2022
Blom, Joleen
In: Ruotsalainen, Maria; Törhönen, Maria; Karhulahti, Veli-Matti (Ed.): Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch, pp. 49-66, Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN: 978-3-030-82766-3.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Author, Game characters, Implied player, Overwatch, Participatory culture, Reader-response criticism, Transmedia
@incollection{Blom2022,
title = {The Player’s Interpretative Agency and the Developer’s Disruptive Powers: How Blizzard Enforces Authorial Intention in Overwatch},
author = {Joleen Blom},
editor = {Maria Ruotsalainen and Maria Törhönen and Veli-Matti Karhulahti},
url = {https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-82767-0},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82767-0_4},
isbn = {978-3-030-82766-3},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-10},
urldate = {2022-03-10},
booktitle = {Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch},
pages = {49-66},
publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan},
abstract = {With the overhaul of Mercy, one of Overwatch’s healer characters, in August 2017, Blizzard Entertainment changed the healer’s ultimate ability to resurrect all allies at once to one where her abilities were only amplified in order to prevent Mercy players to hide until her ability was ready to be used. This change to the hero caused the player to not only adjust to how they engage with Mercy inside the Overwatch game, but also influenced how they perceive her as a fictional being—as a character, that is. According to Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (2019), in our participatory culture of the digital age, the meaning of media works is constantly negotiated as more people participate in writing, reading, playing, and watching different media for work and leisure. The players of games, like anyone who engages with media content, do not simply consume, but take an active part in the construction of the game to create their own unique version of the work (Mortensen 2003). However, more than ever before, games require constant internet connection to be played, which grants developers, such as Blizzard Entertainment, the possibility to alter their content rapidly and frequently based on fluctuating financial and other strategic needs. Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment 2016b) represents one such product: being systematically altered by Blizzard Entertainment so that the players’ interpretative agency over their meaning-making— how they make sense of the game and play it—is heavily subjected to the developer’s evolving authorial intentions.},
keywords = {Author, Game characters, Implied player, Overwatch, Participatory culture, Reader-response criticism, Transmedia},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
With the overhaul of Mercy, one of Overwatch’s healer characters, in August 2017, Blizzard Entertainment changed the healer’s ultimate ability to resurrect all allies at once to one where her abilities were only amplified in order to prevent Mercy players to hide until her ability was ready to be used. This change to the hero caused the player to not only adjust to how they engage with Mercy inside the Overwatch game, but also influenced how they perceive her as a fictional being—as a character, that is. According to Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (2019), in our participatory culture of the digital age, the meaning of media works is constantly negotiated as more people participate in writing, reading, playing, and watching different media for work and leisure. The players of games, like anyone who engages with media content, do not simply consume, but take an active part in the construction of the game to create their own unique version of the work (Mortensen 2003). However, more than ever before, games require constant internet connection to be played, which grants developers, such as Blizzard Entertainment, the possibility to alter their content rapidly and frequently based on fluctuating financial and other strategic needs. Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment 2016b) represents one such product: being systematically altered by Blizzard Entertainment so that the players’ interpretative agency over their meaning-making— how they make sense of the game and play it—is heavily subjected to the developer’s evolving authorial intentions.
2019
Välisalo, Tanja; Ruotsalainen, Maria
"I Never Gave Up": Engagement with Playable Characters and Esports Players of Overwatch Proceedings Article
In: FDG '19: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, pp. 1-6, ACM, 2019, ISBN: 9781450372176.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Electronic sports, Esports players, Fans, Game characters, Overwatch, Reader-response criticism
@inproceedings{Välisalo2019,
title = {"I Never Gave Up": Engagement with Playable Characters and Esports Players of Overwatch},
author = {Tanja Välisalo and Maria Ruotsalainen},
url = {https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/67440},
doi = {10.1145/3337722.3337769},
isbn = {9781450372176},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-08-26},
booktitle = {FDG '19: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games},
pages = {1-6},
publisher = {ACM},
abstract = {Esports phenomena have grown rapidly in recent years, and so has research on the topic. Some of the research has also addressed esports fandom (see e.g. Taylor 2012). Nevertheless, studies comparing and contrasting how players and fans engage with the game and the esports based on that game are scarce. This study compares and contrasts how players and fans engage with playable game characters and esports players. The paper draws on previous research in fan studies, sports fandom and esports to examine the relationships of players and fans of the videogame Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment 2016) with the fictional heroes of the game as well as with their favorite professional players in the newly started Overwatch League. We analyse how these relationships are articulated by fans and players, and pay attention to emerging similarities and differences.
The findings show that personality is deemed important for engagement with both, game characters and esports players. In addition, gender and sexual orientation emerged as important factors. By contrast, nationality was deemed important for engagement with esports players, but not with player characters. Further research should concentrate on the connections between esports and identity politics, as well as player characters and identity construction.},
keywords = {Electronic sports, Esports players, Fans, Game characters, Overwatch, Reader-response criticism},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Esports phenomena have grown rapidly in recent years, and so has research on the topic. Some of the research has also addressed esports fandom (see e.g. Taylor 2012). Nevertheless, studies comparing and contrasting how players and fans engage with the game and the esports based on that game are scarce. This study compares and contrasts how players and fans engage with playable game characters and esports players. The paper draws on previous research in fan studies, sports fandom and esports to examine the relationships of players and fans of the videogame Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment 2016) with the fictional heroes of the game as well as with their favorite professional players in the newly started Overwatch League. We analyse how these relationships are articulated by fans and players, and pay attention to emerging similarities and differences.
The findings show that personality is deemed important for engagement with both, game characters and esports players. In addition, gender and sexual orientation emerged as important factors. By contrast, nationality was deemed important for engagement with esports players, but not with player characters. Further research should concentrate on the connections between esports and identity politics, as well as player characters and identity construction.
The findings show that personality is deemed important for engagement with both, game characters and esports players. In addition, gender and sexual orientation emerged as important factors. By contrast, nationality was deemed important for engagement with esports players, but not with player characters. Further research should concentrate on the connections between esports and identity politics, as well as player characters and identity construction.
Korpua, Jyrki; Ruotsalainen, Maria; Siikilä-Laitila, Minna; Välisalo, Tanja; Hirsjärvi, Irma
Experiencing the Sacred: The Hobbit as a Holy Text Book Section
In: Cusack, Carole M.; Morehead, John W.; Robertson, Venetia Laura Delano (Ed.): The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom: Essays on the Intersection of Religion and Pop Culture, pp. 102-118, McFarland & Company, Inc, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-4766-708-36.
Tags: Fantasy, Literary studies, Reader-response criticism, Religion
@incollection{nokey,
title = {Experiencing the Sacred: The Hobbit as a Holy Text},
author = {Jyrki Korpua and Maria Ruotsalainen and Minna Siikilä-Laitila and Tanja Välisalo and Irma Hirsjärvi},
editor = {Carole M. Cusack and John W. Morehead and Venetia Laura Delano Robertson},
isbn = {978-1-4766-708-36},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-04-16},
booktitle = {The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom: Essays on the Intersection of Religion and Pop Culture},
pages = {102-118},
publisher = {McFarland & Company, Inc},
keywords = {Fantasy, Literary studies, Reader-response criticism, Religion},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}