The Politics of Labor and Play in Popcultural Industry of On-Line Video Games

Abstract

The article deals with the functioning of the on-line AAAgames in capitalist market circulation, with games understood as productssubject to trade exchange. The author analyzes the method of capitalizationof players’ productivity, such as the use of unpaid digital laborof fans, arguing that the game mechanics are often adjusted to the playbourparadigm. The mechanisms of modeling the reception and distributionof games are listed and described based on the example of Steamand methods of exploitation of the Real-Money Auction House in DiabloIII. Automating the process of the game is considered to be the mostefficient model of play, displacing traditionally understood explorationand interaction with other players.

Keywords

• sieciowe gry wideo
• pracozabawa (playbour)
• praca cyfrowa
• kapitalizm kognitywny