Games@MSR - The Pleasures of Virtual/Fantasy Warfare: Learning from Counter-Strike

Опубликовано 6 сентября 2016, 16:33

The social activity which surrounds the playing of MMO types games, like Ultima Online, AsheronΓÇÖs Call or EverQuest, or first person shooter games, like Counter-Strike or Battlefield 2 has been well established. Aside from observations of game ΓÇ£flow,ΓÇ¥ immersion and game dynamics and construction, a more in-depth accounting is required of what pleasures and anxieties game players take away from playing computer games, either in single player or multi-player. Based on participant observation work and in-depth interviews with the players of the game Counter-Strike at a Midwestern University campus between February 2001 and September 2002, complex patterns of social talk were recorded, diverse patterns of game entry, game participation, the creation of new friendships and game history noted, as well as a broad range of emotions generated in the playing of Counter-Strike. Thirteen LAN players were observed playing in two distinct campus locations with their ages ranging from 20 to 34 in one location (the library group) and 21 to 22 in the other location (the computer lab group). In addition, 10 other players were interviewed who had played the game in various other locations. The ages of this group varied between 18 and 23. All players interviewed, with the exception of one, were men. In addition, 70 hours of game play on 50 different servers provided information on in-game chats and their social organization. Game playerΓÇÖs performative skill, frustration and nervousness will be discussed with reference to trust, assumed game rules, and anticipation of an opponentΓÇÖs moves. One of the primary pleasures in FPS games is the outsmarting of oneΓÇÖs enemies, either computer created or on-line with friends. Similarly, friendship bonding is integrated with the creation of intense emotions during game play, laughter being the most common. The realism of a game is also viewed as a site for ambivalence in how players respond to the grotesque character of virtual violence. Finally, the generation of emotions through performance will be placed in the larger context of the pleasures of the modern grotesque.