Playing is sharing. La condivisione e il tempo libero nelle reti sociali di gioco

Abstract

To many people playing is a substantial part of their free time and has become an opportunity to create societal networks, spaces for participation, identity but also opportunities for consumption and sharing. Thanks to the spreading and the consolidation of game cultures, more and more spaces for sharing games have found their way into Italy. This practice, called ‘game sharing’, leads individuals to create groups of gamers and associations to collectively buy board and roleplaying games to share with each other and with brand-new players. This practices follows a non-profit logic and arise from the passion for games and community. The present contribution offers in the first part a brief summary on the concepts and the study of the games in social sciences whereas, in the second part, presents a qualitative research between anthropology and social psychology conducted in different Italian cities (Bologna, Catania, Padua, Turin and Treviso). The research included multiple participatory observations of game sharing associations, stores that implemented this practice and independent game groups. In addition to ethnographic observation, many narrative interviews were conducted with organizers and coordinators of associations, with shop owners, game designers and, finally, with players who use games and roleplay to do activism on gender issues and sexual orientation. The contribution investigates gaming contexts as a societal network dedicated to free time and sharing, as a non-formal learning activity of social skills and empathy and, finally, as a network of professional knowledge to be used in case of need.

Keywords

• game sharing
• informal learning
• sharing
• gamification
• free time