Tom Brock

Manchester Metropolitan University, Sociology, Faculty Member

Sociology +26

150 Followers 75 Following 4 Co-authorsTotal Views

Papers

How to Do Phenomenology in Game Studies

Roger Caillois and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming: A Critical Realist Perspective

Counting Clicks

Man, Reflexivity and Gameplay: On Deriving a Sociology from Games

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016

Play As Craftsmanship in Computer Game Consumption: Towards a Sociology of Gaming As Craft Labour

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016

Subjects or Subjected? The Puzzle of Identity in Neoliberal Times

What concerns us here is how to best make sense of the proliferation of subjectivities under neol... more What concerns us here is how to best make sense of the proliferation of subjectivities under neoliberal circumstances in a way that recognises the role of agency without falling into the trap of voluntarism. This is what we see as the puzzle of identity in neoliberal times. As Gill (2008: 433) has pointed out, those studying neoliberalism have a rich array of conceptual tools available for minutely dissecting cultural forms and, yet, there “is very little understanding of how culture relates to subjectivity, identity or lived embodied experiences of selfhood”. Our chapter represents a modest attempt to address this gap in the literature by offering an account of social identity which draws on Margaret Archer’s (2007) work on biography and reflexivity but also incorporating Foucauldian concerns into the picture so to conceptualise the production of subjectivities in terms of the iterative unfolding of agency and power over the lifecourse. We elaborate this perspective through a brief...

The gamblification of digital games

Journal of Consumer Culture, 2021

The consumption of digital games has become increasingly "gamblified" (Gainsbury et al,... more The consumption of digital games has become increasingly "gamblified" (Gainsbury et al, 2015; Zanescu et al, 2020) in recent years. Due to the changes in media landscape such as the development of new forms of gambling via the Internet and mobile phones, consumers can now play games and gamble in real-time and from almost any location (Newall et al, 2019; King et al, 2010; Griffiths & Parke, 2010). The growing intersections between digital games, gambling, and consumption practices afforded by these technological changes take many forms (Albarran-Torres, 2018). Some players pursue what has become known as "skin betting", which involves wagering digital "skins" (virtual appearances) of characters either within games or on third-party websites and platforms (Greer et al, 2019); others bet on esports (competitive digital gaming) competitions in a manner comparable to traditional sports betting (Gainsbury et al, 2017); others utilise "gamblified" monetisation methods when watching and engaging with live-streamed digital game content on platforms such as Twitch.tv (Abarbanel & Johnson, 2020); while others still purchase loot boxes, the focus of many of the papers in our particular issues, which involve paying real-world money for an unpredictable set of in-game virtual items (Macey & Hamari, 2019, Nielsen & Grabarczyk, 2019). Our goal in this special issue is to begin to elucidate some of the changes in consumption patterns, both within "gaming" and "gambling", that we see heralded by these developments.

The ‘gambling turn’ in digital game monetization

Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds, 2020

This article examines how ‘gambling’ secured a central economic and cultural position in the deve... more This article examines how ‘gambling’ secured a central economic and cultural position in the development of modern digital games. We first trace how developers have monetized ‘games’ and ‘play’, from slot machines to PC, console and mobile platforms, before considering the recent controversy over ‘loot boxes’ as an emblematic case study of the ongoing gamblification of digital play. We argue that (1) the rising costs of development and marketing for ‘blockbuster’ games, (2) an overcrowded marketplace and (3) significant shifts in the corporate culture of the games industry are creating cultural conditions which legitimize gambling as a form of digital game production and consumption. This is evidenced in developers’ capacity to innovate around legal challenges and player demand for further customization and rewards. What emerges is a question about the future direction of game development and the impact of a logic of money, rather than play, which now underwrites it.

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Tom Brock

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