Players Unleashed!: Modding the Sims and the Culture of Gaming: 5 (Mediamatters) - Softcover

Sihvonen, Tanja

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9089642013 ISBN 13: 9789089642011

Publisher: Amsterdam University Press, 2014

Synopsis

The author of this hugely informative study explores the question of what happens when players practise and negotiate computer code, various ideologies, and the game itself by modding (modifying a game) in the context of The Sims, the bestselling computer game of all time. Sihvonen examines the technical and material specificities of The Sims mods, as well as their cultural context. Viewed as a manifestation of participatory culture, modding makes PC games ultimately malleable: players reconfigure the game by creating new content, altering the code and changing the behaviours of the game engine. Using a semiotic framework, Sihvonen suggests a signification process that includes representation, interpretation, investigation and experimentation with the game system and rules. From its historical roots in the shoot'em up games, the author bares the fascinating evolution and dynamics of modding, where gender stereotypes, the thrills of hacking and living the Sims' American Dream intersect with the aesthetic and operational dimensions of modding.

About this title

About the Author

Tanja Sihvonen is researcher in computer games, players and participation culture.

From the Back Cover

Players Unleashed! onderzoekt wat er gebeurt wanneer computercode, ideologieën, spelen en modden samenkomen in het bestverkochte computerspel aller tijden, The Sims. Tanja Sihvonen gaat in op de technische en materiële kenmerken van de Sim mods - die zij beschouwt als uitingen van de participatiecultuur - en laat zien in welke culturele context ze

Edition details

• Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9089642013
• ISBN 13: 9789089642011
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 222