TU Wien Informatics

20 Years

The Rise of the Gamer: How Video Games Lost the Novice Players

  • 2007-06-15
  • Research

Nowadays, video games are primarily designed for players with extensive knowledge. The games gained a specialized audience, but lost the general public

In 1977, there were no “hardcore” players of video games: Every video game had to be created with the assumption that players had no understanding of video games, genres, and controllers. Thirty years later, video games are primarily designed for players with extensive knowledge of video game conventions. This is how video games gained a specialized audience, but lost the general public. In this perspective, video games have long ago become a developed “art”, created for connoisseurs, by connoisseurs with a deep understanding of the medium. Using examples, I will discuss the rise of the hardcore gamer market, and how video games are once again opening up to new players via new platforms like the Wii, and via casual games.

Jesper Juul is a video game theorist and assistant professor in video game theory and design at the Centre for Computer Game Research Copenhagen where he also earned his Ph.D. His book Half-Real on video game theory was published by MIT Press in 2005. Additionally, he works as a multi-user chat systems and casual game developer. His blog, The Ludologist, can be found at http://www.jesperjuul.net/ludologist http://www.jesperjuul.net

über die vortragsreihe

in der vortragsreihe about digital games laden die organisatoren - forscher der tu wien - in unregelmässigen abständen österreichische und internationale expertInnen zu vorträgen über verschiedene aspekte von digitalen spielen ein. ziel der reihe ist die anregung eines breiten und interdisziplinären wissenschaftlichen diskurses über video- und computerspiele.

about digital games wird in kooperation zwischen dem institut für gestaltungs- und wirkungsforschung und dem institut für computergraphik und algorithmen organisiert

Speakers

  • Jesper Juul, Centre for Computer Game Research, Copenhagen

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