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Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
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The Professional Identity of Gameworkers

Mark Deuze

Indiana University, USA, mdeuze@indiana. edu

Chase Bowen Martin

Indiana University, USA, cbmartin{at}indiana.edu

Christian Allen

Art Institute Online in Pittsburgh, USA, christian.allen{at}redstorm.com

/ The lack of clear crediting standards is a constant concern in the computer and video game industry. On an academic level, this concern has a regrettable parallel: of all the hundreds of thousands of professional culture creators in the media world, the ones whose lives are studied the least are game developers. Our paper maps the key issues which inform and influence the working lives and professional identities of professionals in the global computer and videogame industry. In our analysis of gamework as an example of the production of culture, we synthesize interviews with game developers, scholarly and trade publications, game developers' weblogs and online forum postings, as well as informal discussions and exchanges with people inside the industry.

Key Words: game development • games industry • gamework • new media labor • work as play

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Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, Vol. 13, No. 4, 335-353 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1354856507081947


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This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Games and CultureHome page
C. B. Martin and M. Deuze
The Independent Production of Culture: A Digital Games Case Study
Games and Culture, July 1, 2009; 4(3): 276 - 295.
[Abstract] [PDF]


This Article
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What's this?