The Game of Being Social: Web 2.0, Social Media, and Online Games

Abstract

As the Internet confluences into the creative social networking potentialities of Web 2.0 localities, the techno-social fabric of online gaming dramatically shifts. Once the preoccupation of 'hardcore' gamers, MMOGs (massively multi-player online games) have now become casualized (Juul 2009) and part of the daily diet of many millions of social networking sites (SNS) users. This is particularly apparent in the Asia-Pacific region in locations such as China and Singapore. In this paper I will explore the rise of 'Web 2.0' and its types of social labour (i.e., playbour and produsers), epitomized by SNS, that have led to the growth of online gaming communities from hard-core to casual. I discuss the significance of SNS online games in understanding these emerging communities and their attendant.

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Iowa Journal of Communication

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Recommended Citation

Hjorth, Larissa (2010) "The Game of Being Social: Web 2.0, Social Media, and Online Games," Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 42: No. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol42/iss1/7

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