Let's talk a little bit about play. I feel like this term is fascinating and it's usually connected with stuff I'm interested in. So to begin, the introduction of Digital Culture, Play, and Identity: a World of War Craft Reader, features John Huizinga's definition of play. For him, play is "an activity that happens outside of 'ordinary' life." Additionally, there are specific rules, spaces, and times of play that are separate from real-life rules, space, and time. Known as the "magic circle," players are aware of the boundaries between playing and not playing. I have to say this last bit reminded me so much of kids declaring that they weren't playing as soon as they start to lose...I'm not saying I was one of these poor sports, but I am familiar with that tactic. If someone wasn't playing then there was nothing you could do to argue that point; they were exempt from the game. According to Huizinga's understanding of play, there is no real-life material interest or profit for the player. In light of the technologies available in our digital era and the different kinds of play available now through MMOGs, this limit seems a little shortsighted.
Henry Jenkins views play in another light able to bring out the nuances achieved in convergence culture. Widening the things that might constitute play, Jenkins defines play as “the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving.” Digital media is an area ripe for the play Jenkins describes because things can be questioned and tested through the acts of reimagining, rewriting, and reperforming. Participatory culture insists that everyone play the game in part. In fact, more and more, it is harder to just watch or observe on the internet. When commenting, posting, and even the act of clicking on specific links contributes to the popularity or most-used spider algorithms. And yet with all of this openness and freedom to create, it is still within the framework of something bigger.
I keep thinking about Audre Lorde’s “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House.” I wonder how to create change within a digital space when so much of the web is already co-opted and compromised. I am very interesting in using the system to get in a position to make changes, particularly within the academy or social organizations, but how do we successfully do this in a digital space? The lessons taught in WoW still reinforce the notion that if you are a good worker, go on quests, build skills, gain experience, develop a stronger character that you will be superior in the game. But, as Scott Rettburg points out, that is a “capitalist fairytale.” Maybe the simulation of successful capitalism is enough to keep people engaged not only in the game, but the purposeful, profit-driven course of life within the system. The same is true for the younger audiences through Webkinz; the online world you develop for your pet can only be achieved through working, playing games, and earning money. Webkinz world’s activities mainly consist of earning, finding, or winning money. You can go to school, receive food, or visit the doctor for free, but everything else is determined by how many Webkinz dollars you possess. The lessons from WoW and Webkinz are strong because they are intrinsic to the natural order of the game world, which is based in our world. And although there are opportunities for creativity and dissidents to exist, how much does that really happen.
Here's an example of my concern. Rob and Big is a MTV reality program that aired from 2006-2008. Although the original is hard to find online, there are a number of homemade version that recreate moments from the show. While I won't fault any individual's decision to make a video and post it, I find this level of mimicry the lowest common denominator of entertainment and I don't see elements of Jenkins's promised creativity and inventiveness. Granted, I'm still not sure if my hang up hinges on authenticity or simpleness or redundancy, but how do we consider these digital productions?
The original:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY0CpY43n8g
Just a sample of some remakes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDuM-pwkd4g&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbTUffk6S9Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SlVPwvYKjU&feature=related
I don't get it.
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