Jack Baskin School of Engineering

Mama Ludens vs Fanboi - What is wrong with the Gaming Revolution?

Assistant Professor Jessica Enevold, Lund University, Sweden; Managing Editor, "Game Studies"
Monday, May 16, 2011, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: Engineering 2, Room 599
Hosted By Associate Professor Noah Wardrip-Fruin

Abstract

It has been hailed for a while, in articles, book introductions and sales reports: the gaming revolution. Fun for all is finally here and if we put our minds to it, games may even save the world! Then, what is wrong with the gaming revolution? The question can be read both as a complaint and a celebration of what is happening. This talk questions the gaming revolution by playfully pitting Mama Ludens vs Fan-boi, here representing everyday playing practices of adult female gamers and conservative discursive elements of game culture, in a symbolic battle over ludic fun. It nevertheless welcomes the gaming revolution as a cultural evolution, but calls for a more profound and radical ludic revolution.

Biography

Jessica Enevold is Assistant Professor at the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, section for ethnology at Lund University, Sweden where she organizes the Digital Cultures and Games Lecture and Lab Series and works as course coordinator, supervisor and teacher in the Master's Program Applied Cultural Analysis (MACA). She runs the research projects "Gaming Moms: Juggling Time, Play and Family Life" and "Games and Play - For Better For Worse". She currently co-edits an anthology on Game Love and is the Managing Editor for the international journal Game Studies.