This document discusses gamers and gaming practices based on analysis of tweets mentioning the video game Portal 2. The tweets show that gamers discuss their gaming experiences, processes, enthusiasm and game resources on Twitter even when not actively playing. They construct gaming as a routine practice that extends beyond just playing the game itself. The analysis finds that for these gamers, digital play is intertwined with other everyday activities and routines rather than being separated from real life.
Privatization and Disinvestment - Meaning, Objectives, Advantages and Disadva...
Portal 2 Twitter Analysis Reveals Gamers and Players
1. Jason Rutter
School of Mass Communications Research
Catholic University of Leuven
Leuven 3000
Belgium
Jason.Rutter@soc.kuleuven.be
Finding Gamers
in 140 characters
Talk of games on Twitter
4. 60
Aarseth
Ludology
45
Juul
Player/s
30
Crawford
Exp 15
Psychology Barlett & Anderson Sociology
Bushman & Gibson
Bryce & Rutter
0
0 15 30 45 60
Gamer/s
Aarseth, E. 2003. ‘Playing Research: Methodological approaches to game analysis’
Barlett, C.P. and Anderson, C.A., 2009. ‘Violent video games and public policy’
Bushman, B. J., & Gibson, B., 2011. ‘Violent video games cause an increase in aggression long after the game has been turned
off’
Bryce, J. and Rutter, J., 2003. ‘Gender dynamics and the social and spatial organization of computer gaming’
Crawford, G., 2006. ‘The cult of Champ Man: The culture and pleasures of Championship Manager/Football Manager gamers’
Juul, J., 2008. ‘The magic circle and the puzzle piece’
5. ‘The deviant is one to whom
that label has successfully
been applied’
Becker, 1963: 9
Becker, H., 1963. Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance
7. The concept of a ‘magic circle,’ which is
based on a clear separation between
‘play reality’ and ‘everyday reality,’
does not apply.
For these gamers, digital play was often
a routine activity intertwined with
other everyday routines.
Kallio et al. (2010: 2)
Kallio, K.P., Mayra, F. and Kaipainen, K., 2010. ‘At least nine ways to play:
Approaching gamer mentalities’, Games and Culture
8. For these gamers, digital
play was often a routine
activity intertwined
with other everyday
routines.
10. ‘organized artful practices of
everyday life.’ (Garfinkel, 1986: 309)
Garfinkel, H., 1967. Studies in Ethnomethodology
11.
12. Not all players are gamers...
All #Portal2 single player campaign achievements
done... Now i need @XXXXX to find some time to
destroy the co-op wit me
I just saved science #portal2 co-op completed.
Now for single player fun to begin . . .
Just finished #Portal2 single player. heheh...
Hilarious! :) I want to throw out a few fav quotes, but
@XXXXX hasn’t finished yet!
13. Not all players are gamers...
11 users of ‘player’: 12 uses of ‘gamer’
6 uses of ‘gamer’ in usernames
1 in hashtag #gamer
1 in url
1 as ‘gamertag’
14. Not all players are gamers...
Hard to believe that Portal 2 players on PS3 haven't
been able to try online co op yet. Fantastic part of the
game. #portal2
Watching a #Portal2 Let’s Play and this guy is a
competant player that knows when to shut up.
Awesome.
Scratch that about the competence. This guy have a
problem with puzzles. #Portal2’
20. About to play #portal2 I have no doubt in my mind
that it will be good but I think the term epic needs to
fuck off and die
I imagine there’s going to be a huge crush of people
trying to play #mortalkombat and #portal2 when
#PSN is turned on again. Good luck!
Very intrigued by this #Portal2 game. Might have to
pick that one up.
Watching some of the previous series’ #DoctorWho,
then hopefully I can find someone to play some
#Portal2 co-op with me!
22. Listening and playing The National - Exile Vilify - this
is for a video game soundtrack. Yup.
wudr.udayton.edu #WUDR #Portal2
23. For 6+ hr flight to LA. Screw the ridiculous $5 itunes
movie rentals, I’m buying #Portal2. Just hope the
plane has a power outlet.
#Portal2 and a nice #bourbon to end the night. Shit
yeah it’s cool.
Fact: It is dumb to try to work to #Portal2
soundtrack. Remote & controller are still sittin right
here iz too much for my puny human will
#Portal2 and #Food and #LOST and #Tattoos and
#Food. Awesome night. Would only be better with a
cutie to talk to. Heeeeeeee =}
26. Just completed #Portal2 single player on #Xbox.
Fantastic game well worthy of all the critical acclaim
it’s received. A 10/10 for me too
Finished #Portal2. I thought it was very good, not too
short, but I’m slow and took a week break in middle
of playing!
Its late... But I’v completed #portal2! HUZAH! Great
sense of #accomplishment right now... Until I realise
I’m in work early.... #whoops
i accidentally just finished #Portal2 for the fourth
time... all in one evening. #didntmeantodothat
28. To bed! But before I do, I’ll leave this here: http://
bit.ly/lH7GTB No #Portal2 references here!
Thank you for going down #steam. I can finally get
some sleep after playing too much #portal2 co-op.
There are some interesting Portal 2 theories out
there. I love it when a game makes you consider
them that deeply after you finish. #portal2
30. #portal2 is pretty fucking brilliant! Now to watch
#GameOfThrones with the honey :)
31. #Finals y u no let me play #Portal2
Going to try writing tonight-having the #Portal2
ending theme stuck in my head won’t help, alas,
entertaining as it is.
I wish I had someone to play #portal2 coop with :(
Hard to believe that Portal 2 players on PS3 haven’t
been able to try online co op yet. Fantastic part of the
game. #portal2
32. evaluation
exclamation
textual reference
user generated content
commerce
33. evaluation
exclamation
textual reference
user generated content
commerce
34. #Portal2 is a most excellent video game!
Creating a new existence of “WTF!”, second only to
punching god in the face for taking the last beer &
pizza! #Portal2 , #Brink , #E3 n June
What a great fucking game. Portal is what games
should be! #portal2 rules!
#Portal2 is as addictive as caffeine. Love me some
GLaDOS snark.
35. One of the most beautifully poignant moments in
videogame history: http://t.co/BR7o2i6 ( #Portal2
Spoilers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kPyGvqNn4Y
36. evaluation
exclamation
textual reference
user generated content
commerce
38. evaluation
exclamation
textual reference
user generated content
commerce
39. I will burn your house down... WITH LEMONS #portal2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2vNuaBQNKE
40. “We can continue testing for the rest of your life.
After that, I may take up a hobby. Reanimating the
dead, maybe.” #Portal2
“Think of it not as a death trap, but as a death
option!” #portal2
To help you remain calm in the face of almost certain
death, smooth jazz will be deployed in 3...2...1...
#portal2
“I know how humans make more humans and,
frankly, it’s ridiculous.” #GLaDOS #Portal2
46. Whoah! It looks like #Portal2 is releasing their
authoring tools? http://cot.ag/kWbasi #FB
Hell yes, couldn’t come any sooner, SDK beta http://
www.thinkwithportals.com/blog.php?id=5443&p=1
#Portal2
Niiiice! Valve releases Authoring Tools for #Portal2
Time to make levels with many, many companion
cubes. http://ow.ly/4REy6
FREE Portal 2 SDK/Authoring tools now available on
Steam :-) #portal2
47. evaluation
exclamation
textual reference
user generated content
commerce
49. Just took advantage of @gamestopcanada’s awesome
trade in deal and got #portal2 free by trading in
#oblivion and #bulletstorm :)
LOOOL http://store.valvesoftware.com/product.php?
i=CP201 #PORTAL2 (cc @XXXXX )
Minerva’s Den (#Bioshock2) is 50% off this week!
Finally bought it, as a result. I’ll get to it after I beat
#Portal2. Still ... EXCITED!
Get Portal2 game at http://greatgamingprices.com
#portal2 #xbox
@thinkgeek Where are these missing #portal2 action
figures? These robots? We must have these figures
back!
53. A ‘practice’ (Praktik) is a routinized type of
behaviour which consists of several elements,
interconnected to one other: forms of bodily
activities, forms of mental activities, ‘things’ and
their use, a background knowledge in the form of
understanding, know-how, states of emotion and
motivational knowledge.
Reckwitz (2002: 249)
Reckwitz A., 2002. ‘Toward a theory of social practices: a development in culturalist theorizing’,
European Journal of Social Theory, 5(2), 243-63.
54. homo economicus
homo sociologicus
homo ludens
‘There is nothing particularly magic about the
magic circle, it is, rather mundane.’ (Crawford,2009: 2)
Crawford, G., 2009. ‘Forget the magic circle (or towards a sociology of video games)’,
Under the Mask 2009, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, 5th June 2009.
55. Harvey Sacks Erving Goffman Harold Garfinkel
The mundane has to be accomplished,
renewed and maintained.
56. ‘ Interconnectedness’
Bigger the individual gamers
More than the game
Includes non-play
Defines gaming as practice
57. http://www.scribd.com/jason_rutter
http://www.slideshare.net/Jasieboy
http://madebyjase.com/
@JaseRutter
@DigiplayProject
Jason Rutter
School of Mass Communications Research
Catholic University of Leuven
Leuven 3000
Belgium
Jason.Rutter@soc.kuleuven.be