Video Gamers

Video gaming is economically, educationally, culturally, socially and theoretically important, and has, in a relatively short period of time, firmly cemented its place within contemporary life. It is fair to say, however, that the majority of research to date has focused most specifically on either the video games themselves, or the direct engagement of gamers with a specific piece of game technology.
In contrast, Video Gamers is the first book to explicitly and comprehensively address how digital games are engaged with and experienced in the everyday lives, social networks and consumer patterns of those who play them. In doing so, the book provides a key introduction to the study of gamers and the games they play, whilst also reflecting on the current debates and literatures surrounding gaming practices.

Garry Crawford is a Senior Lecturer in Cultural Sociology at the University of Salford. He is the author or editor of a number of books including Consuming Sport (2004), Dictionary of Leisure Studies (2009, with T. Blackshaw) and Online Gaming in Context (2011, edited with V.K Gosling and B. Light).

1. Studying Video Games. Introduction. Terminology. What is a Video Game?. (Video) Game Studies. Chapter Summary. Further Reading 2. Understanding Video Gameplay. Introduction. Theories of Play. The Magic Circle. Frame Analysis. Chapter Summary. Further Reading 3. Video Gamers as Audience. Introduction. Video Games as ‘Audienceless’. Audience Research. Video Gamers, Performers, Users and the Continued Importance of Audiences. Chapter Summary and Further Reading 4. Who Plays Video Games?. Introduction. (Stereo)typing Video Gamers. Counting Video Gamers. Gender and Excluded Gamers. Video Gamer Types. Video Gamer Careers. Chapter Summary and Further Reading 5. Key Aspects of Video Gameplay. Introduction. Rules. Effects. Interactivity. Immersion, Engagement and Flow. Performance. Identity, Roles and Embodiment. Intertextuality and Transmedia. Narrative. Geography. Chapter Summary. Further Reading 6. Conceptualizing Video Game Culture. Introduction. Subcultures and Neo-Tribes. Fans. Knowledge Community. Players, Otaku and Gamers. Scenes. Habitus. Chapter Summary. Further Reading 7. Video Gamer Productivity. Introduction. Textual Productivity. Websites. Mods and Hacks. Private Server Gaming. Game Guides, Walkthroughs and FAQs. Fan Fiction and Art. Semiotic and Enunciative Productivity. Semiotic Production. Producing Community. Narrative Identity. Chapter Summary. Further Reading 8. Video Games and Everyday Life. Introduction. Theorizing Everyday Life. Video Games and Everyday Life. Video Games as Ordinary. The Domestication of Technology. Chapter Summary. Further Reading