2022
Meriläinen, Mikko
Pandemic Rhythms: Adults' Gaming in Finland During the Spring 2020 COVID-19 Restrictions Journal Article
In: Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. Pre-print, 2022, ISSN: 1354-8565.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Coping, COVID-19, Digital gaming, Everyday life, Family, Non-digital gaming, Rhythm analysis, Situated gaming, Thematic analysis
@article{Meriläinen2022b,
title = {Pandemic Rhythms: Adults' Gaming in Finland During the Spring 2020 COVID-19 Restrictions},
author = {Mikko Meriläinen},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202203232696},
doi = {10.1177/13548565221077582},
issn = {1354-8565},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-02},
journal = {Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies},
volume = {Pre-print},
abstract = {This qualitative study examines how the spring 2020 COVID-19 restriction measures impacted adults’ gaming in Finland. The study draws on a thematic analysis of qualitative data (N = 201) collected in April 2020, which is explored through the lens of Apperley’s (2010) theory of gaming rhythms. The results illuminate the ways in which gaming was situated in everyday life both during and before the COVID-19 restrictions, and how the pandemic and its associated restrictions disrupted, reinforced, and reconfigured the everyday rhythms of gaming. The situation impacted individuals and families differently, being beneficial to some and detrimental to others, contingent on other aspects of respondents’ lives. The results underline how an individual’s gaming does not happen in isolation, but takes place in the confines of everyday life, shaped by factors outside the individual’s control. Developing Apperley’s theory, the results show that gaming can be a very resilient activity, given the right circumstances.},
keywords = {Coping, COVID-19, Digital gaming, Everyday life, Family, Non-digital gaming, Rhythm analysis, Situated gaming, Thematic analysis},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This qualitative study examines how the spring 2020 COVID-19 restriction measures impacted adults’ gaming in Finland. The study draws on a thematic analysis of qualitative data (N = 201) collected in April 2020, which is explored through the lens of Apperley’s (2010) theory of gaming rhythms. The results illuminate the ways in which gaming was situated in everyday life both during and before the COVID-19 restrictions, and how the pandemic and its associated restrictions disrupted, reinforced, and reconfigured the everyday rhythms of gaming. The situation impacted individuals and families differently, being beneficial to some and detrimental to others, contingent on other aspects of respondents’ lives. The results underline how an individual’s gaming does not happen in isolation, but takes place in the confines of everyday life, shaped by factors outside the individual’s control. Developing Apperley’s theory, the results show that gaming can be a very resilient activity, given the right circumstances.
2021
Välisalo, Tanja; Ruotsalainen, Maria
Esports Fandom in the Age of Transmedia: The Reception of the Overwatch League Journal Article
In: Eracle: Journal of Sport and Social Sciences, vol. 4, iss. 1, no. 11-35, 2021, ISSN: 2611-6693.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Esports audiences, Fan studies, Overwatch, Thematic analysis, Transmedia
@article{Välisalo2021b,
title = {Esports Fandom in the Age of Transmedia: The Reception of the Overwatch League},
author = {Tanja Välisalo and Maria Ruotsalainen},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202111295821},
doi = {10.6093/2611-6693/8517},
issn = {2611-6693},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-11-01},
journal = {Eracle: Journal of Sport and Social Sciences},
volume = {4},
number = {11-35},
issue = {1},
abstract = {In our article, we analyse the ways audiences engage with Overwatch esports and construct their fan relationships. We situate our research into several intersecting theoretical frames. To understand how Overwatch esports audiences engage with the esports through different media and media related practices we apply the framework of transmedia studies in our examination. To better understand how meanings related to esports are constructed through these practices we also draw from research on fandom and fan engagement. We reflect these findings on earlier research on sports fandom and esports viewership, enabling us to identify how Overwatch esports communities relate to traditional sports communities. Our study reveals how esports is intertwined with the everyday lived reality of the esports audiences, and how meanings are constructed through (mediated) audience practices. Our article contributes to the study of esports transmedia and to the understanding of the similarities and differences of esports and sports audiences.},
keywords = {Esports audiences, Fan studies, Overwatch, Thematic analysis, Transmedia},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In our article, we analyse the ways audiences engage with Overwatch esports and construct their fan relationships. We situate our research into several intersecting theoretical frames. To understand how Overwatch esports audiences engage with the esports through different media and media related practices we apply the framework of transmedia studies in our examination. To better understand how meanings related to esports are constructed through these practices we also draw from research on fandom and fan engagement. We reflect these findings on earlier research on sports fandom and esports viewership, enabling us to identify how Overwatch esports communities relate to traditional sports communities. Our study reveals how esports is intertwined with the everyday lived reality of the esports audiences, and how meanings are constructed through (mediated) audience practices. Our article contributes to the study of esports transmedia and to the understanding of the similarities and differences of esports and sports audiences.