Inside the mind of the machine : an exploratory study of Street Fighter IV players

Slaček Brlek, Aleksander Sašo (author)

In the article I explore online communities of players of the fighting game Street Fighter IV. I use non participant observation to analyse the way players relate to the game and construct their experience of it. The analysis reveals a profound immersion of Street Fighter IV players into gameplay mechanics. They analyse the minutest technical details of the game engine to gain a competitive advantage and have developed a terminology that covers both technical and strategic aspects. To progress in the game players have to hone their skills through constant practice that improves their motoric skills and reflexes, and by devising a strategy and learning to anticipate the moves of the opponents.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Cultural studies, Kulturne študije, sociologija kulture, Svetovni splet, Video games, Videoigre, World Wide Web
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publisher: Fakulteta za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo v Ljubljani
• Year: 2014
• Number of pages: Str. 59-71, 187
• Numbering: Letn. 51, št. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-77419
• UDC: 794-028.23:316.72
• ISSN on article: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 32560989
• Publication date in RUL: 30.12.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

V članku raziskujem spletne skupnosti igralcev igre Street Fighter IV. Z opazovanjem brez udeležbe analiziram načine, na katere igralci vzpostavljajo odnos z igro in konstruirajo izkušnjo igranja. Analiza razkriva, da so igralci igre Street Figther IV globoko vpleteni v mehaniko igre. V razpravah analizirajo tehnične podrobnosti algoritma igre in razvijajo terminologijo, ki pokriva tako tehnične kot strateške vidike igre. Za napredovanje v igri morajo igralci neprestano uriti svoje motorične sposobnosti in reflekse ter zasnovati strategijo in se naučiti predvidevati poteze nasprotnika.

• Keywords: sociologija kulture