2020
Tyni, Heikki
Games Crowdfunding as a Form of Platformised Cultural Production
2020, ISBN: 978-952-03-1756-0.
Doctoral thesis Open access
Abstract | Links | Tags: Crowdfunding, Game industry, Game production studies, Platformisation, Production logics
@phdthesis{Tyni2020,
title = {Games Crowdfunding as a Form of Platformised Cultural Production},
author = {Heikki Tyni},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-1757-7
},
isbn = {978-952-03-1756-0},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-13},
abstract = {The recent decade has seen an increasing number of ‘game production studies’, with critical examinations on industry structures, production models and labour issues. This study critically examines an emerging area of independent production of digital games, games crowdfunding. Asking funding directly from ‘backer’ audiences, game developers have been able to sidestep the publishers of the traditional game industry. However, crowdfunding has had a myriad of repercussions for everyday game work, production networks, and how games are received and sold, amongst other things.
Through a mixed-methods approach combining elements from game studies, critical political economy and cultural studies, this dissertation conceptualises games crowdfunding as a production logic that affects every area of game production. In getting rid of the traditional publisher, developers need to acquire a lot of new competencies and shoulder a lot of work previously handled by the publishers. Backers are found to possess several other roles beyond just funding and hold a wide variety of participation motivations beyond just acquiring the crowdfunded game. As projects have become more professional, many backers treat crowdfunding as a form of pre-ordering.
In the discussion, games crowdfunding is contextualised as a form ’platformisation of cultural production’, with game development and economics revolving around a central platform and intermediaries connected to it. The production model is revealed as a site of tension between alternative production opportunities, precarious game work, commercialisation and emerging user opportunities. Further studies are needed to understand the full gamut of games crowdfunding, including small campaigns.
},
keywords = {Crowdfunding, Game industry, Game production studies, Platformisation, Production logics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
The recent decade has seen an increasing number of ‘game production studies’, with critical examinations on industry structures, production models and labour issues. This study critically examines an emerging area of independent production of digital games, games crowdfunding. Asking funding directly from ‘backer’ audiences, game developers have been able to sidestep the publishers of the traditional game industry. However, crowdfunding has had a myriad of repercussions for everyday game work, production networks, and how games are received and sold, amongst other things.
Through a mixed-methods approach combining elements from game studies, critical political economy and cultural studies, this dissertation conceptualises games crowdfunding as a production logic that affects every area of game production. In getting rid of the traditional publisher, developers need to acquire a lot of new competencies and shoulder a lot of work previously handled by the publishers. Backers are found to possess several other roles beyond just funding and hold a wide variety of participation motivations beyond just acquiring the crowdfunded game. As projects have become more professional, many backers treat crowdfunding as a form of pre-ordering.
In the discussion, games crowdfunding is contextualised as a form ’platformisation of cultural production’, with game development and economics revolving around a central platform and intermediaries connected to it. The production model is revealed as a site of tension between alternative production opportunities, precarious game work, commercialisation and emerging user opportunities. Further studies are needed to understand the full gamut of games crowdfunding, including small campaigns.
Through a mixed-methods approach combining elements from game studies, critical political economy and cultural studies, this dissertation conceptualises games crowdfunding as a production logic that affects every area of game production. In getting rid of the traditional publisher, developers need to acquire a lot of new competencies and shoulder a lot of work previously handled by the publishers. Backers are found to possess several other roles beyond just funding and hold a wide variety of participation motivations beyond just acquiring the crowdfunded game. As projects have become more professional, many backers treat crowdfunding as a form of pre-ordering.
In the discussion, games crowdfunding is contextualised as a form ’platformisation of cultural production’, with game development and economics revolving around a central platform and intermediaries connected to it. The production model is revealed as a site of tension between alternative production opportunities, precarious game work, commercialisation and emerging user opportunities. Further studies are needed to understand the full gamut of games crowdfunding, including small campaigns.
2019
Tyni, Heikki; Sotamaa, Olli
Game Retail and Crowdfunding
In: Herbert, Daniel; Johnson, Derek (Ed.): Point of Sale: Analyzing Media Retail, pp. 75-90, Rutgers University Press, 2019, ISBN: 978-0813595528.
Book chapter
Tags: Consumption, Crowdfunding, Fan practices, Game culture, Game retail
@incollection{Tyni2019,
title = {Game Retail and Crowdfunding},
author = {Heikki Tyni and Olli Sotamaa},
editor = {Daniel Herbert and Derek Johnson
},
isbn = {978-0813595528},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-12-13},
booktitle = {Point of Sale: Analyzing Media Retail},
pages = {75-90},
publisher = {Rutgers University Press},
keywords = {Consumption, Crowdfunding, Fan practices, Game culture, Game retail},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
2018
Tyni, Heikki
Spectating Development and Other Backer Perspectives on Games Crowdfunding
In: DiGRA Nordic '18: Proceedings of 2018 International DiGRA Nordic Conference, 2018.
In proceedings Open access
Abstract | Links | Tags: Backer survey, Crowdfunding, Game production, Game production studies
@inproceedings{Tyni2018,
title = {Spectating Development and Other Backer Perspectives on Games Crowdfunding},
author = {Heikki Tyni},
url = {http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/spectating-development-and-other-backer-perspectives-on-games-crowdfunding},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-11-01},
urldate = {2018-11-01},
booktitle = {DiGRA Nordic '18: Proceedings of 2018 International DiGRA Nordic Conference},
abstract = {During the last decade, crowdfunding has become a significant new means to fund creative productions. Rather than being simply about acquiring the funded product or service, a closer look at crowdfunding reveals that backers attach many kinds of meanings and motivations to it. This article describes an exploratory study on backer motivations to participate in games crowdfunding. Utilizing two sets of data from an online survey, a quantitative section (N=426) and a qualitative section with open answers, it is found out that, among others, backers enjoy spectating game development, linking crowdfunding participation to new forms of consumption in the evolving media culture.},
keywords = {Backer survey, Crowdfunding, Game production, Game production studies},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
During the last decade, crowdfunding has become a significant new means to fund creative productions. Rather than being simply about acquiring the funded product or service, a closer look at crowdfunding reveals that backers attach many kinds of meanings and motivations to it. This article describes an exploratory study on backer motivations to participate in games crowdfunding. Utilizing two sets of data from an online survey, a quantitative section (N=426) and a qualitative section with open answers, it is found out that, among others, backers enjoy spectating game development, linking crowdfunding participation to new forms of consumption in the evolving media culture.
Suominen, Jaakko; Sivula, Anna; Garda, Maria B.
In: Kinephanos, vol. August 2018, pp. 174–196, 2018, ISSN: 1916-985X.
Journal article Open access
Abstract | Links | Tags: Authorization of heritage, Crowdfunding, Emergent heritage, Game history, Heritage community, Museum
@article{Suominen2018c,
title = {Incorporating Curator, Collector and Player Credibilities: Crowdfunding Campaign for the Finnish Museum of Games and the Creation of Game Heritage Community},
author = {Jaakko Suominen and Anna Sivula and Maria B. Garda},
url = {https://www.kinephanos.ca/2018/incorporating-curator-collector-and-player-credibilities-crowdfunding-campaign-for-the-finnish-museum-of-games-and-the-creation-of-game-heritage-community},
issn = {1916-985X},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-08-01},
urldate = {2018-08-01},
journal = {Kinephanos},
volume = {August 2018},
pages = {174–196},
abstract = {The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence and authorization of game cultures heritage in relation to the process of establishing a game museum. The paper follows a crowdfunding campaign for the Finnish Museum of Games (FMG) and analyzes the Facebook and website communication of the campaign: how the online communication constructs and reflects heritage community of digital gaming in Finland and what the role of different credible know-hows is in the construction? We also compare FMG campaign to other game museum campaigns in order to discover differences in presence of the three credibilities (curator, collector, and player) and their connection to the financial and cultural success of the projects.},
keywords = {Authorization of heritage, Crowdfunding, Emergent heritage, Game history, Heritage community, Museum},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence and authorization of game cultures heritage in relation to the process of establishing a game museum. The paper follows a crowdfunding campaign for the Finnish Museum of Games (FMG) and analyzes the Facebook and website communication of the campaign: how the online communication constructs and reflects heritage community of digital gaming in Finland and what the role of different credible know-hows is in the construction? We also compare FMG campaign to other game museum campaigns in order to discover differences in presence of the three credibilities (curator, collector, and player) and their connection to the financial and cultural success of the projects.
Torner, Evan
Just (the Institution of Computer) Game Studies
In: Analog Game Studies, vol. 5, iss. 1, 2018, ISSN: 2643-7112.
Journal article Open access
Abstract | Links | Tags: Capitalism, Crowdfunding, DiGRA, Game studies, Non-digital, Revenge of the analog, White Death
@article{Torner2018b,
title = {Just (the Institution of Computer) Game Studies},
author = {Evan Torner},
url = {https://analoggamestudies.org/2018/06/just-the-institution-of-computer-game-studies/},
issn = {2643-7112},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-06-03},
urldate = {2018-06-03},
journal = {Analog Game Studies},
volume = {5},
issue = {1},
abstract = {In the July 2017 issue of Game Studies, a journal subtitled “the international journal of computer game research,” founder and editor-in-chief Espen Aarseth released a short, remarkable editorial brief under the title “Just Games”:
“From the next issue, Game Studies actively welcomes articles on games in general, and will not be limited to an empirical focus on digital games. It is time to recognize that the study of games cannot and should not be segregated into digital and non-digital, and for most of the field, in practice, as well as in theory, this has never been so.”},
keywords = {Capitalism, Crowdfunding, DiGRA, Game studies, Non-digital, Revenge of the analog, White Death},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In the July 2017 issue of Game Studies, a journal subtitled “the international journal of computer game research,” founder and editor-in-chief Espen Aarseth released a short, remarkable editorial brief under the title “Just Games”:
“From the next issue, Game Studies actively welcomes articles on games in general, and will not be limited to an empirical focus on digital games. It is time to recognize that the study of games cannot and should not be segregated into digital and non-digital, and for most of the field, in practice, as well as in theory, this has never been so.”
“From the next issue, Game Studies actively welcomes articles on games in general, and will not be limited to an empirical focus on digital games. It is time to recognize that the study of games cannot and should not be segregated into digital and non-digital, and for most of the field, in practice, as well as in theory, this has never been so.”