{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T10:55:20Z","timestamp":1790679320905,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,8]],"date-time":"2015-01-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1420675200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Games and Culture"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Frustration is an everyday experience for many users of game media. Distinct from related sensations such as difficulty, frustration is perhaps best characterized as when the agency of the player becomes obstructed. This can lead to the feeling of an ambivalent, uncooperative relationship with the game machine. This article will focus on two examples to demonstrate some of the possible manifestations of frustration in game media. The first, \u201cSteel Battalion: Heavy Armor,\u201d will deal with motion control gestures that are misinterpreted by the game in a way that obstructs the player\u2019s ability to interact with the game. The second, \u201cPapers, Please,\u201d will consider repetitive gameplay that limits the player\u2019s actions. Drawing on recent scholarship in animation studies, both cases will be approached as a form of what Sianne Ngai describes as \u201canimatedness,\u201d the feeling of becoming an automaton and of having one\u2019s agency frustrated by technology.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412014567229","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,9]],"date-time":"2015-01-09T22:01:45Z","timestamp":1420840905000},"page":"593-612","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Animated Frustration or the Ambivalence of Player Agency"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Daniel","family":"Johnson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Auerbach D. (2012a). The stupidity of computers. N+1, Machine Politics, (13). Retrieved August 1, 2014, from https:\/\/nplusonemag.com\/issue-13\/essays\/stupidity-of-computers\/"},{"key":"bibr2-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Auerbach D. (2012b). Choose your own formalism. The White Review. Retrieved August 3, 2014, from http:\/\/www.thewhitereview.org\/features\/choose-your-own-formalism\/"},{"key":"bibr3-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Auerbach D. (2013). The quick time event. The White Review. Retrieved August 5, 2014, from http:\/\/www.thewhitereview.org\/features\/the-quick-time-event\/"},{"key":"bibr4-1555412014567229","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5749\/minnesota\/9780816678976.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr5-1555412014567229","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1525\/9780520951501"},{"key":"bibr6-1555412014567229","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.langcom.2007.09.001"},{"key":"bibr7-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Cork J. (2012, June 19). Gameplay goes AWOL in mech-combat revival \u2013\n                      Steel Battalion: Heavy armor\n                      .\u201d\n                      Game Informer\n                      . Retrieved July 31, 2014, from http:\/\/www.gameinformer.com\/games\/steel_battalion_heavy_armor\/b\/xbox360\/archive\/2012\/06\/19\/gameplay-goes-awol-in-mech-combat-revival.aspx"},{"key":"bibr8-1555412014567229","volume-title":"Shadow of a mouse: Performance, belief, and world-making in animation","author":"Crafton D.","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr9-1555412014567229","volume-title":"A thousand plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia","author":"Deleuze G.","year":"1987"},{"key":"bibr10-1555412014567229","volume-title":"The interface effect","author":"Galloway A.","year":"2012"},{"key":"bibr11-1555412014567229","unstructured":"GameCenter CX\n                      [Television series]. (2003). Tokyo, Japan: Fuji Television."},{"key":"bibr12-1555412014567229","volume-title":"Chaosmosis: An ethico-aesthetic paradigm","author":"Guattari F.","year":"1995"},{"key":"bibr13-1555412014567229","first-page":"89","volume":"26","author":"Hardt M.","year":"1999","journal-title":"Boundary 2"},{"key":"bibr14-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Hoggins T. (2013, 8 28). Papers, please review. The Telegraph. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/technology\/video-games\/10271115\/Papers-Please-review.html"},{"key":"bibr15-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Hornshaw P. (2013, 10 14). Border (double) crossing.\n                      Gamefront\n                      . Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http:\/\/www.gamefront.com\/papers-please-review-i-am-the-law\/2\/"},{"key":"bibr16-1555412014567229","volume-title":"The obstinate avatar: On (the lack of) bodily intelligence in recent slapstick videogames","author":"Jones I.","year":"2014"},{"key":"bibr17-1555412014567229","volume-title":"The art of failure: An essay on the pain of playing video games","author":"Juul J.","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr18-1555412014567229","volume-title":"Gertie the Dinosaur","author":"McCay W","year":"1914"},{"key":"bibr19-1555412014567229","volume-title":"Ugly feelings","author":"Ngai S.","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr20-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Pope L. (2013). Papers, Please [Steam]."},{"key":"bibr21-1555412014567229","first-page":"456","volume-title":"The illusion of life II: More essays on animation","author":"Schaffer W.","year":"2007"},{"key":"bibr22-1555412014567229","unstructured":"Shoemaker B. (2012, 6 19). Giant bomb review:\n                      Steel Battalion \u2013 Heavy armor\n                      .\n                      Giant Bomb\n                      . Retrieved July 31, 2014, from http:\/\/www.giantbomb.com\/reviews\/steel-battalion-heavy-armor-review\/1900-502\/"},{"key":"bibr23-1555412014567229","volume-title":"Steel Battalion","year":"2010"},{"key":"bibr24-1555412014567229","volume-title":"Super Ghouls \u2018n Ghosts","year":"1991"},{"key":"bibr25-1555412014567229","volume-title":"The Walking Dead","year":"2012"},{"key":"bibr26-1555412014567229","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1386\/jgvw.2.1.27_1"},{"key":"bibr27-1555412014567229","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412014542807"},{"key":"bibr28-1555412014567229","volume-title":"Uncharted 3: Drake\u2019s Deception","year":"2011"}],"container-title":["Games and Culture"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1555412014567229","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/1555412014567229","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1555412014567229","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T06:32:48Z","timestamp":1777444368000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1555412014567229"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,8]]},"references-count":28,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,11]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/1555412014567229"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1555412014567229","relation":{},"ISSN":["1555-4120","1555-4139"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1555-4120","type":"print"},{"value":"1555-4139","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,8]]}}}