Kristine Jørgensen

Between the Game System and the Fictional World A Study of Computer Game Interfaces

This article discusses the relationship between the user interface (UI) and the game world in computer games, with point of departure in qualitative studies including players and game developers. The developers’ evaluation of the relationship from a design point of view will first be presented, before the article goes on to discuss the degree to which the players accept the presence of UI features within the game world. We will see that developers find it challenging to balance between functionality and fiction, but see system features as a necessity that must be present for usability purposes. From the point of departure of players, they rarely consider system features intrusive to the game world, but accept them as integrated to the conventions established within modern computer game aesthetics.

Players as Coresearchers: Expert Player Perspective as an Aid to Understanding Games

This article argues for the use of expert players as coresearchers when studying game systems and game design choices. As emergent systems that may react differently to different playstyles, games need to be studied from a variety of gameplay perspectives. Combining approaches from game studies with usability testing, interpretative phenomenological analysis, and reader-response theory, this article suggests a method for game research that is relevant for the study of games as both artifacts and playgrounds.

From hobbyists to entrepreneurs: On the formation of the Nordic game industry

This article sheds light on the formation of the Nordic game industry between 1990 and 2005. The first long-lasting game development companies within the region emerged in the early 1990s and one of the factors for the advent of a Nordic industry was the subculture surrounding the demoscene. By selecting three companies in Finland, Norway and Sweden, we look at the transition from subculture into formal companies. The study is informed by an oral history approach, supplemented by a variety of other sources, including industry reports, mainstream press stories and online materials. The article argues that the presence of the demoscene in the Nordic region had an influence on the game companies, but the transition from hobbyism to professional work processes was not straightforward or simple. However, without the demoscene, the game companies would have had a difficult time finding interested and qualified employees.

Gameworld Interfaces as Make-Believe

Make-believe is an important part of our engagement with many aspects of our lives and is often seen as central to our engagement with representational media. When playing video games, players must make sense of a range of information, and gameworlds include a selection of signs that either point to the game system, or to the fictional aspects of the game. The combination of health meters, experience bars, and symbols floating around in the world, with a recognizable environment featuring anthropomorphic inhabitants with intentions and motivations may appear paradoxical, but players tend to accept this contradiction without any confusion. With reference to Kendall Walton’s (Mimesis as make-believe. On the foundations of the representational arts. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1990) theory of make-believe where virtually anything has the potential of being props in the imaginative process, the aim of this chapter is to expand the understanding of make-believe by exploring how it is employed when players interact with gameworlds.

Newcomers in a Global Industry: Challenges of a Norwegian Game Company:

This article presents results from a study of work practices in a Norwegian game development studio. Identifying key challenges faced by the company, the article argues that the combination of project management issues and a lack of human and financial resources led the company into an unfortunate situation where they were simultaneously working on two overlapping projects and thus were forced to cancel one of the projects. Further, the article also discusses how welfare measures related to cultural policy support system and work environment legislation may have impacted upon the process.