2024
Masek, Leland; Stenros, Jaakko
Parties as Playful Experiences: Why Game Studies Should Study Partying Journal Article
In: ELUDAMOS, vol. 15, iss. 1, 2024, ISSN: 1866-6124.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game studies, Party Culture, Playful behavior, Playfulness
@article{nokey,
title = {Parties as Playful Experiences: Why Game Studies Should Study Partying},
author = {Leland Masek and Jaakko Stenros},
url = {https://doi.org/10.7557/23.7562},
doi = {10.7557/23.7562},
issn = {1866-6124},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-12-31},
journal = {ELUDAMOS},
volume = {15},
issue = {1},
abstract = {Partying is a widespread, understudied, and playful phenomena. Game Studies has seen great value from defining important concepts related to games since its inception. Foundational play and game scholars urged for a need to analyze parties and celebrations as a form of playfulness, yet there is little empirical Game Studies work enabling a deeper understanding of partying. Partying bears striking resemblances to games: inefficient use of resources, arbitrary rules, cultural group formation, and ongoing moral panics. There are also practical overlaps: games occur at parties and digital party games are quite popular. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of parties by analyzing 33 semi-structured interviews where individuals from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds had highly playful experiences at parties. A new theoretical conception of partying as a form of playfulness is proposed as a “phenomenon that creates an experience of social connection in a group mediated through a shared engagement-prioritizing activity”. This work concludes with a call for party studies to become a sub-field in game studies.},
keywords = {Game studies, Party Culture, Playful behavior, Playfulness},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Partying is a widespread, understudied, and playful phenomena. Game Studies has seen great value from defining important concepts related to games since its inception. Foundational play and game scholars urged for a need to analyze parties and celebrations as a form of playfulness, yet there is little empirical Game Studies work enabling a deeper understanding of partying. Partying bears striking resemblances to games: inefficient use of resources, arbitrary rules, cultural group formation, and ongoing moral panics. There are also practical overlaps: games occur at parties and digital party games are quite popular. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of parties by analyzing 33 semi-structured interviews where individuals from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds had highly playful experiences at parties. A new theoretical conception of partying as a form of playfulness is proposed as a “phenomenon that creates an experience of social connection in a group mediated through a shared engagement-prioritizing activity”. This work concludes with a call for party studies to become a sub-field in game studies.
