Le passage du jeu à la création : le cas du jeu vidéo amateur

Abstract

The field of amateurs using game creation tools (Unity, Construct 2, RPG Maker, etc.) has been, up to now, little explored. Yet, the activity is important quantitatively and heterogeneous qualitatively. And, above all, it allows to study one of the play’s margins, namely creation. How do tool users move from players to makers? Is this process an extension of playing itself? If so, what exactly is extended? We address these questions in this paper, presenting the first results of our still ongoing ethnographic fieldwork. Firstly, we name various dynamics characterizing the makers’ activity. Then, on this basis and reintroducing the notion of hobbyism in the field of game studies, we propose to problematize the question of the playing extension as a taste related reflexive activity.

Keywords

• amateur
• fan
• game design
• programs
• tools
• play