The Politics of Labor and Play in Popcultural Industry of On-Line Video Games

• Main Author: Mateusz Felczak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Adam Mickiewicz University 2014-01-01
• Series: Praktyka Teoretyczna
• Subjects: sieciowe gry wideo; pracozabawa (playbour); praca cyfrowa; kapitalizm kognitywny
• Online Access: http://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/prt/article/view/2811

<p>The article deals with the functioning of the on-line AAA<br />games in capitalist market circulation, with games understood as products<br />subject to trade exchange. The author analyzes the method of capitalization<br />of players’ productivity, such as the use of unpaid digital labor<br />of fans, arguing that the game mechanics are often adjusted to the playbour<br />paradigm. The mechanisms of modeling the reception and distribution<br />of games are listed and described based on the example of Steam<br />and methods of exploitation of the Real-Money Auction House in Diablo<br />III. Automating the process of the game is considered to be the most<br />efficient model of play, displacing traditionally understood exploration<br />and interaction with other players.</p>