Gamers_as_Co-Creators
Erin Tainsh 16:08, 15 Oct 2004 (EST)
An important feature of massively multi-player online games (MMOG’s) is the fan created content, such as extensions and additions to the game software described as ‘mods’ or ‘add-ons’. Game development companies release for download from their websites or include with their retail software package game editing tools to be used by skilled and creative players to produce new material for the game. (Banks, 2002)
Game companies now consider themselves in a service role. It is vital that gaming companies don’t consider the audience to be a pre-existing entity waiting to be enticed, seduced and explained; the audience is something to be built, dynamically negotiated and coordinated.(Banks, 2002) Therefore the ongoing creativity and game-play maintenance is a critical part of game companies business. Game designers must engage in an ongoing dialogue with players in order to consistently challenge and excite their consumers.
According to Humphreys (2003) Sims a renowned MMOG has 90% of its content created by players.(p.3) Another example of a player created MMOG is Counterstrike. This game is entirely created by players using a modification, or ‘Mod’ of an earlier computer-based game, Half-life. Both Sims and Counterstrike have gone to be extremely successful online games, winning awards from the industry and players. It is estimated that this entirely new component of the gaming industry could generate as many as 600,000 established online gaming community developers by 2012. (Flew and Humphreys, 2002)
Henry Jenkins (2002) has proposed that the participatory cultures emerging between game producers, media companies, and consumers a fundamental shift in the nature of media production and consumption will occur. Jenkins (2002) argues that this new participatory culture is taking shape at the intersection between three trends: (1) the new media tools and technologies which enable consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate, and recirculate media content; (2) the rise of sub-cultures that promote do-it-yourself (DIY) media production which is a discourse that shapes how consumers have deployed those technologies; and (3) the growth of economic trends that favour the horizontal integrated conglomerates who add value to media content by encouraging the flow of images, ideas, and narratives across multiple media channels and actively engage with media audiences/users. (p.1) These three trends have altered the way media consumers relate to each other, to media texts, and to media producers. Because of these current shifts cultural studies researchers must document the interactions that occur amongst media consumers, between media consumers and media texts, and between media consumers and media producers.
As time goes on the recursive nature of the online gaming production cycle will be an increasingly used model by other applications in online interactive environments. The more interactive applications created and used in our increasingly connected and networked environment, the more issues of regulation, ownership, and service will arise and need to be looked at in the light of the different nature of interactive texts. (Flew & Humphreys, 2002)
Reference List
Banks, J. (2002) "Gamers as Co-creators", in Balnaves, M., O'Regan, T, and Sternberg, J. (ed.) Mobilising the Audience, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, pp. 188-212.
Jenkins, H.(2002) Interactive Audiences? 'The 'Collective Intelligence' of Media Fans, retrieved August 10, 2004, from http://web.mit.edu/21fms/www/faculty/henry3/collective%20intelligence.html
Flew, T. & Humphreys, S. (2002) Games: Technology, Industry, Culture, South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford Press
Steinkkuehler, C.(2003) Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games, Madison: Teacher Education Press
Humphreys, S. (2003) Online Multiuser games:Playing for real, Australian Journal of Communication 30(1):79-91
Erin Tainsh 14:29, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
