Not Just in It to Win It: Inclusive Game Play in an MIT Dorm
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Not Just in It to Win It: Inclusive Game Play in an MIT Dorm by Hillary Kolos B.F.A., Film and Television New York University, 2002 SUBMITTED TO THE PROGRAM IN COMPARATIVE MEDIA STUDIES IN PARTIAL FUFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPARATIVE MEDIA STUDIES AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2010 © 2010 Hillary Kolos. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole of in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author: ___________________________________________________________________ Program in Comparative Media Studies May 07, 2010 Certified by: __________________________________________________________________________ Mia Consalvo Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Studies School of Telecommunications Ohio University Thesis Supervisor Accepted by: _________________________________________________________________________ William Charles Uricchio Professor of Comparative Media Studies Director, Comparative Media Studies 2 Not Just in It to Win It: Inclusive Game Play in an MIT Dorm by Hillary Kolos Submitted to the Program in Comparative Media Studies on May 7, 2010, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Comparative Media Studies ABSTRACT The recent increase in digital gaming players and platforms does not imply that digital gaming is as inclusive as it could be. There are still gaps in participation that, if left unaddressed, will exclude groups who have been historically marginalized. Women are among those individuals most vulnerable to exclusion from gaming. In order to better understand the motivations and practices of female players, this study focuses on a group of undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who have created a community that plays digital and non-digital games together and includes women. The research was conducted over eight months using interviews and participant observations. The study concludes that there are interrelated factors at the group, game play, and individual levels that influence this particular community's inclusiveness. These factors include how the community values the play process over who wins or loses a game, uses games as facilitators of playful socializing, and negotiates their identities in relation to the “gamer” stereotype. 3 4 Acknowledgements To my committee – Mia Consalvo, Henry Jenkins, and William Uricchio – for inspiring and supporting me throughout this process. To my family – Mom, Dad, Justin, Amy, Noah, and Haley – for always being there and believing I could do this. To my CMS classmates for helping me think in new ways and making the long nights working as fun as they could be – especially Michelle Moon Lee, Nick Seaver, and Sheila Seles with whom I shared an office and many LOLs. To Doris Rusch for giving the extra help (and sometimes push) that I needed. To my brilliant copy editors: Alexis Clements, Michelle Moon Lee, Alysa Nahmias, and Matt Schaffer. To my friends and loved ones, in Boston, DC, and New York, who stuck with me as I bounced back and forth these two years, especially Matt Schaffer, who truly is “the best.” 5 6 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................5 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................9 Research background ...............................................................................................................10 Why MIT? .................................................................................................................................12 Gendering of digital games.......................................................................................................14 Previous research on female players........................................................................................17 Defining Play and Games..........................................................................................................20 Research Questions..................................................................................................................28 Methods ...................................................................................................................................29 Background of the research site...............................................................................................32 How the 5N community came to be.........................................................................................33 Chapter Structure.....................................................................................................................35 CHAPTER ONE: The Community ............................................................................................ 37 Play community of the 5N lounge ............................................................................................41 Social goals of the 5N community ............................................................................................46 5N community as a participatory culture.................................................................................50 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................57 CHAPTER TWO: Games and Game Play ................................................................................. 59 Games and social goals.............................................................................................................60 Super Smash Bros. Brawl ..........................................................................................................62 Witty banter and trash talk ......................................................................................................74 Role of competition..................................................................................................................78 Card games...............................................................................................................................81 Motivations for game play .......................................................................................................89 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................92 CHAPTER THREE: The Players ................................................................................................ 94 Beginning to game....................................................................................................................95 Different Contexts, Different Modes of Play ..........................................................................107 What is a game? Who is a gamer? .........................................................................................116 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................124 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 127 REFERENCES........................................................................................................................ 135 7 8 INTRODUCTION As digital gaming becomes more integrated into our lives, we must continually ask: Who is being left out and why? Gaming is an industry, a means of expression, a way to connect with people, and an engaging leisurely activity. Contrary to popular stereotypes, gaming has never been an activity just for kids. The number of us who play digital games is increasing. The types of games we play and the platforms we play them on are diversifying. This expansion, however, does not imply that digital gaming is as inclusive as it could be. There are still gaps in participation that, if left unaddressed, will exclude groups who have been historically marginalized. Women are among those individuals most vulnerable to exclusion from gaming. This is not to say that women are not participating in gaming. Women have had a significant presence in some gaming contexts. What is problematic, as Bryce and Rutter (2002) have described, is that women are “rendered 'invisible' by male‐dominated gaming communities, the games industry and academic research” (p. 244). This invisibility of female players helps to maintain the stereotype that digital gaming is “boy stuff” and, in turn, creates further obstacles to participation in digital gaming. In this thesis, I shed light on this “invisible” group by exploring the motivations and practices of a group of undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who have 9 created a community that plays digital and non‐digital games together and includes women, as well as students of different races and ethnicities1 and players with different levels of gaming experience. My research, consisting of interviews and participant observations conducted between September 2009 and April 2010, indicates that there are interrelated factors at the group, game play, and individual levels that influence this particular community's inclusiveness. Research background This thesis was inspired by essays in the recent compilation Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat (Kafai, Heeter, Denner, & Sun,