Dr. J. Calzada-Prado: Unit 6. Video Games

Cyberpunk, Hackers and Otakus:
An Approach to Cybersociety
Dr. J. Calzada-Prado
Unit 6. Video games

6. Video games.
1. Intro; 2. From games to video games;

3.Types of video games; 4.Cyberpunk
video games; 5.Key elements of video
games; 6.Video Games controversies;
7.Serious games.
1. Intro
 Play is an intrinsic part of human
development. We play:
 To have fun
 To learn
both individually and with others

 Playing is a cultural phenomenon.
 Games are cultural objects.
 Gaming is a huge industry (65 billion
globally[1,2]), particularly in Spain.
[1] Reuters, 2011; [2] PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2012
1. Intro
1. Intro
 For Cyberculture studies, gamers are
building a culture of their own, and game
worlds are treated as a subgenre of
‘simulation’ (virtual space).
 Game studies is a multidisciplinary area, in
which contributions from the Social
Sciences, Humanities and Engineering
converge.
 Questions: what is the role of video games in
our lives? how are video games influencing
reality?
2. From games to video games
 Conceptually, video games stem from
tabletop games.
 Most board games had: space (both physical
–board, pieces- and imagined), rules, goals
and –some- even a narrative (story).
 Video games expand these elements,
benefiting from the features of multimedia
digital technologies.
 Huge aesthetic influence: films.
 Narrative design currently plays a key role in
most games.
3. Types of video games
According to hardware:
 Arcade games (‘coin-ops’): early 1980s. [V]
 Video game consoles: late 1980s.
 Handheld game consoles: 1990s.
 PC games: 1990s.
 Mobile games: 2000s.
Transversal to many of these: online games

(1990s).
1980's Defender, 1978's Space Invaders, and 1981's Missile Command
Space Invaders (Taito, Japan) was inspired by H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.
1983's Star Wars: early example of a cockpit-style, sit down video game. It
was an early success in branded gaming tie-ins with popular films. It also
notably makes use of digitized sampled voices of many characters from the
movie.
According to genre (gameplay, not subject):
 War games (50%):
 Beat’em ups (Mortal Combat).
 First-person shooters (Halo2, Call of duty).
 Strategy (Rome: Total War; Battle for Middle
Earth).
 Sport games:
 Matches/Championships/Team play (FIFA).
 Sports training (Wii Fit, Kinect Training, Zumba
Fitness, Dance Central)
(continued)
 Adventure games:
 Storytelling, exploration and puzzle solving (The
Whispered World, Myst)
 Action-adventure games:
 Combine adventures and combat (Zelda, Fable,
Tomb Raider).
 Role-playing games:
 Among others: MMORPGs (Massively
Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) (World
of Warcraft, EVE Online)
(continued)
 Life-simulation games:
 Flying (FS Flight Ventures).
 Vehicle/driving (Grand Theft Auto).
 Life management (Sims).
 Medical training
 Others: mind training, art games (music,
drawing & painting).
4. Cyberpunk video games
 Reflect the usual subjects of genre.
 Examples:
 Shadowrun
 Deus ex [V]
 EVE Online
 Cyberpunk2077 [V]
4. Cyberpunk video games
Cyberpunk subgenre:
 Biopunk video games (biohackers):
 Bioshock.
 Resident Evil.
[T1]
5. Key elements in video games
 Immersiveness: story, visual design, sound.
 Learning curve: basic functionalities and
rules need to be challenging but
approachable.
 Rewards: richness, glory, weapons, and life,
among others, increase motivation.
 Emotion: game’s response to gamers’
actions contribute to emotional engagement.
 Socialization: promotes gamers’ commitment
by linking interaction with game’s goals.
6. Video games controversies
a) Video games and isolation:
 Arcade games played in public spaces:
promote(d) physical interaction.
 1990s console games (including handheld
games) introduced individual playing >
related to isolation.
 MMORPGs linked with socialization and
building virtual communities > no physical
interaction.
 Do they lead to anti-social behaviour? [T2]
b) Video games and the power of simulation:
b) Video games and the power of simulation:
 Reality cannot compete with video games’
richness of stimuli:
“Look, Mommy, a jellyfish. It looks so

realistic” [T3]
c) Video games and violence:
Brian Fairrington, "School Shooting Influence," available on

www.caglecartoons.com, Mar. 29, 2005
c) Video games and violence:
«Violent video games have been blamed for school
shootings, increases in bullying, and violence towards
women. Critics argue that these games desensitize players
to violence, reward players for simulating violence, and
teach children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve
conflicts.
Video game advocates contend that a majority of the
research on the topic is deeply flawed and that no causal
relationship has been found between video games and
social violence. They argue that violent video games may
reduce violence by serving as a substitute for rough and
tumble play and by providing a safe outlet for aggressive
and angry feelings»[1].
[1] http://videogames.procon.org/.
7. Serious games
 Problem-based, realistic simulations aimed
at academic and professional training.
 Key to these games is that learning design
must not interfere with playability and
attractiveness.
[T4, T5]

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Cyberpunk, Hackers and Otakus:

Unit 6. Video games

1. Intro; 2. From games to video games;

both individually and with others

Transversal to many of these: online games

“Look, Mommy, a jellyfish. It looks so

Brian Fairrington, "School Shooting Influence," available on

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