2023
Välisalo, Tanja
Who is Your Favourite Character?: Audience Engagement with Fictional Characters PhD Thesis
2023, ISBN: 978-951-39-9275-0.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Audience, Audience studies, Character engagement, Elokuvahahmot, Fanit, Fans, Fictional characters, Fiktiiviset hahmot, Film characters, Game characters, Hahmosuhde, Pelaajat, Pelihahmot, Players (non-music), Transmedia, Yleisö, Yleisötutkimus
@phdthesis{Välisalo2023,
title = {Who is Your Favourite Character?: Audience Engagement with Fictional Characters},
author = {Tanja Välisalo},
url = {https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/84564
https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/84564/978-951-39-9275-0_vaitos_2023_01_09_jyx.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y},
isbn = {978-951-39-9275-0},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-09},
urldate = {2023-01-09},
publisher = {University of Jyväskylä},
abstract = {Transmediality, where narratives and fictional worlds are dispersed on multiple media platforms, has become a dominant feature of media production. As fictional characters are central to our relationship with stories and storyworlds, the transition into transmediality poses the question of how audiences engage with fictional characters in transmedia. This dissertation addresses this question empirically by focusing on how audiences articulate and construct character engagement, how character engagement is positioned in relation to transmedia engagement in general, and how character engagement is intertwined with broader meaning-making processes. This empirical study was conducted within two contexts, the audiences of The Hobbit film trilogy and the players of the multiplayer online game, Overwatch. Both media products are part of a larger transmedia universe. The main research data consisted of surveys and online discussions. Textual data from survey responses and online discussions were analysed using open coding and thematic analysis, and discourse analysis methodology was applied to parts of the online discussions. These methods were supplemented by descriptive statistics and analysis of transmedia content. The results offer empirical evidence to the notion that character engagement is connected to how audiences engage with the transmedia universe. Audiences articulate character engagement based on character traits, such as appearance, personality, gender, sexuality, as well as elements of character creation, such as character design or actor’s performance. Analysis of these articulations revealed different interpretative contexts for character engagement: (1) individual text/work, (2) transmedia universe, (3), genre(s), (4) medium(s), and (5) socio-cultural context(s). Different audiences prioritize different contexts, which can lead to negotiations and struggles over meanings. These articulations and negotiations reveal and construct hierarchies among audiences and creators. Characters are also used in in creating places of belonging outside of these structures. Fictional characters are indeed central to our relationship with fiction; however, they are also important in negotiating, defining and constructing broader structures of belonging, identity, and power through fiction.
Transmedia, jossa narratiivit ja fiktiiviset maailmat muodostuvat samanaikaisesti useissa eri mediamuodoissa, on tullut vallitsevaksi mediatuotannon muodoksi. Koska fiktiiviset hahmot ovat keskeisiä suhteellemme tarinoihin ja tarinamaailmoihin, transmediatuotannon yleistyminen saa kysymään, millainen on yleisöjen suhde fiktiivisiin hahmoihin transmediassa. Tämä väitöskirja lähestyy kysymystä tarkastelemalla sitä, miten yleisöt artikuloivat ja rakentavat hahmosuhdettaan, miten hahmosuhde asettuu osaksi vuorovaikutusta transmediasisältöjen kanssa, ja miten hahmosuhde kietoutuu yhteen laajempien merkityksellistämisen prosessien kanssa. Empiirinen tutkimus toteutettiin Hobitti-elokuvatrilogian yleisöjen ja verkkomoninpeli Overwatchin pelaajien parissa. Molemmat teokset ovat osa laajempia transmediauniversumeja. Pääasiallinen tutkimusaineisto koostui kyselyaineistoista ja verkkokeskusteluista. Tekstimuotoisen kysely- ja keskusteluaineiston analyysiin hyödynnettiin avointa koodausta ja teemoittelua, osaan keskusteluaineistosta sovellettiin lisäksi diskurssianalyysia. Menetelmiä täydennettiin kuvailevalla tilastoanalyysilla ja transmedia-aineiston sisällönanalyysilla. Tulokset tarjoavat empiirisiä todisteita sille, että yleisön hahmosuhde on yhteydessä siihen, millaisilla tavoilla yleisö on vuorovaikutuksessa transmedian kanssa. Yleisöt artikuloivat kiinnittymistään hahmopiirteiden, esimerkiksi ulkomuodon, persoonallisuuden, sukupuolen, ja seksuaalisuuden kautta, mutta myös hahmon toteutuksen, kuten näyttelijän suorituksen tai hahmon adaptaation perusteella. Yleisöjen artikulaatioiden tarkastelu paljasti erilaisia tulkinnallisia konteksteja hahmoihin kiinnittymiselle: (1) yksittäisen tekstin/teoksen, (2) transmediauniversumin, (3) genre(je)n, (4) mediumi(e)n, ja (5) sosio-kulttuurisen kontekstin. Eri yleisöt priorisoivat eri konteksteja, mikä johtaa neuvotteluihin ja kamppailuihin merkityksistä. Nämä puolestaan paljastavat ja rakentavat hierarkioita yleisöjen ja tuottajien keskuudessa. Hahmojen avulla myös luodaan kuulumisen paikkoja näiden rakenteiden ulkopuolella. Fiktiiviset hahmot ovat siis keskeisiä suhteellemme fiktioon, mutta niillä on myös rooli laajempien kuulumisen, identiteetin ja vallan rakenteiden neuvottelussa, määrittelyssä ja rakentamisessa.},
keywords = {Audience, Audience studies, Character engagement, Elokuvahahmot, Fanit, Fans, Fictional characters, Fiktiiviset hahmot, Film characters, Game characters, Hahmosuhde, Pelaajat, Pelihahmot, Players (non-music), Transmedia, Yleisö, Yleisötutkimus},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
Transmediality, where narratives and fictional worlds are dispersed on multiple media platforms, has become a dominant feature of media production. As fictional characters are central to our relationship with stories and storyworlds, the transition into transmediality poses the question of how audiences engage with fictional characters in transmedia. This dissertation addresses this question empirically by focusing on how audiences articulate and construct character engagement, how character engagement is positioned in relation to transmedia engagement in general, and how character engagement is intertwined with broader meaning-making processes. This empirical study was conducted within two contexts, the audiences of The Hobbit film trilogy and the players of the multiplayer online game, Overwatch. Both media products are part of a larger transmedia universe. The main research data consisted of surveys and online discussions. Textual data from survey responses and online discussions were analysed using open coding and thematic analysis, and discourse analysis methodology was applied to parts of the online discussions. These methods were supplemented by descriptive statistics and analysis of transmedia content. The results offer empirical evidence to the notion that character engagement is connected to how audiences engage with the transmedia universe. Audiences articulate character engagement based on character traits, such as appearance, personality, gender, sexuality, as well as elements of character creation, such as character design or actor’s performance. Analysis of these articulations revealed different interpretative contexts for character engagement: (1) individual text/work, (2) transmedia universe, (3), genre(s), (4) medium(s), and (5) socio-cultural context(s). Different audiences prioritize different contexts, which can lead to negotiations and struggles over meanings. These articulations and negotiations reveal and construct hierarchies among audiences and creators. Characters are also used in in creating places of belonging outside of these structures. Fictional characters are indeed central to our relationship with fiction; however, they are also important in negotiating, defining and constructing broader structures of belonging, identity, and power through fiction.
Transmedia, jossa narratiivit ja fiktiiviset maailmat muodostuvat samanaikaisesti useissa eri mediamuodoissa, on tullut vallitsevaksi mediatuotannon muodoksi. Koska fiktiiviset hahmot ovat keskeisiä suhteellemme tarinoihin ja tarinamaailmoihin, transmediatuotannon yleistyminen saa kysymään, millainen on yleisöjen suhde fiktiivisiin hahmoihin transmediassa. Tämä väitöskirja lähestyy kysymystä tarkastelemalla sitä, miten yleisöt artikuloivat ja rakentavat hahmosuhdettaan, miten hahmosuhde asettuu osaksi vuorovaikutusta transmediasisältöjen kanssa, ja miten hahmosuhde kietoutuu yhteen laajempien merkityksellistämisen prosessien kanssa. Empiirinen tutkimus toteutettiin Hobitti-elokuvatrilogian yleisöjen ja verkkomoninpeli Overwatchin pelaajien parissa. Molemmat teokset ovat osa laajempia transmediauniversumeja. Pääasiallinen tutkimusaineisto koostui kyselyaineistoista ja verkkokeskusteluista. Tekstimuotoisen kysely- ja keskusteluaineiston analyysiin hyödynnettiin avointa koodausta ja teemoittelua, osaan keskusteluaineistosta sovellettiin lisäksi diskurssianalyysia. Menetelmiä täydennettiin kuvailevalla tilastoanalyysilla ja transmedia-aineiston sisällönanalyysilla. Tulokset tarjoavat empiirisiä todisteita sille, että yleisön hahmosuhde on yhteydessä siihen, millaisilla tavoilla yleisö on vuorovaikutuksessa transmedian kanssa. Yleisöt artikuloivat kiinnittymistään hahmopiirteiden, esimerkiksi ulkomuodon, persoonallisuuden, sukupuolen, ja seksuaalisuuden kautta, mutta myös hahmon toteutuksen, kuten näyttelijän suorituksen tai hahmon adaptaation perusteella. Yleisöjen artikulaatioiden tarkastelu paljasti erilaisia tulkinnallisia konteksteja hahmoihin kiinnittymiselle: (1) yksittäisen tekstin/teoksen, (2) transmediauniversumin, (3) genre(je)n, (4) mediumi(e)n, ja (5) sosio-kulttuurisen kontekstin. Eri yleisöt priorisoivat eri konteksteja, mikä johtaa neuvotteluihin ja kamppailuihin merkityksistä. Nämä puolestaan paljastavat ja rakentavat hierarkioita yleisöjen ja tuottajien keskuudessa. Hahmojen avulla myös luodaan kuulumisen paikkoja näiden rakenteiden ulkopuolella. Fiktiiviset hahmot ovat siis keskeisiä suhteellemme fiktioon, mutta niillä on myös rooli laajempien kuulumisen, identiteetin ja vallan rakenteiden neuvottelussa, määrittelyssä ja rakentamisessa.
Transmedia, jossa narratiivit ja fiktiiviset maailmat muodostuvat samanaikaisesti useissa eri mediamuodoissa, on tullut vallitsevaksi mediatuotannon muodoksi. Koska fiktiiviset hahmot ovat keskeisiä suhteellemme tarinoihin ja tarinamaailmoihin, transmediatuotannon yleistyminen saa kysymään, millainen on yleisöjen suhde fiktiivisiin hahmoihin transmediassa. Tämä väitöskirja lähestyy kysymystä tarkastelemalla sitä, miten yleisöt artikuloivat ja rakentavat hahmosuhdettaan, miten hahmosuhde asettuu osaksi vuorovaikutusta transmediasisältöjen kanssa, ja miten hahmosuhde kietoutuu yhteen laajempien merkityksellistämisen prosessien kanssa. Empiirinen tutkimus toteutettiin Hobitti-elokuvatrilogian yleisöjen ja verkkomoninpeli Overwatchin pelaajien parissa. Molemmat teokset ovat osa laajempia transmediauniversumeja. Pääasiallinen tutkimusaineisto koostui kyselyaineistoista ja verkkokeskusteluista. Tekstimuotoisen kysely- ja keskusteluaineiston analyysiin hyödynnettiin avointa koodausta ja teemoittelua, osaan keskusteluaineistosta sovellettiin lisäksi diskurssianalyysia. Menetelmiä täydennettiin kuvailevalla tilastoanalyysilla ja transmedia-aineiston sisällönanalyysilla. Tulokset tarjoavat empiirisiä todisteita sille, että yleisön hahmosuhde on yhteydessä siihen, millaisilla tavoilla yleisö on vuorovaikutuksessa transmedian kanssa. Yleisöt artikuloivat kiinnittymistään hahmopiirteiden, esimerkiksi ulkomuodon, persoonallisuuden, sukupuolen, ja seksuaalisuuden kautta, mutta myös hahmon toteutuksen, kuten näyttelijän suorituksen tai hahmon adaptaation perusteella. Yleisöjen artikulaatioiden tarkastelu paljasti erilaisia tulkinnallisia konteksteja hahmoihin kiinnittymiselle: (1) yksittäisen tekstin/teoksen, (2) transmediauniversumin, (3) genre(je)n, (4) mediumi(e)n, ja (5) sosio-kulttuurisen kontekstin. Eri yleisöt priorisoivat eri konteksteja, mikä johtaa neuvotteluihin ja kamppailuihin merkityksistä. Nämä puolestaan paljastavat ja rakentavat hierarkioita yleisöjen ja tuottajien keskuudessa. Hahmojen avulla myös luodaan kuulumisen paikkoja näiden rakenteiden ulkopuolella. Fiktiiviset hahmot ovat siis keskeisiä suhteellemme fiktioon, mutta niillä on myös rooli laajempien kuulumisen, identiteetin ja vallan rakenteiden neuvottelussa, määrittelyssä ja rakentamisessa.
2022
Aarseth, Espen; Karhulahti, Veli-Matti
In Search of Characters Without Signifiers Journal Article
In: Narrative, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 268-285 , 2022, ISSN: 1063-3685.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Characters, Game characters, Implied characters, Minimalist characters
@article{Aarseth2022,
title = {In Search of Characters Without Signifiers},
author = {Espen Aarseth and Veli-Matti Karhulahti},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202206163427},
doi = {10.1353/nar.2022.0016},
issn = {1063-3685},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-05-25},
urldate = {2022-05-25},
journal = {Narrative},
volume = {30},
number = {2},
pages = {268-285 },
abstract = {This essay explores the question whether characters can exist without being signified in any way. If characters can exist trans-medially, independently of a particular form of signification or sign-vehicle, why not exist without any signification at all? What kind of existence would such a character have? And, paradoxically, what would examples look like? While the question at face value might appear logically invalid, I argue that at (or just beyond) the minimalist end of the character-representational spectrum, we find what might be called implied characters, that is, characters that are not in any way given, represented, named, or performed, but can only exist in the minds of their players during play, as a formal slot without physical, structural, communicational, or mental properties.},
keywords = {Characters, Game characters, Implied characters, Minimalist characters},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This essay explores the question whether characters can exist without being signified in any way. If characters can exist trans-medially, independently of a particular form of signification or sign-vehicle, why not exist without any signification at all? What kind of existence would such a character have? And, paradoxically, what would examples look like? While the question at face value might appear logically invalid, I argue that at (or just beyond) the minimalist end of the character-representational spectrum, we find what might be called implied characters, that is, characters that are not in any way given, represented, named, or performed, but can only exist in the minds of their players during play, as a formal slot without physical, structural, communicational, or mental properties.
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.
Välisalo, Tanja; Ruotsalainen, Maria
Player Reception of Change and Stability in Character Mechanics Book Section
In: Ruotsalainen, Maria; Törhönen, Maria; Karhulahti, Veli-Matti (Ed.): Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch, pp. 67-86, Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN: 978-3-030-82766-3.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Close reading, Game characters, Overwatch, Transmedia
@incollection{Välisalo2022,
title = {Player Reception of Change and Stability in Character Mechanics},
author = {Tanja Välisalo and Maria Ruotsalainen},
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_5},
isbn = {978-3-030-82766-3},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-10},
urldate = {2022-03-10},
booktitle = {Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch},
pages = {67-86},
publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan},
abstract = {Change is a constant element of online games, and Overwatch as well as its playable characters have been through multiple changes since the launch of the game in 2016. In this chapter, we examine the relationships players have with the playable characters of Overwatch and specifically the role that character mechanics have in these relationships. Changes to game characters are a topic of avid discussion in Overwatch communities and evoke articulations of the meaning of game characters for the players.},
keywords = {Close reading, Game characters, Overwatch, Transmedia},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Change is a constant element of online games, and Overwatch as well as its playable characters have been through multiple changes since the launch of the game in 2016. In this chapter, we examine the relationships players have with the playable characters of Overwatch and specifically the role that character mechanics have in these relationships. Changes to game characters are a topic of avid discussion in Overwatch communities and evoke articulations of the meaning of game characters for the players.
2021
Karhulahti, Veli-Matti; Välisalo, Tanja
Fictosexuality, Fictoromance, and Fictophilia: A Qualitative Study of Love and Desire for Fictional Characters Journal Article
In: Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, pp. 575427-575427, 2021, ISSN: 1664-1078.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Characters, Elokuvat, Fictophilia, Fiktiiviset hahmot, Fiktoseksuaalisuus, Game characters, Hahmot, Media, Parasocial relationships, Pelihahmot, Pelit, Pelitutkimus, Sarjakuvat, Seksuaalisuus, Sosiaaliset suhteet, Suhteet, Televisiosarjat, Televisiot (laitteet)
@article{Karhulahti2021,
title = {Fictosexuality, Fictoromance, and Fictophilia: A Qualitative Study of Love and Desire for Fictional Characters},
author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Tanja Välisalo},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202101181136},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575427},
issn = {1664-1078},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-12},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
volume = {11},
pages = {575427-575427},
abstract = {Fictosexuality, fictoromance, and fictophilia are terms that have recently become popular in online environments as indicators of strong and lasting feelings of love, infatuation, or desire for one or more fictional characters. This article explores the phenomenon by qualitative thematic analysis of 71 relevant online discussions. Five central themes emerge from the data: (1) fictophilic paradox, (2) fictophilic stigma, (3) fictophilic behaviors, (4) fictophilic asexuality, and (5) fictophilic supernormal stimuli. The findings are further discussed and ultimately compared to the long-term debates on human sexuality in relation to fictional characters in Japanese media psychology. Contexts for future conversation and research are suggested.},
keywords = {Characters, Elokuvat, Fictophilia, Fiktiiviset hahmot, Fiktoseksuaalisuus, Game characters, Hahmot, Media, Parasocial relationships, Pelihahmot, Pelit, Pelitutkimus, Sarjakuvat, Seksuaalisuus, Sosiaaliset suhteet, Suhteet, Televisiosarjat, Televisiot (laitteet)},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Fictosexuality, fictoromance, and fictophilia are terms that have recently become popular in online environments as indicators of strong and lasting feelings of love, infatuation, or desire for one or more fictional characters. This article explores the phenomenon by qualitative thematic analysis of 71 relevant online discussions. Five central themes emerge from the data: (1) fictophilic paradox, (2) fictophilic stigma, (3) fictophilic behaviors, (4) fictophilic asexuality, and (5) fictophilic supernormal stimuli. The findings are further discussed and ultimately compared to the long-term debates on human sexuality in relation to fictional characters in Japanese media psychology. Contexts for future conversation and research are suggested.
2020
Arjoranta, Jonne
Playing the Nonhuman: Alien Experiences in Aliens vs. Predator Book Section
In: Karkulehto, Sanna; Koistinen, Aino-Kaisa; Varis, Essi (Ed.): Reconfiguring Human, Nonhuman and Posthuman in Literature and Culture, pp. 108-124, Routledge, 2020, ISBN: 978-0-367-19747-6.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Alien vs. Predator, Experience, Game characters, Posthumanism, Video games
@incollection{Arjoranta2020c,
title = {Playing the Nonhuman: Alien Experiences in Aliens vs. Predator},
author = {Jonne Arjoranta},
editor = {Sanna Karkulehto and Aino-Kaisa Koistinen and Essi Varis
},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202011166657},
doi = {10.4324/9780429243042},
isbn = {978-0-367-19747-6},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-07-30},
booktitle = {Reconfiguring Human, Nonhuman and Posthuman in Literature and Culture},
pages = {108-124},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {What is it like to play a nonhuman character? In his classic essay, philosopher Thomas Nagel (1975) argues that we are fundamentally unable to imagine what it is like to be a bat, because our senses and cognition are structured in a way that is uniquely human – whereas bats’ senses and cognition have a uniquely bat-like configuration. In spite of this, media genres from fantasy to science-fiction routinely strive to imagine and show what it could be like to be something other than human. What is more, different media achieve this effect by different means: literature provides textual descriptions, audio-visual media rely on moving images, and comics employ different kinds of multimodal compositions, as discussed in the previous chapter. In the fifth chapter, Jonne Arjoranta continues investigating these medium-specific imaginations by examining how video games portray the nonhuman, what kind of assumptions they make about being nonhuman, and what kind of tools and techniques they use to convey the (imagined) experience of nonhumanness. The analysis focuses on Aliens vs. Predator (2010, Rebellion Developments), which features three different but intertwined campaigns that allow the player to play as a human, an alien, and a predator. The game thereby evokes two playing experiences that are supposedly nonhuman, and enables direct comparison between them and the “normal” experience of playing as human. The discussion around these playing experiences is further complemented with examples from other games that present playable nonhuman characters and, like the previous two chapters, draws theoretical support from the notion of embodied cognition.},
keywords = {Alien vs. Predator, Experience, Game characters, Posthumanism, Video games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
What is it like to play a nonhuman character? In his classic essay, philosopher Thomas Nagel (1975) argues that we are fundamentally unable to imagine what it is like to be a bat, because our senses and cognition are structured in a way that is uniquely human – whereas bats’ senses and cognition have a uniquely bat-like configuration. In spite of this, media genres from fantasy to science-fiction routinely strive to imagine and show what it could be like to be something other than human. What is more, different media achieve this effect by different means: literature provides textual descriptions, audio-visual media rely on moving images, and comics employ different kinds of multimodal compositions, as discussed in the previous chapter. In the fifth chapter, Jonne Arjoranta continues investigating these medium-specific imaginations by examining how video games portray the nonhuman, what kind of assumptions they make about being nonhuman, and what kind of tools and techniques they use to convey the (imagined) experience of nonhumanness. The analysis focuses on Aliens vs. Predator (2010, Rebellion Developments), which features three different but intertwined campaigns that allow the player to play as a human, an alien, and a predator. The game thereby evokes two playing experiences that are supposedly nonhuman, and enables direct comparison between them and the “normal” experience of playing as human. The discussion around these playing experiences is further complemented with examples from other games that present playable nonhuman characters and, like the previous two chapters, draws theoretical support from the notion of embodied cognition.
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.