Co-creating Videogames

In the realm of game scholarship, John Banks' Co-Creating Videogames is that rare combination of significant access to the sites of videogame production and astute analysis that resists easy answers. His account of co-creative digital production shows how creativity, uncertainty, and value combine in the new economies (in the broad sense) that videogames have ushered onto the cultural landscape. A crucial contribution is his willingness to recognize the top-down elements of contrivance and design that inevitably shape the seemingly 'bottom-up' dynamics of digital cultural production. This book belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested or invested in cultural production in the digital age. Thomas Malaby, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA John Banks' Co-creating Videogames provides a thorough and nuanced theory of production in the maturing Web 2.0 era. Based on original ethnographic research, Banks convincingly shows how video production these days is the outcome of an evolutionary process between economic and cultural, commercial and non-commercial factors. A far cry from the bifurcated theories in the early years of Web 2.0 culture, Banks' model is neither a euphoric celebration nor an ideological detraction, but a balanced academic study of how various actors are simultaneously shaping co-creativity. It's a must read for every scholar and student specializing in games and digital culture. Jose van Dijck , Professor of Comparative Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands This book is a must read for anyone interested co-creative culture, one of the most important aspects of gaming and network life. Banks' nuanced and insightful treatment of the emerging relations between players and developers as they jointly produce our gaming spaces is an incredibly valuable contribution. Drawing on his rich ethnographic work, he pushes beyond simplistic models and takes us into the heart of fan practices, development processes, and new forms of creative production. T.L. Taylor, Associate Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA This well-researched informative volume provides readers with an explanation and analysis of the relatively new phenomenon of user-generated content integrated into professional video game development. Banks (Queensland Univ. of Technology, Australia) describes an individual case study (Trainz) in great detail, offers more general perspectives of other companies and other games, and outlines the overall issues and problems with this practice. These include determining how player-developers can be recognized and renumerated for their contributions to a game and the difficulties of integrating relationships with large groups of external content creators with a core professional development team. Other sections of the book explore current academic and philosophical research in game theory and co-creation. The content is supported by citations from player-developers, descriptions of meetings that the author attended in person, and insights from industry professionals that validate and explicate the author's points. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. -- E. Bertozzi, Quinnipiac University CHOICE