Playing The Sims 2 Constructing and negotiating woman computer game player identities through the practice of skinning Hanna Elina Wirman A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England, Bristol for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Creative Arts, Humanities and Education University of the West of England, Bristol July 2011 Title Playing The Sims 2 Constructing and negotiating woman computer game player identities through the practice of skinning Candidate Hanna Elina Wirman Supervisors Director of Studies: Estella Tincknell Supervisor: Martin Lister Supervisor: Seth Giddings Advisor: Helen Kennedy Evaluation committee External Examiner: Tanya Krzywinska, Brunel University Internal Examiner: Jonathan Dovey, University of the West of England Chair: Josephine Dolan, University of the West of England Abstract Despite some remarkable shifts in gender demographics of game players during the last decade, computer games remain male-gendered media. Engagement in such a culture, this work suggests, is characterised by confusion and incoher- ence for women players who are simultaneously taking part in male dominated leisure which marginalises them and a society which assumes gender equality as an acquired right. Small-scale ethnography tied together with an analysis of concurrent cultural discourses and the game system's characteristics allows a deep analysis of the construction of identities that conflict with the naturalised idea of a player. The Sims 2 (2004) computer game sets out a unique case for a study of women's player identities because it is both exceptionally popular among women and individuated by a theme and a structure that are understood as `feminine'. Furthermore, a group of women players whose engagement with the game is characterised by creation and sharing of new and altered game content, the skinning of it, appears interesting since the women skinners resist traditional gender roles by taking active, productive positions towards the game. This work's original contribution to knowledge is in offering a nuanced view of female game playing which resists easy assimilation to some of the dominant concepts recently in play within the field of study, such as political resistance in the form of game content appropriation and female empower- ment through video game play. While skinners seem to have a possibility to change a game that results from a male-dominated game development cul- ture, their skinning is fundamentally facilitated and invited by the game they play. Such practice therefore appears different from the `high' forms of subver- sive user-participation that are typically cherished in the studies of media use. Consecutively, the approach in this thesis questions the straightforwardly em- bracing undertone of the current Web 2.0 `buzz' that claims democratisation of media production. The Sims 2 skinning offers an example of a productive practice that does not go beyond what we understand as gameplay, but de- mands revisiting the very notion of gameplay itself. Keywords: Computer Game, Gender, The Sims 2, Co-Creativity, Participatory Culture Acknowledgements I feel incredible lucky to have experienced a geographical journey through four countries alongside the academic one. As a result, my work has been influenced by different ways of understanding the world and by numerous people I am grateful to. I apologise to those I do not mention by name. First and foremost I want to thank my director of studies, Estella Tinck- nell, for her time and guidance throughout the course of this project. I am indebted to her for the wide range of help she has offered. I am grateful for the excellent example she has provided through her abiding commitment to Cultural Studies scholarship. I want to thank Emeritus Professor Martin Lis- ter for taking his time to continue as my supervisor after his retirement and for being of impeccable help in regard to situating my research in the field of Media Studies. He has offered me his solid knowledge on new media theory. I thank my supervisor Dr Seth Giddings for helping me in establishing ground for cultural theory within Game Studies. He has been both a forerunner and a friendly commentator. I am grateful for the help of my advisor Helen Kennedy for her example on studying women and play and for her generous feedback. Building on her research has been a great pleasure. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Iain Grant for pivotal comments. I thank the members of the Play Research Group and residents of the Pervasive Media Studio with whom I have had numerous valuable discussions, especially the participants of the Digital Cultures Ph.D. student group, Bjarke Liboriussen, Dan Dixon, Marta Mart´ınN´u~nez,Sam Kinsley and Shirin Pack- ham for kindly discussing parts of my study with me. I also gratefully ac- knowledge the funding sources at the University of the West of England that made this work possible. I wish to thank Professor Espen Aarseth for warmly welcoming me to visit the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copen- hagen, where I spent long periods of time writing this thesis. I am grateful for his support and encouragement throughout my project. I want to express my gratitude to Sara Mosberg Iversen for her friendship and for her comments on a late draft of this work. I thank Amyris Fernandez, Anders Drachen, Emma Witkowski, Gonzalo Frasca, Gordon Calleja, Jesper Juul, Jessica Enevold, Jonas Heide-Smith, Miguel Sicart, Olli Sotamaa, T.L. Taylor and other past and present members and visitors of the game group for valuable discussions and for research that keeps inspiring me. I am thankful to Alessandro Canossa, Andreas Lindegaard Gregersen, Kristine Jørgensen and Susana Tosca for their feedback at the games group work in progress seminars. I express my sincere gratitude to those who have contributed to my research at the Elomedia Doctoral School of Audiovisual Media in Finland. I want to acknowledge Professor Eija Timonen's and Professor Hannakaisa Isom¨aki'srole in encouraging and guiding me during the early stages of my doctoral studies in Finland. I thank Seppo Kuivakari for introducing me to the study of games and active audiences during my M.A. studies. I am indebted to my interview participants for sharing their experiences with me and to Rado for all the help she has generously provided me. Lastly, this work could not have been done without my wonderful family and friends. I am grateful to my friends in Bristol, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Jyv¨askyl¨aand elsewhere for offering me their support and en- couragement. I want to express my gratitude to my family { Tapio, Kerttu, Antto, Matti and Emmi { who have stood behind me with their love and solid confidence on my work. I thank my parents-in-law, Tapio and Pirjo, for their support, and acknowledge the kind help of my father-in-law, Tapio, in acquiring some essential materials in Finnish. Above all, my deepest gratitude and love goes to my dearest life and research companion Olli. His contribution both personally and academically has been invaluable. I hope to keep sharing our thoughts for years to come. I dedicate this work to my late grandmothers, Elvi and Marjatta, who never gave me an easy win in Canasta or in Kimble. Hanna Wirman Hong Kong October 2010 v Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background . 2 1.2 Linkages . 7 1.3 Aims and Objectives of Study . 10 1.3.1 Identity . 11 1.3.2 Computer Game . 20 1.3.3 Gameplay . 21 1.3.4 Games and Players: Co-Creativity . 23 1.3.5 The Sims 2 ......................... 27 1.3.6 The Sims 2 Skinning . 36 1.4 Structure of the Work . 41 2 Methodologies, Approaches and Framings 45 2.1 Interviews in Cultural Studies Research . 46 2.2 Email Interviewing . 49 2.2.1 Recruitment and Radola . 52 2.2.2 Participants . 56 2.2.3 Obtaining Consent . 57 2.2.4 Participants' Anonymity . 58 2.3 The Course of Correspondence . 59 2.3.1 Balancing Power . 61 2.3.2 Analysis while Interviewing . 68 2.3.3 The Cultural Context of Skinning . 72 3 Games, Gender and The Sims 77 3.1 Gendering Games, Gameplay and Players . 79 3.1.1 Representation: Games Are Marketed for Men . 82 3.1.2 Player Identity: Games and Gameplay Are Masculine . 86 3.1.3 Playing Identity: Games and Gameplay Are Masculine . 89 vii Contents 3.1.4 Production: Games Are Made by Men . 91 3.1.5 Consumption: Game Players Are Men . 94 3.1.6 Regulation: Games Are for Men . 95 3.2 Gendering and `Othering' The Sims 2 . 96 3.2.1 A Unique and Exceptional Game . 99 3.2.2 Real Life as Freedom and Ideology . 112 3.2.3 Domesticity and a Dollhouse Game . 114 3.2.4 Possibilities for Learning from the Ideology of the Game 122 3.3 The Sims Games in Game Studies . 128 3.3.1 Defining The Sims as a Non-Game . 129 3.3.2 Games and Openendedness as a Feminine Media Form . 132 3.3.3 The Goal of The Sims 2 ..................135 3.3.4 Player-Set Goals . 138 4 The Practice of Skinning: Resistance beyond Play? 141 4.1 Resistance in Modding . 142 4.2 Skinners as Hackers . 147 4.2.1 Skinners' Motivations: Easy and Convenient Challenges . 152 4.2.2 Skinners' Motivations: Sharing with Their Peers . 158 4.2.3 Similar Motivations, Different Focus . 163 4.3 Skinning as Tactical Use of the Game . 164 4.3.1 National Identities and Creativity: The Sims 2 and the Finnish . 171 4.3.2 `Surface' Modding and the Ideology of the Game .