According to Raessen (2005, pg. 375) there are three domains of participation. Specifically, one of the categories includes interpretation, which is the process of making meaning from various media sources. This process of encoding and decoding is subject to participatory cultures as well as the user’s personality as there can be multiple interpretations to one situation, as this depends on the individual. The interpretation reading is evident in games such as Campus Life, although an application on smart phones, this application has similar characteristics to computer games although at times more convenient.
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| https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/campus-life/id504634395?mt=8 |
Without ever
having to download or play this application, users are already making interpretations
from the title of the game. The name implies “sorority girls” and thus users
assume that the characters value the social aspects of their “campus life”. Although
a generalization, this is a somewhat accurate depiction of the game. This
interpretation is not only affected by cultural values but also has a hint of “Americanisation”
influence as well. Not only has Americanisation influenced sectors such as clothing
and the music industry just to name a few, it has also impacted the gaming
experience.
Campbell,
Davies and McKay (2004) state that Americanisation (cultural influences of
America on other countries) has directly affected the perception of how “sorority
girls” are observed in other cultures. Furthermore, there are certain elements
of American college girls that are similar with “campus life” and this can be
seen below in the film, Legally Blonde.
Gaming has a
much larger role in society than initially thought. With Globalization (Americanisation?)
on the rise our interpretations will become much more diverse although some may
interpret this as a negative aspect in
terms of a lack of originality in future games to come.
Reference List
Campbell N,
Davies J, & McKay G 2004, Issues in Americanisation and culture, Edinburgh
University Press.
Raessens, J 2005, “Computer Games as Participatory Media Culture”, Handbook of Computer Game Studies, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, pp. 373-388
Legally blonde Official Trailer 2012, YouTube,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 5 October, date retrieved: 16 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8I-Qzmbqnc >
Hi Kylle,
ReplyDeleteThis was a simple blog post to read and explained how interpretation plays a role in video games. I also like how you have linked in that Americanisation has had an influence over games. To be honest, I want to download Campus Life now as I am a sucker for games like that. Apps such as that one are able to do well because people just like me are drawn into the 'social' aspect of the game and it allows us to create and altered world and scenarios to get lost in. You have used another scholarly source and not just the prescribed one for this weeks post which shows that you have put more thought into your work. Good job.
Hi Kylle,
ReplyDeleteHave you ever played Surviving High School game? it is sort of similar with campus life. They both portray the stereotyped life of American teenagers. I personal think that I’m in the same side with your opinion. These days, more and more games are based on American culture that push all the gamers to understand the American culture either they can adjust to it or not. Perhaps the reason behind this issue is generally because the majority of game developers are American owned. The presentation of your article is well done because you related your argument with relevant academic sources.