2020
Švelch, Jan
Mediatization of a Card Game: Magic: The Gathering, Esports, and Streaming Journal Article
In: Media, Culture & Society, vol. 42, iss. 6, pp. 838-856, 2020, ISSN: 0163-4437.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Card game, Electronic sports, Mediatization, Monetization, Professional player, Sportification, Streaming, Video games
@article{Švelch2020,
title = {Mediatization of a Card Game: Magic: The Gathering, Esports, and Streaming},
author = {Jan Švelch},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-201910254099},
doi = {10.1177/0163443719876536},
issn = {0163-4437},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-09-01},
journal = {Media, Culture & Society},
volume = {42},
issue = {6},
pages = {838-856},
abstract = {Magic: The Gathering is a household name among analog games. Its publisher, Wizards of the Coast, has experimented with digital adaptations since the late 1990s, however, it was only in 2018–2019 when the company announced a more radical push for the video game market, including a strategy for streaming and esports. By analyzing streaming content, paratextual elements, and online discussions leading up to the first major digital tournament, I explore the attempted and heavily promoted transition of Magic: The Gathering from a primarily analog card game toward a transmedia esports property. Beside conflicting reactions from players and fans to particular aspects of this transformation, this change brings along deepened mediatization of the game as a way to improve the spectator experience by following the media logics of streaming and esports. Professional players in the newly formed esports league along with other sponsored content creators were recruited to serve as advocates for this transition.},
keywords = {Card game, Electronic sports, Mediatization, Monetization, Professional player, Sportification, Streaming, Video games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Magic: The Gathering is a household name among analog games. Its publisher, Wizards of the Coast, has experimented with digital adaptations since the late 1990s, however, it was only in 2018–2019 when the company announced a more radical push for the video game market, including a strategy for streaming and esports. By analyzing streaming content, paratextual elements, and online discussions leading up to the first major digital tournament, I explore the attempted and heavily promoted transition of Magic: The Gathering from a primarily analog card game toward a transmedia esports property. Beside conflicting reactions from players and fans to particular aspects of this transformation, this change brings along deepened mediatization of the game as a way to improve the spectator experience by following the media logics of streaming and esports. Professional players in the newly formed esports league along with other sponsored content creators were recruited to serve as advocates for this transition.
2019
Švelch, Jan
Platform Studies, Computational Essentialism, and Magic: The Gathering Journal Article
In: Analog Game Studies, vol. 3, pp. 62-92, 2019, ISBN: 9780359383979.
Links | Tags: Analog game, Card game, Magic: The Gathering, Media history
@article{Švelch2019b,
title = {Platform Studies, Computational Essentialism, and Magic: The Gathering},
author = {Jan Švelch},
url = {https://analoggamestudies.org/2016/07/platform-studies-computational-essentialism-and-magic-the-gathering/},
isbn = {9780359383979},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-02-05},
urldate = {2016-07-11},
journal = {Analog Game Studies},
volume = {3},
pages = {62-92},
keywords = {Analog game, Card game, Magic: The Gathering, Media history},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}