Remember that article about a Counter-Strike study about 30 days ago? Well the study itself has been printed at gamestudies.org. Here is a quote:
The complexity of textual chats and non-verbal expressions (ex. Logos, avatars and modified map designs) reveal the manner in which a game, like Counter-Strike, allows players to go far beyond the standard rules of the original modification. Play is not just "playing the game," but "playing with the rules of the game" and is best shown in the diversity of talk, the creative uses of such talk and player behavior within the game, plus the modifications of game technical features. Of course, the playing of the game also produces changes in one's own subjectivity making it a pleasurable experience if one is accomplished (Myers 1992). In essence, the game is a platform for showing off human performances in a mock combat setting. But, all is not combat or simply shooting a virtual enemy. And, as in any human performance, creativity of execution is the norm. From our text files we identified 39 possible coded talk categories which fit into the following five general categories: 1) creative game talk, 2) game conflict talk, 3) insult/distancing talk, 4), performance talk and 5) game technical/external talk. These were the categories that appeared to exhibit the greatest frequency of use among players. They give a direct insight into the types of social interactions and the "policing" of such interactions in these types of action games.It's an interesting read, so read it.
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