2025
Harviainen, J. Tuomas; Masek, Leland; Stenros, Jaakko
The Future’s Language in the Age of Ubiquitous Play Book Chapter
In: Kriz, Willy Christian; Kikkawa, Toshiko; de Wijse-Van Heeswijk, Marieke; Lukosch, Heide (Ed.): Legacy and Future Impact of Gaming Simulation Pioneers : Essays in Memory of Richard de la Barre Duke and Cathy Stein Greenblat, vol. 44, Springer, 2025, ISBN: 978-981-96-4324-0.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Player community, Playful behavior
@inbook{nokey,
title = {The Future’s Language in the Age of Ubiquitous Play},
author = {J. Tuomas Harviainen and Leland Masek and Jaakko Stenros},
editor = { Willy Christian Kriz and Toshiko Kikkawa and Marieke de Wijse-Van Heeswijk and Heide Lukosch},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4325-7_14},
doi = {10.1007/978-981-96-4325-7_14},
isbn = {978-981-96-4324-0},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-04-11},
booktitle = { Legacy and Future Impact of Gaming Simulation Pioneers : Essays in Memory of Richard de la Barre Duke and Cathy Stein Greenblat},
journal = {Translational Systems Sciences},
volume = {44},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {This chapter examines games, play, and playfulness in various contexts. Its central focus is on how gameplay has become accepted and common to the point of being ubiquitous, and play and playfulness in general are now ambient and all around us. At the same time, play is taking place in silos, where oftentimes there is little to no real contact with other players. This is reflected against Richard D. Duke’s 1974 idea of games as a future’s language which is able to create gestalt communication through its systemic nature. The chapter examines reasons for this and finds that while the potential exists even now, games and other playful activities are still likely to guide us to learn them as individual systems, not as communication tools. At the same time, people have learned to play also many systems other than games.},
keywords = {Player community, Playful behavior},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
This chapter examines games, play, and playfulness in various contexts. Its central focus is on how gameplay has become accepted and common to the point of being ubiquitous, and play and playfulness in general are now ambient and all around us. At the same time, play is taking place in silos, where oftentimes there is little to no real contact with other players. This is reflected against Richard D. Duke’s 1974 idea of games as a future’s language which is able to create gestalt communication through its systemic nature. The chapter examines reasons for this and finds that while the potential exists even now, games and other playful activities are still likely to guide us to learn them as individual systems, not as communication tools. At the same time, people have learned to play also many systems other than games.
2022
Siitonen, Marko
Vuorovaikutus pelaajayhteisöissä Book Section
In: Friman, Usva; Arjoranta, Jonne; Kinnunen, Jani; Heljakka, Katriina; Stenros, Jaakko (Ed.): Pelit kulttuurina, Vastapaino, 2022, ISBN: 978-951-768-965-6.
Links | Tags: Player community, Player interaction
@incollection{Siitonen2022b,
title = {Vuorovaikutus pelaajayhteisöissä},
author = {Marko Siitonen},
editor = {Usva Friman and Jonne Arjoranta and Jani Kinnunen and Katriina Heljakka and Jaakko Stenros},
url = {https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/80858},
isbn = {978-951-768-965-6},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-31},
urldate = {2022-03-31},
booktitle = {Pelit kulttuurina},
publisher = {Vastapaino},
chapter = {5},
keywords = {Player community, Player interaction},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
2018
Arjoranta, Jonne; Siitonen, Marko
Why Do Players Misuse Emotes in Hearthstone? Negotiating the Use of Communicative Affordances in an Online Multiplayer Game Journal Article
In: Game Studies, vol. 18, no. 2, 2018, ISSN: 1604-7982.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Emotes, Griefing, Hearthstone, Online games, Player community, Player interaction
@article{Arjoranta2018,
title = {Why Do Players Misuse Emotes in Hearthstone? Negotiating the Use of Communicative Affordances in an Online Multiplayer Game},
author = {Jonne Arjoranta and Marko Siitonen},
url = {http://gamestudies.org/1802/articles/arjoranta_siitonen},
issn = {1604-7982},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-09-01},
urldate = {2018-09-01},
journal = {Game Studies},
volume = {18},
number = {2},
abstract = {This paper examines player-to-player interaction in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, 2004). The game designers have attempted to limit what they see as negative interaction by forcibly limiting player-to-player social interaction. Based on an analysis of forum discussions, this empirical study illustrates how players utilize Hearthstone's restricted communication affordances for negative and insulting purposes, and how players negotiate their shared symbolic reality concerning this type of interaction, labeled "Bad Manner(s)" or "BM". The continuous debate over an issue which ultimately cannot be solved shows that players care deeply about the game and the surrounding culture. This study contributes to our understanding of player-to-player communication, and offers insight into game design from a social interaction point-of-view. By doing so, it connects with the larger questions of emergent negotiations of meaning related to human communication behavior in technology-mediated settings with designed limitations on communicative affordances.},
keywords = {Emotes, Griefing, Hearthstone, Online games, Player community, Player interaction},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This paper examines player-to-player interaction in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, 2004). The game designers have attempted to limit what they see as negative interaction by forcibly limiting player-to-player social interaction. Based on an analysis of forum discussions, this empirical study illustrates how players utilize Hearthstone's restricted communication affordances for negative and insulting purposes, and how players negotiate their shared symbolic reality concerning this type of interaction, labeled "Bad Manner(s)" or "BM". The continuous debate over an issue which ultimately cannot be solved shows that players care deeply about the game and the surrounding culture. This study contributes to our understanding of player-to-player communication, and offers insight into game design from a social interaction point-of-view. By doing so, it connects with the larger questions of emergent negotiations of meaning related to human communication behavior in technology-mediated settings with designed limitations on communicative affordances.