the activity can be an integral part of their overall PAR. These preliminary results require further exploring prior to drawing societal implications or sports video games or applying them for intervention to promote physical activity.},

keywords = {Adolescence, Health behaviour, Physical activity relationships, Screen time, Sedentary},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Blom2022b,

title = {Virtual Assistants as Characters—Or Not},

author = {Joleen Blom and Kai Mikkonen},

url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10138/345328},

doi = {10.1353/nar.2022.0009},

issn = {1063-3685},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-05-25},

urldate = {2022-05-25},

journal = {Narrative},

volume = {30},

number = {2},

pages = {169-181},

abstract = {New technologies like voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and the Google Assistant give the impression that the lines between humans and machines are blurring as machines gradually take up social roles once occupied by humans. To counter that anxiety, this essay argues that these technologies are becoming more like characters, adapting to the templates we initially constructed for fictional beings whose space voice assistants occupy instead. It provides a textual reading of the Japanese voice assistant Hikari Azuma as advertised by the company Vinclu’s website in order to demonstrate how Hikari functions as a kyara, a character without story, whose development depends on the user. The essay proposes that we have to adjust

our conceptual understanding of characters as distinct from human beings and technology. Instead, the essay concludes that we should perceive current technologies like voice assistants as technologies operating on a spectrum in which some machines will look more like characters and others more like software-in-action with no humanlikeness at all.},

keywords = {Characters, Hikari Azuma, Kyara, Quasi-persons, Voice assistants},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Aarseth2022,

title = {In Search of Characters Without Signifiers},

author = {Espen Aarseth and Veli-Matti Karhulahti},

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202206163427},

doi = {10.1353/nar.2022.0016},

issn = {1063-3685},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-05-25},

urldate = {2022-05-25},

journal = {Narrative},

volume = {30},

number = {2},

pages = {268-285 },

abstract = {This essay explores the question whether characters can exist without being signified in any way. If characters can exist trans-medially, independently of a particular form of signification or sign-vehicle, why not exist without any signification at all? What kind of existence would such a character have? And, paradoxically, what would examples look like? While the question at face value might appear logically invalid, I argue that at (or just beyond) the minimalist end of the character-representational spectrum, we find what might be called implied characters, that is, characters that are not in any way given, represented, named, or performed, but can only exist in the minds of their players during play, as a formal slot without physical, structural, communicational, or mental properties.},

keywords = {Characters, Game characters, Implied characters, Minimalist characters},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Lankoski2022,

title = {Platform-produced Heteronormativity: A Content Analysis of Adult Videogames on Patreon},

author = {Petri Lankoski and Thomas H. Apperley and J. Tuomas Harviainen},

url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202205024229},

doi = {10.1177/15554120221084453},

issn = {1555-4120},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-04-21},

urldate = {2022-04-21},

journal = {Games and Culture},

volume = {18},

issue = {1},

pages = {102-123},

abstract = {This article examines the prominent role of Patreon in the rapidly growing sector of crowdfunded pornographic games. Recent research has indicated that, on average, more people (patrons) are funding pornographic digital games on Patreon than other (non-adult) digital games (Lankoski & Dymek, 2020). Graphtreon’s ‘Top Patreon Creators’ list from 9 June 2021 includes six NSFW game projects among the top 50 projects (ranked by number of Patrons).1 For example, Summertime Saga (Dark Cookie), the highest-ranked pornographic game, is third in terms of the number of funders, with 27,791 patrons funding $74,657 per month. While Wild Life – An Adult RPG (Adeptus Steve), which reportedly only had 9417 patrons as of 9 June 2021, receives a monthly income of $94,129 from those pledges.2 The current funding levels for both Patreon projects are considerably higher than when we began our sampling: since January 2020, the funding level for Summertime Saga has risen by 27.86%, while for Wild Life – An Adult RPG it has risen by 21.45%.},

note = {First published online April-21-2022. Upcoming publication January 2023.},

keywords = {Adult games, Content analysis, Heteronormativity, Non-consensual sex, Patreon funding, Pornography},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Macey2022c,

title = {How Can the Potential Harms of Loot Boxes Be Minimised?: Proposals for Understanding and Addressing Issues at a National Level},

author = {Joseph Macey and Mikko Cantell and Tommi Tossavainen and Antti Karjala and Sari Castrén},

url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022081154134},

doi = {10.1556/2006.2022.00016},

issn = {2062-5871},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-04-20},

urldate = {2022-04-20},

journal = {Journal of Behavioral Addictions},

volume = {11},

issue = {2},

pages = {256–66},

abstract = {Background and aims



Loot boxes are in-game items which distribute rewards to players via random-number generation; many games require players to make in-game payments to access their contents. The combination of financial outlay and random rewards has raised concern about similarities to gambling. This debate paper presents a series of themes identified by an inter-institutional working group in Finland, alongside suggested actions, and are presented with the intention of stimulating debate among stakeholders.



Methods



This work uses an exploratory research approach to gather data from a range of sources, including state-of-the-art reports from several fields and qualitative content analysis of invited presentations from a range of stakeholders, including affected individuals, practitioners, and field-specific experts.



Results and Discussion



Several significant themes emerged from the work and are presented alongside a series of proposed action points. Based on this preliminary exploration we propose a series of, non-exhaustive, actions for both primary and secondary prevention. Furthermore, the group identified the potential for responsible gaming practices to be adopted which would help to minimize the harm from overspending in gaming activities. Finally, we identified the need for further research in the field, for example the use of player data and both longitudinal and qualitative studies.



Conclusions



The emergent themes are discussed in relation to both the views of the presenters and existing research in the field and are intended to promote discussion concerning the viability of context-specific approaches to an issue of global reach and significance.},

keywords = {Convergence of gambling and gaming, Gambling, Harm minimisation, Loot boxes, Regulation, Video gaming},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Karhulahti2022d,

title = {Multiverse Ethnography: A Qualitative Method for Gaming and Technology Use Research},

author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Valtteri Kauraoja and Olli Ouninkorpi and Soli Perttu and Jussi Perälä and Vilma Toivanen and Miia Siutila},

url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202210244959},

doi = {10.1386/jgvw_00053_1},

issn = {1757-191X},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-04-01},

urldate = {2022-04-01},

journal = {Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds},

volume = {14},

issue = {1},

pages = {85-110},

abstract = {This article introduces multiverse ethnography as a systematic team-based qualitative method for studying the mechanical, structural and experiential properties of video games and other technological artefacts. Instead of applying the ethnographic method to produce a single in-depth account, multiverse ethnography includes multiple researchers carrying out coordinated synergetic ethnographic work on the same research object, thus producing a multiverse of interpretations and perspectives. To test the method, 41 scholars carried out a multiverse ethnography on two video games, Cyberpunk 2077 and Among Us. Explorative thematic findings regarding both titles are reported and methodological implications of multiverse ethnography are discussed.},

note = {Embargoed until: 2023-04-01. Request copy from author.},

keywords = {Among Us, Anthropology, Big-team science, Cyberpunk 2077, Digital culture, Methodology, Qualitative research},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}