University of Alberta Emerging adults and the domestication of console-based video games in the home by Joshua Noble A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication and Technology Faculty of Extension © Joshua Noble Spring 2014 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author’s prior written permission. DEDICATION Dedicated to my wonderful wife Vicki; thanks for sticking around while I wrote my Master’s thesis. Oh the streets of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas fill with smoke Doorbell rings I put my controller down and pick it up Shoot some things Later, the darkness hits reboot and the loneliness increases She said she'd come back home when I write my Master's thesis -When I write my Master’s Thesis, John K. Samson ABSTRACT Ten emerging adults were interviewed about their experiences of console-based video games in their domestic context. Emerging adults were chosen because they constitute the first generation of video game natives, the first generation to grow up with video games as a ubiquitous piece of Everyday Life. Interviews were employed to better understand the domestication styles that emerging adults had experienced. These experiences served to develop themes around the four components of domestication (appropriation, objectification, incorporation, conversion) as well as around the domestication dynamics between technological native children and technological immigrant parents. The results found that domestication of video games is a complex process that takes a variety of shapes in various domestic spaces. For the reader interested in how video games specifically, technology generally, is domesticated in negotiations between technological native children and technological immigrant parents this thesis offers a rich articulation and set of themes. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As human beings we have a penchant for celebrating the accomplishment of epic journeys. Armstrong’s flight to the moon, Columbus crossing the ocean, Pheidippides run from Marathon to Athens all inspire awe. There is perhaps an unstoppable urge toward awe in the face of the vast, epic expanse. Less celebrated, but no less important, are the tiny, epic journeys. Consider the Wright Brothers first experiments with flight, the hollowed-log canoes that crossed rivers and bogs, and, even the tiny, determined steps of a toddler learning to move on the strength of their two feet. This journey has been the latter. Far from epic, this thesis does not break humanity’s next frontier, does not bring us to the new world, and unlike Pheidippides, I will (hopefully) not drop dead when it is over! Nonetheless, the project has been my own tiny, epic journey. It has brought me to new personal frontiers – indeed, when I began the MACT program, the idea of writing a thesis might as well have been a flight to the stars. I am greatly indebted to the people who have seen me along through my own tiny, epic journey: Dr. Marco Adria, I have been well blessed to have your guidance and support as my thesis supervisor. From my entry in the program you have been a faithful advocate for me as I began to navigate the realities of graduate work. I am a better academic today than I was when I began – thank you. Dr. Jerry Varsava, your trips across the North Saskatchewan to Faculty of Extension have been appreciated! Your perspective as a storyteller has offered me a great deal of assistance as I searched for emerging adults stories. Dr. Martin Guardado, thank you for your insistence that I not apologize for my academic work and rather state my case with conviction and honesty. You have been a valuable help and guide along the way. Eileen Crookes, your thank you comes with a promise – I promise no more last minute transcript, scholarship, or other administrative requests. Thank you for being gracious to me as I worked to navigate my way through the program. You have been kind and amiable despite my tardiness, and I deeply appreciate it. Dr. Gordon Gow, thanks for what you taught me both as a student and as a Teaching Assistant. Both learning experiences will not be forgotten – thank you. TABLE OF CONTENTS Emerging adults and the domestication of console-based video games in the home ..................... 1 DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ 5 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: Introduction, theoretical framework, and academic context ......................................... 1 Introduction: Statement of research question .................................................................................... 2 The home .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Technology ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Domestication ................................................................................................................................. 13 Everyday Life as field of study ....................................................................................................... 23 Emerging Adults ............................................................................................................................. 25 Video games .................................................................................................................................... 31 Concluding: The project from here ................................................................................................. 43 Chapter 2: A cultural context ........................................................................................................ 45 Introduction: Why video games? .................................................................................................... 46 Setting the context: A history of video game consoles ................................................................... 46 Video games, culture and society: A sketch of our contemporary milieu ...................................... 57 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 62 Choosing phenomenology............................................................................................................... 63 Considering truth claims ................................................................................................................. 64 Moustakas’ Phenomenological method .......................................................................................... 68 Data collection and analysis ............................................................................................................ 72 Concluding: Research scope ........................................................................................................... 76 Chapter 4: Results ......................................................................................................................... 79 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 80 Portraits of Participants ................................................................................................................... 80 Quick reference table ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Domestication ................................................................................................................................. 83 Appropriation .................................................................................................................................. 84 Objectification ................................................................................................................................. 91 Incorporation ................................................................................................................................... 98 Conversion .................................................................................................................................... 107 Other recurring themes.................................................................................................................. 117 Chapter 5: Conclusion................................................................................................................