{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T08:54:01Z","timestamp":1787907241280,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":111,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2010,5,7]],"date-time":"2010-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1273190400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Games and Culture"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2010,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>What is video game culture, however? What does it mean to have a culture defined by the consumption of a particular medium? Moreover, what are the implications of defining this culture in a particular way? While there has been a great deal of ink split on video game culture, the actual definition of the term is often treated as common sense. Unpacking the discourses surrounding \u2018\u2018video game culture\u2019\u2019 allows us to see the power dynamics involved in attributing certain characteristics to it, as well as naming it \u2018\u2018video game culture\u2019\u2019 as such. This has implications for how video games are studied and is connected with how culture is studied more broadly. By critically examining how video game culture has been defined in both press and academic articles, this paper illuminates how this definition has limited the study of video games and where it can move.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412009360414","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2010,5,7]],"date-time":"2010-05-07T20:55:28Z","timestamp":1273265728000},"page":"403-424","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":201,"title":["What Is Video Game Culture? Cultural Studies and Game Studies"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Adrienne","family":"Shaw","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2010,5,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"atypb1","first-page":"R19","author":"Amdur, D.","year":"1996","journal-title":"The Washington Post"},{"key":"atypb2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203321454"},{"key":"atypb3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0048-7333(02)00016-1"},{"key":"atypb4","volume-title":"Culture and anarchy","author":"Arnold, M.","year":"1998","edition":"2"},{"key":"atypb5","volume-title":"Culture: A reformer\u2019s science","author":"Bennett, T.","year":"1998"},{"key":"atypb6","volume-title":"Gendered readings","author":"Bird, S.E.","year":"1992"},{"key":"atypb7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412005281620"},{"key":"atypb8","volume-title":"Platform studies","author":"Bogost, I.","year":"2007"},{"key":"atypb9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511619717"},{"key":"atypb10","volume-title":"Political correctness and cultural studies","author":"Carey, J.","year":"1997"},{"key":"atypb11","volume-title":"From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and computer games","author":"Cassell, J.","year":"2000"},{"key":"atypb12","volume-title":"Synthetic worlds: The business and culture of online games","author":"Castronova, E.","year":"2005"},{"key":"atypb13","volume-title":"Online gaming and the interactional self","author":"Chee, F.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb14","unstructured":"Consalvo, M. ( 2003). Hot dates and fairy-tale romances: Studying sexuality in video games. In M. J. P. Wolf & B. Perron (Eds.), The video game theory reader (pp. 171-194). New York: Routeledge."},{"key":"atypb15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444806059921"},{"key":"atypb16","first-page":"C01","author":"Copeland, L.","year":"2000","journal-title":"The Washington Post"},{"key":"atypb17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781849209267"},{"key":"atypb18","volume-title":"Flow: The psychology of optimal experience","author":"Csikszentmihalyi, M.","year":"1990"},{"key":"atypb19","volume-title":"Game cultures: Computer games as new media","author":"Dovey, J.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb20","volume-title":"From margin to center: Biographies of technicity and the construction of hegemonic games culture","author":"Dovey, J.","year":"2007"},{"key":"atypb21","first-page":"C7","author":"Elliott, S.","year":"2005","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb22","first-page":"A01","author":"Faiola, A.","year":"2006","journal-title":"The Washington Post"},{"key":"atypb23","volume-title":"Television culture","author":"Fiske, J.","year":"1989"},{"key":"atypb24","volume-title":"Reload: Rethinking women + cyberculture","author":"Flanagan, M.","year":"2002"},{"key":"atypb25","first-page":"A20","author":"Freire, P.","year":"2006","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb26","first-page":"91","volume":"3","author":"Fromme, J.","year":"2003","journal-title":"Game Studies"},{"key":"atypb27","volume-title":"Paper presented at the perthDAC 2007: The 7th Annual Digital Arts and Culture Conference","author":"Fullerton, T."},{"key":"atypb28","volume-title":"The meaning and culture of Grand theft auto: Critical essays","author":"Garrelts, N.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb29","first-page":"T51","author":"Gaudiosi, J.","year":"2007","journal-title":"The Washington Post"},{"key":"atypb30","volume-title":"What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy","author":"Gee, J.P.","year":"2003","edition":"1"},{"key":"atypb31","volume-title":"Interpretation of cultures","author":"Geertz, C.","year":"1973"},{"key":"atypb32","volume-title":"[1967]). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research","author":"Glaser, B.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb33","first-page":"A11","author":"Gorman, A.","year":"2007","journal-title":"Los Angeles Times"},{"key":"atypb34","volume-title":"Mind and media: The effects of television, video games, and computers","author":"Greenfield, P.M.","year":"1984"},{"key":"atypb35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09502388800490241"},{"key":"atypb36","volume-title":"Can cultural studies find true happiness in communication?","author":"Grossberg, L.","year":"1994"},{"key":"atypb37","volume-title":"Stop teaching our kids to kill: A call to action against TV, movie & video game violence","author":"Grossman, D.","year":"1999","edition":"1"},{"key":"atypb38","first-page":"104","volume":"20","author":"Hall, S.","year":"1993","journal-title":"Social Justice"},{"key":"atypb39","volume-title":"Cultural studies: Two paradigms","author":"Hall, S.","year":"1998"},{"key":"atypb40","volume-title":"From Sun Tzu to XBox: War and video games","author":"Halter, E.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb41","first-page":"T148","year":"2005","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb42","volume-title":"Subculture, the meaning of style","author":"Hebdige, D.","year":"1979"},{"key":"atypb43","first-page":"12","volume":"1","author":"Higgins, S.","year":"2000","journal-title":"Teaching thinking"},{"key":"atypb44","volume-title":"Homo ludens; a study of the play-element in culture","author":"Huizinga, J.","year":"1955"},{"key":"atypb45","volume-title":"Paper presented at the CHI 95: Human Factors in Computing Systems","author":"Inkpen, K."},{"key":"atypb46","volume-title":"Eight myths about video games debunked","author":"Jenkins, H.","year":"2007"},{"key":"atypb47","volume-title":"Interactive audiences?","author":"Jenkins, H.","year":"2002"},{"key":"atypb48","volume-title":"Games, the new lively art","author":"Jenkins, H.","year":"2005"},{"key":"atypb49","volume-title":"Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide","author":"Jenkins, H.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/466285"},{"key":"atypb51","volume-title":"Everything bad is good for you: How popular culture is making us smarter","author":"Johnson, S.","year":"2005"},{"key":"atypb52","first-page":"55","author":"Johnson, S.","year":"2005","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb53","volume-title":"The ultimate history of video games","author":"Kent, S.L.","year":"2001"},{"key":"atypb54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4135\/9781446211410","volume-title":"The buisness and culture of digital games: Gamework\/gameplay","author":"Kerr, A.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/135485650300900106"},{"key":"atypb56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1525\/9780520912434"},{"key":"atypb57","volume-title":"Dungeons and dreamers: The rise of computer game culture, from Geek to Chic","author":"King, B.","year":"2003"},{"key":"atypb58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5040\/9780755695546"},{"key":"atypb59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1162\/105474603322391596"},{"key":"atypb60","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1515\/9780773571068","volume-title":"Digital play: The interaction of technology, culture and marketing","author":"Kline, S.","year":"2003"},{"key":"atypb61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412005281910"},{"key":"atypb62","volume-title":"Mind at play: The psychology of video games","author":"Loftus, G.R.","year":"1983"},{"key":"atypb63","volume-title":"A theory of mass culture","author":"MacDonald, D.","year":"1957"},{"key":"atypb64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17405900600591362"},{"key":"atypb65","volume-title":"When old technologies were new: Thinking about communications in the late nineteenth century","author":"Marvin, C.","year":"1988"},{"key":"atypb66","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4135\/9781446214572","volume-title":"An Introduction to Game Studies: Game in Culture","author":"Mayra, F.","year":"2008"},{"key":"atypb67","volume-title":"Game Work: Language, Power and Computer Game Culture","author":"McAllister, K.S.","year":"2004"},{"key":"atypb68","first-page":"37","volume":"34","author":"McRobbie, A.","year":"1980","journal-title":"Screen Education"},{"key":"atypb69","first-page":"1D","author":"Memmott, C.","year":"2005","journal-title":"USA Today"},{"key":"atypb70","volume-title":"Introduction","author":"Miller, T.","year":"2005"},{"key":"atypb71","volume-title":"What it is and what it isn\u2019t: Introducing...Cultural Studies","author":"Miller, T.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb72","volume-title":"Paper presented at the perthDAC 2007: The 7th International Digital Arts and Culture Conference - The Future of Digital Media Culture","author":"Mortensen, T.E."},{"key":"atypb73","first-page":"D04","author":"Musgrove, M.","year":"2006","journal-title":"The Washington Post"},{"key":"atypb74","volume-title":"The nature of computer games: Play as semiosis. (Vol. 16)","author":"Myers, D.","year":"2003"},{"key":"atypb75","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412005281915"},{"key":"atypb76","first-page":"B1","author":"Perez-Pena, R.","year":"2003","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb77","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.so.05.080179.001033"},{"key":"atypb78","first-page":"C1","author":"Pham, A.","year":"2007","journal-title":"Los Angeles Times"},{"key":"atypb79","volume-title":"Gender play: Successes and failures in character designs for videogames","author":"Pinckard, J.","year":"2003"},{"key":"atypb80","volume-title":"Comic book culture: Fanboys and true believers","author":"Pustz, M.J.","year":"1999"},{"key":"atypb81","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/358916.361990"},{"key":"atypb82","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412008325480"},{"key":"atypb83","first-page":"D4","author":"Robbins, L.","year":"2002","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb84","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1354856508097019"},{"key":"atypb85","volume-title":"Games and learning: A handbook from Futurelab","author":"Sandford, R.","year":"2005"},{"key":"atypb86","first-page":"A1","author":"Schiesel, S.","year":"2005","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb87","author":"Schiesel, S.","year":"2006","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb88","first-page":"A1","author":"Schiesel, S.","year":"2006","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb89","first-page":"B7","author":"Schiesel, S.","year":"2007","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb90","first-page":"B7","author":"Schiesel, S.","year":"2007","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb91","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/135485650000600404"},{"key":"atypb92","unstructured":"Sisler, V. ( 2006). Representation and self-representation: Arabs and Muslims in digital games. In M. Santoineous & N. Dimitriadi (Eds.), Gaming realities: A challenge for digital culture (pp. 85-92). Athens: Fournos."},{"key":"atypb93","first-page":"12A","author":"Snider, M.","year":"1999","journal-title":"USA Today"},{"key":"atypb94","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412005281911"},{"key":"atypb95","volume-title":"Cultural studies and the study of popular culture: Theories and methods","author":"Storey, J.","year":"1996"},{"key":"atypb96","volume-title":"The ambiguity of play","author":"Sutton-Smith, B.","year":"1997"},{"key":"atypb97","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/5418.001.0001"},{"key":"atypb98","first-page":"1C","author":"Velin, B.","year":"2003","journal-title":"USA Today"},{"key":"atypb99","first-page":"E1","author":"Verini, J.","year":"2006","journal-title":"Los Angeles Times"},{"key":"atypb100","first-page":"32","author":"Walker, R.","year":"2004","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb101","volume-title":"Developing children\u2019s problem solving: The educational uses of adventure games","author":"Whitebread, D.","year":"1997"},{"key":"atypb102","volume-title":"List of newspapers in the United States by Circulation","author":"Wikipedia.","year":"2007"},{"key":"atypb103","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118032000163240"},{"key":"atypb104","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412005281774"},{"key":"atypb105","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1083-6101.2008.00428.x"},{"key":"atypb106","volume-title":"Gaming as culture: Essays on reality, identity and experience in fantasy games","author":"Williams, J.P.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb107","volume-title":"The analysis of culture","author":"Williams, R.","year":"1998","edition":"2"},{"key":"atypb108","first-page":"G12","author":"Wilson, E.","year":"2005","journal-title":"The New York Times"},{"key":"atypb109","volume-title":"The business and culture of gaming","author":"Winkler, W.K.","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb110","volume-title":"Introduction","author":"Wolf, M.J.P.","year":"2001"},{"key":"atypb111","volume-title":"The Norranthian scrolls: A study of EverQuest","author":"Yee, N.","year":"2001"}],"container-title":["Games and Culture"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1555412009360414","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1555412009360414","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T06:35:01Z","timestamp":1777444501000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1555412009360414"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2010,5,7]]},"references-count":111,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2010,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/1555412009360414"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1555412009360414","relation":{},"ISSN":["1555-4120","1555-4139"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1555-4120","type":"print"},{"value":"1555-4139","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2010,5,7]]}}}