2024
Reunanen, Markku; Joelsson, Tapani; Saarikoski, Petri
Commodoren varjossa. 1980-luvun tietokonepelaamista marginaalikoneilla Journal Article
In: Pelitutkimuksen vuosikirja, pp. 2-25, 2024, ISSN: 1798-355X.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Computer games, Digitaalinen kulttuuri, Digital culture, Home computers, Kotitietokoneet, Marginaalisuus, Marginality, Tietokonepelit
@article{Reunanen2024,
title = {Commodoren varjossa. 1980-luvun tietokonepelaamista marginaalikoneilla},
author = {Markku Reunanen and Tapani Joelsson and Petri Saarikoski},
url = {https://pelitutkimus.journal.fi/article/view/145359
https://pelitutkimus.journal.fi/article/view/145359/100276},
issn = {1798-355X},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-12-19},
urldate = {2024-12-19},
journal = {Pelitutkimuksen vuosikirja},
pages = {2-25},
abstract = {Monenkirjavat kotitietokoneet olivat 1980-luvun suosituimpia digitaalisia pelilaitteita. Keskenään yhteensopimattomia malleja oli markkinoilla kymmeniä erilaisia, eivätkä useimmat niistä selvinneet pitkään kilpailun puristuksessa. Suomessa Commodoren kotimikrot saavuttivat vankan jalansijan pelaajien suosikkikoneina, mutta niiden varjossa pelattiin myös Spectrumeilla, MSX-tietokoneilla, Amstradeilla ja vielä niitäkin harvinaisemmilla laitteilla. Tässä artikkelissa käsitellään marginaalikoneilla pelaamista pohjautuen monimuotoiseen lähdemateriaaliin: tietokone- ja kerholehtiin, lehtien lukijakirjeisiin sekä kesällä 2022 järjestetyn kyselyn vastauksiin. Tuloksissa korostuvat lehdistön näennäisen neutraali asenne, harvinaisten koneiden käyttäjien ratkaisut kaupallisen tuen puuttuessa sekä se, kuinka kokonaisvaltaista laitteiden marginaalisuus oli.
In English:
Various home computers were popular gaming platforms in the 1980s. There were tens of mutually incompatible models available and most of them did not survive in the competition for long. In Finland Commodore’s home computers claimed the top spot among gamers, but in the shadow of the mainstream devices people also played on Spectrums, MSX compatibles, Amstrads and even rarer machines. This article deals with gaming on marginal computers based on diverse research material: computer and club magazines, letters to the editor and the answers to a survey organized in 2022. The results highlight the apparent neutrality of magazines, the solutions that the users tried when there was little commercial support available and how all-encompassing the marginality of a device could be.},
keywords = {Computer games, Digitaalinen kulttuuri, Digital culture, Home computers, Kotitietokoneet, Marginaalisuus, Marginality, Tietokonepelit},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Monenkirjavat kotitietokoneet olivat 1980-luvun suosituimpia digitaalisia pelilaitteita. Keskenään yhteensopimattomia malleja oli markkinoilla kymmeniä erilaisia, eivätkä useimmat niistä selvinneet pitkään kilpailun puristuksessa. Suomessa Commodoren kotimikrot saavuttivat vankan jalansijan pelaajien suosikkikoneina, mutta niiden varjossa pelattiin myös Spectrumeilla, MSX-tietokoneilla, Amstradeilla ja vielä niitäkin harvinaisemmilla laitteilla. Tässä artikkelissa käsitellään marginaalikoneilla pelaamista pohjautuen monimuotoiseen lähdemateriaaliin: tietokone- ja kerholehtiin, lehtien lukijakirjeisiin sekä kesällä 2022 järjestetyn kyselyn vastauksiin. Tuloksissa korostuvat lehdistön näennäisen neutraali asenne, harvinaisten koneiden käyttäjien ratkaisut kaupallisen tuen puuttuessa sekä se, kuinka kokonaisvaltaista laitteiden marginaalisuus oli.
In English:
Various home computers were popular gaming platforms in the 1980s. There were tens of mutually incompatible models available and most of them did not survive in the competition for long. In Finland Commodore’s home computers claimed the top spot among gamers, but in the shadow of the mainstream devices people also played on Spectrums, MSX compatibles, Amstrads and even rarer machines. This article deals with gaming on marginal computers based on diverse research material: computer and club magazines, letters to the editor and the answers to a survey organized in 2022. The results highlight the apparent neutrality of magazines, the solutions that the users tried when there was little commercial support available and how all-encompassing the marginality of a device could be.
In English:
Various home computers were popular gaming platforms in the 1980s. There were tens of mutually incompatible models available and most of them did not survive in the competition for long. In Finland Commodore’s home computers claimed the top spot among gamers, but in the shadow of the mainstream devices people also played on Spectrums, MSX compatibles, Amstrads and even rarer machines. This article deals with gaming on marginal computers based on diverse research material: computer and club magazines, letters to the editor and the answers to a survey organized in 2022. The results highlight the apparent neutrality of magazines, the solutions that the users tried when there was little commercial support available and how all-encompassing the marginality of a device could be.
2023
Mattinen, Topias; Macey, Joseph; Hamari, Juho
A Ruse by Any Other Name: Comparing Loot Boxes and Collectible Card Games Using Magic Arena Journal Article
In: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 7, iss. CHI PLAY, pp. 721-747, 2023.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Applied computing, Booster Packs, Collectible Card Games, Computer games, Computers in other domains, Convergence, Gamblification, Gaming and Gambling, Interactive games, Loot boxes, Sovware and its engineering, Virtual worlds sovware
@article{Mattinen2023b,
title = {A Ruse by Any Other Name: Comparing Loot Boxes and Collectible Card Games Using Magic Arena},
author = {Topias Mattinen and Joseph Macey and Juho Hamari},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3611047
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3611047
https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3611047},
doi = {10.1145/3611047},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-10-04},
urldate = {2023-10-04},
journal = {Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction},
volume = {7},
issue = {CHI PLAY},
pages = {721-747},
abstract = {The convergence of gaming and gambling, known as "gamblification", has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. Loot boxes, i.e., rewards offering randomized content in exchange for money or time, have been a particular focal point. Research has shown links between excessive loot box consumption and problematic consumption behaviors, leading to several attempts to regulate loot boxes. Arguments against regulation have been that loot boxes are conceptually and structurally akin to other unregulated game formats, such as collectible card games. However, this discourse is often without deeper analysis of the mechanics of different products at the center of convergence. Therefore, to add to this knowledge, this article examines the similarities and differences between booster packs in Magic Arena, their physical counterparts in Magic: The Gathering, and loot boxes included in digital games. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which these booster packs compare to loot boxes in terms of consumption patterns, visual appearance, contextual factors, and regulation. Analysis reveals that digital booster packs in Magic Arena differ from both loot boxes and physical card packs, both due to their direct impact on gameplay, and their unique features afforded by the digital environment in which they exist.},
keywords = {Applied computing, Booster Packs, Collectible Card Games, Computer games, Computers in other domains, Convergence, Gamblification, Gaming and Gambling, Interactive games, Loot boxes, Sovware and its engineering, Virtual worlds sovware},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The convergence of gaming and gambling, known as "gamblification", has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. Loot boxes, i.e., rewards offering randomized content in exchange for money or time, have been a particular focal point. Research has shown links between excessive loot box consumption and problematic consumption behaviors, leading to several attempts to regulate loot boxes. Arguments against regulation have been that loot boxes are conceptually and structurally akin to other unregulated game formats, such as collectible card games. However, this discourse is often without deeper analysis of the mechanics of different products at the center of convergence. Therefore, to add to this knowledge, this article examines the similarities and differences between booster packs in Magic Arena, their physical counterparts in Magic: The Gathering, and loot boxes included in digital games. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which these booster packs compare to loot boxes in terms of consumption patterns, visual appearance, contextual factors, and regulation. Analysis reveals that digital booster packs in Magic Arena differ from both loot boxes and physical card packs, both due to their direct impact on gameplay, and their unique features afforded by the digital environment in which they exist.
Garda, Maria B.; Nylund, Niklas; Suominen, Jaakko
Unexpected Monument: Media Attention and Maintenance Work behind the Restoration of the Finnish Educational Game Promille (1990) Journal Article
In: ROMchip: a journal of game histories, vol. 5, iss. 1, 2023, ISSN: 2573-9794.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Alois Riegl, Computer games, Finland, Finnish video games, Heritage, Maintenance, Promille, Repair, Unintentional monument
@article{Garda2023,
title = {Unexpected Monument: Media Attention and Maintenance Work behind the Restoration of the Finnish Educational Game Promille (1990)},
author = {Maria B. Garda and Niklas Nylund and Jaakko Suominen },
url = {https://romchip.org/index.php/romchip-journal/article/view/190},
issn = {2573-9794},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-07-31},
urldate = {2023-07-31},
journal = {ROMchip: a journal of game histories},
volume = {5},
issue = {1},
abstract = {This article is a contextual historical study focused on the restoration process of a Finnish educational PC game, Promille (Tietotoimisto, 1990). In 2017, a floppy disk containing the previously unknown (to historians and hobbyists) game was found by chance in the city woods of Tampere, Finland. These unusual circumstances and the following repair efforts, undertaken as a collaboration between the local retrogaming circles and the Finnish Museum of Games in Tampere, attracted national media attention. This paper aims at reconstructing and contextualizing these events while at the same time reflecting on the cultural practices of maintenance and repair at public and private memory institutions in Finland, and how the case of Promille has affected the local heritage community. The study contributes to the theoretical discussions around the heritagization of games and revisits Alois Riegl’s concept of unintentional monuments in relation to game cultures.},
keywords = {Alois Riegl, Computer games, Finland, Finnish video games, Heritage, Maintenance, Promille, Repair, Unintentional monument},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This article is a contextual historical study focused on the restoration process of a Finnish educational PC game, Promille (Tietotoimisto, 1990). In 2017, a floppy disk containing the previously unknown (to historians and hobbyists) game was found by chance in the city woods of Tampere, Finland. These unusual circumstances and the following repair efforts, undertaken as a collaboration between the local retrogaming circles and the Finnish Museum of Games in Tampere, attracted national media attention. This paper aims at reconstructing and contextualizing these events while at the same time reflecting on the cultural practices of maintenance and repair at public and private memory institutions in Finland, and how the case of Promille has affected the local heritage community. The study contributes to the theoretical discussions around the heritagization of games and revisits Alois Riegl’s concept of unintentional monuments in relation to game cultures.
Karhulahti, Veli-Matti; Adamkovič, Matúš; Vahlo, Jukka; Martončik, Marcel; Munukka, Matti; Koskimaa, Raine; von Bonsdorff, Mikaela
Reply to Billieux and Fournier (2022): Collaborative Shortcut to Ontological Diversity COMMENT other
2023.
Links | Tags: Computer games, Game research, Gaming, Problematic gaming, Video games
@other{Karhulahti2023,
title = {Reply to Billieux and Fournier (2022): Collaborative Shortcut to Ontological Diversity COMMENT},
author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Matúš Adamkovič and Jukka Vahlo and Marcel Martončik and Matti Munukka and Raine Koskimaa and Mikaela von Bonsdorff},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16066359.2022.2160448
https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/164776636},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2022.2160448},
issn = {1476-7392},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-31},
urldate = {2023-01-31},
booktitle = {Addiction Research & Theory},
volume = {31},
number = {3},
pages = {174-177},
keywords = {Computer games, Game research, Gaming, Problematic gaming, Video games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {other}
}
2022
Karhulahti, Veli-Matti
Digital Games other
2022.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Computer games, Concepts, Definitions, Digital games, Games, Video games
@other{Karhulahti2022g,
title = {Digital Games},
author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti},
editor = {Paweł Grabarczyk},
url = {https://research.fi/en/results/publication/0392491322
https://eolt.org/articles/digital-games},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-04-21},
urldate = {2022-04-21},
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Ludic Terms},
edition = {Spring 2022},
abstract = {This entry summarizes the history and current use of "digital games" and related terminology, such as "computer games", "electronic games", and "videogames". Despite their etymological variety, a few pragmatic differences between these competing terms exist, which has recently led researchers and practitioners to increasingly apply (even more) general concepts such as "gaming" and "esports". A recommendation is not to interpret and use such terms literally, but to choose related terminology based on context and consistency.},
keywords = {Computer games, Concepts, Definitions, Digital games, Games, Video games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {other}
}
This entry summarizes the history and current use of "digital games" and related terminology, such as "computer games", "electronic games", and "videogames". Despite their etymological variety, a few pragmatic differences between these competing terms exist, which has recently led researchers and practitioners to increasingly apply (even more) general concepts such as "gaming" and "esports". A recommendation is not to interpret and use such terms literally, but to choose related terminology based on context and consistency.
2021
Tuominen, Juho; Sotamaa, Olli
“Outlaws to the End” – A Study of the Social and Political Reality of Rockstar Games’ West Journal Article
In: WiderScreen, vol. 24, 2021, ISSN: 1795-6161.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Computer games, Game industry, Ideology critique, Rockstar Games, Video games
@article{Tuominen2021,
title = {“Outlaws to the End” – A Study of the Social and Political Reality of Rockstar Games’ West},
author = {Juho Tuominen and Olli Sotamaa},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202108316893},
issn = {1795-6161},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-08-11},
journal = {WiderScreen},
volume = {24},
abstract = {This article examines the relevance and applicability of ideology criticism to the study of video games. The aim is to highlight the sophistication and detail of the experiences video games render for a player. As video games have become highly popular and mainstream, we consider that it is crucial to study the political and ideological realities they offer. In this article we commit a close reading of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption series from an Althusserian perspective and discover that critical analysis yields interesting insights of the social order designed for the game world. To form a better understanding of ideological underpinnings of these designed systems of play, we also inspect the material conditions under which they were created. We find that ideological and political analysis of a blockbuster game contributes to a better understanding of ways in which games operate and what kind of social and political realities they offer.},
keywords = {Computer games, Game industry, Ideology critique, Rockstar Games, Video games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This article examines the relevance and applicability of ideology criticism to the study of video games. The aim is to highlight the sophistication and detail of the experiences video games render for a player. As video games have become highly popular and mainstream, we consider that it is crucial to study the political and ideological realities they offer. In this article we commit a close reading of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption series from an Althusserian perspective and discover that critical analysis yields interesting insights of the social order designed for the game world. To form a better understanding of ideological underpinnings of these designed systems of play, we also inspect the material conditions under which they were created. We find that ideological and political analysis of a blockbuster game contributes to a better understanding of ways in which games operate and what kind of social and political realities they offer.