Replay. The Polish Journal of Game Studies
Replay. The Polish Journal of Game Studies is devoted to interdisciplinary study of games, gaming, and gamers. We publish original research results conducted from different perspectives, cultural, sociological, and philosophical among others, with a strong focus on the history of digital games. We wish to develop a common language digital games scholars could use independently from the perspectives they employ. For this reason, we also welcome papers concerning the typology of digital games and its corresponding terminology. The journal publishes papers both in Polish and English.
A game of losing control: weak subjectivity, questioning rationality and problematizing identification in narrative-based videogames
The article diagnoses prevalent tendencies in game design and styles of play, positioning players as strong, active, rational, and extraordinary characters able to change the world around them; embodying the logic of inevitable linear progress both in story and game mechanics; encouraging players to optimize their actions to achieve measurable gameplay effects. Foucault’s notion of technologies of the self is used to highlight personal identification with the playable character as a predominant style of play in narrative-based videogames. The article then examines the examples of games that challenge these established tendencies – where the playable character’s intent is made impossible to achieve, rationality of playable character is questioned, the player gets deprived of control of their character in key moments of the game or the identification with the character becomes problematized. The phenomenon is exemplified by the games Spec Ops: The Line, Heavy Rain, Actual Sunlight and The Witcher series.
Copyright (c) 2014 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
The motif of yūrei in Japanese survival horrors – the analysis of selected case studies
This paper examines the phenomenon of survival horror games. It focuses on yūrei, a Japanese mythological supernatural being. Yūrei returns to the world of the living to take revenge on the people who harmed them in the past. The paper also concentrates on the remediation of yūrei iconography from literature and Japanese ghost movies into games. It analyses the characteristics of the survival horror genre, dividing them into the ludic and semantic systems. It also describes the relationships between traditional Japanese legends and modern texts, and presents an important issue of the main character (usually schematic and doomed to failure). Observations are based mainly on two games: Calling for Nintendo Wii and Kuon for PlayStation 2.
Ludo-narrativism as Bogost’s proceduralism in the light of the ludology-narratology debate
The ludology-narratology dispute has been dismissed and neglected by many researchers. Theorists on both sides of the conflict created theories assimilating the concepts of their opponents. However, in my opinion, Ian Bogost — a scientist not involved in the dispute — has the most interesting solution to the problem. Bogost’s basic concepts — unit operations comparative criticism and procedural rhetoric theory – combine interpretations of game rules with those of narratives. The achievements of Bogost seem less known and appreciated in the Polish game studies. In this article, I will present the basic theories from Bogost’s main books: Unit Operations: An Approach to Videogame Criticism and Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames in the context of ludology versus narratology debate.
Theatrical locations in digital role-playing games as a starting point for the reflection on the remediation of theater in computer games
Digital games and theatre seem to have similar identity. This may be observed in similar art techniques used in both media. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how theatre as a medium is represented in digital games. Analysis of selected games using theatrological methods shows the ludological problem of immersion in a new and interesting way. The subject of study is theatrical video game locations in Pathologic, The Path, Final Fantasy IX and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. According to the author, analysing such locations is a good starting point for the discussion about the remediation of theatre and digital games.
The burden of interactivity – eroticism and sexuality in computer games
Sexuality tends to find its way through all media, video games included. Yet, in-game erotica rarely varies from safe and tamed ways of depicting sexual intercourse typical of other audiovisual media. Something unique for computer games alone is that the productions containing interactive erotic scenes are very scarce. The aim of this paper is to analyse the most common examples of these, in order to produce a common set of scientific problems, which may form the basis for further research.
The paper analyses interrelations between different constituents of the Mortal Kombat entertainment system. The author points out those specific features of movie adaptations that are necessitated by the characteristic of the original games (lack of meaningful plot being one of them). In the last part of the paper the author interprets the Mortal Kombat entertainment system as a training exercise for contemporary consumerist lifestyle.
The functioning of intertextual references and the consequences of remediation of the Western genre in Call of Juarez
The author tries to examine the reasons for the popularity of the Western film convention manifested by the game Call of Juarez. It seems surprising because Western – once a popular genre – currently seems to be almost extinct. The key to the investigation of Call of Juarez appears to be the analysis of the intertextual references and the remediation of the Western convention. In order to explain the popularity of Western themed games, the author argues that the reasons responsible for the death of Western were mainly economic and not as it was previously considered – sociological.
Flâneur in the sandbox – experiencing the navigable space in computer games
Spatiality of computer games is one of the most important features that affect the way they are received by the players. That is why it becomes a common subject of discussion among researchers involved in analyzing the properties of the medium. In this essay I will describe some aspects that may affect the player’s experience of being in an interactive environment. I will consider if it is possible to find joy in navigation through open world games and try to answer the question of whether the definition of flâneur can be applied to characterize the role of the player focused on strolling along the game world.
Towards a new culture of computer games – from computerisation to smartphonisation
In this paper the authors focus on the crucial change of thinking about what computer really is, and then attempt to determine the essential elements of new games designed specifically for mobile computers. The authors characterize this type of entertainment, which enables them to outline potential scenarios for the development of this technological sphere and its impact on contemporary cultural life.
The aim of the article is to discuss the challenges of computer games preservation as a cultural heritage, focusing on the Polish perspective. Computer games are predominantly perceived as ‘new media’, despite the fact that their history dates back to the mid-20th century. It is important to understand that not only the early computer games are already ‘old media’ but all the digital games are. They may be perceived as ‘dying media’ vulnerable to unprecedented obsolescence. The article explores the consequences of digital decay and the notion of original experience in the context of conservation strategies. It suggests that there is still a need for a more conscious inclusion of computer games within the agenda of the Polish heritage institutions.
Your character has been robbed. Do you want to sue the other player? Polish criminal law and the notion of “theft” in a computer game.
Technological development implies a lot of new ways to commit crimes in cyberspace. Stealing virtual objects (such as magical swords or shoes) is one of them. It is unique because virtual theft combines one of the oldest types of criminal activity with the achievements of modern technology. This article deals with those situations when the actions taken by players stop being protected by the ‘magic circle’ and become criminal. It will also explore how the Polish Penal Law deals with these matters. It shall also discuss a comparable U.S. based case, involving fraud committed by the player called Cally in Eve Online, three cases from Poland and finally, It will deal with stipulated solutions.
Inhabiting Other Bodies – Animal Characters and Avatars
This article explores the significance of phenomenological perspectives for animal games, as defined by Gunnar Eggertsson, in which the player’s character is meant to signal an animal. Using examples from games like Stray, Shelter 2, and Endling – Extinction is Forever, which treat animals as fully-fledged protagonists, I demonstrate how animal characters and avatars affect the gaming experience and broader human-animal relations outside of gameplay. The goal of this inquiry is to understand whether games can bring us closer to a better understanding of the animal Other by simulating its experiences and perspectives. This study utilizes the perspectives of critical animal studies and phenomenological philosophy to provide a deeper description and understanding of human players’ interactions with animal characters. It emphasizes the role of embodiment in shaping a transformative gameplay experience.
Copyright (c) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Ludic Don Quixotes Rewritten: Hobbyist French Game Ports as the Reconstructions of Former Game Culture
In scientific discourse, high-budget remakes of classic digital games have been claimed as the purest examples of “retrospective nostalgia” on part of players and developers. This article aims to rehabilitate the remake and demake hobbyist development as a historical practice, reinstating the former game culture instead of simply thriving on players’ nostalgic feelings. Citing examples of Hervé Monchatre, Dominique Pessan, and the Abandonware France organization, the author shows different methods of the same practice – porting French 8-bit retro games into other 8-bit gaming platforms. The indicated retro game ports are more than instances of “retrospective nostalgia.” While their development seems l’art pour l’art, they nevertheless raise historical awareness about the former game culture.
Educational video games in a cultural perspective on the example of the series “Komputerowa Gratka 3D”
The article is an attempt to analyze a hitherto undescribed series of educational digital games for children „Komputerowa Gratka 3D” (Egmont Polska 2006– 2010) in terms of their cultural functions. For this purpose, the author adapts the methodology of new media studies in pedagogical sciences formulated by Janusz Gajda to the subject of games studies. She reflects on four selected titles in chronological order: Magiczna kula Papatki (2006), Przygoda w piramidzie (2007), Porwanie Łakomczucha (2008), Zaczarowana księga (2010). The conclusion reveals the predominant presence of the ludic and dissemination function of a variety of content, with positive and negative aspects.
Nostalgic Fanworks. Explanation of the Demake Category
The purpose of this article was to describe the category of demake in detail, which is a popular form of artistic expression among video game fans. This was achieved through an analysis of grow journalism focusing on the selected issue and two groups on the Reddit platform that bring together people interested in creating and playing demakes. At the beginning of the text there is an introduction of the reader to the discourse and a presentation of the methodology. Essential terms in this work were demake itself, remake, retrogaming, nostalgia, fan practices and corporate image-making of technology. These aspects helped to understand the demake and develop a relevant theory. The broad view of the category is an attempt to reconcile the knowledge gained by other researchers with the practices, habits and language of gamers, which often deviate from the academic order.
Copyright (c) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Book Review: Gra jako obiekt oporny. Performatywność w relacji gracza i gry cyfrowej by Justyna Janik
Justyna Janik’s book takes up the topic of the materiality of video games and proposes analyzing it using a posthumanist perspective. The Author introduces the concepts of intra-action (Karen Barad) and bio-object (Tadeusz Kantor), which she uses as tools to describe the specificity of the relationship between humans and video games, which is a form of constant communication and sharing of agency between the player and the simulation elements. Janik’s book is an interesting study of the autonomy of the game object and the resistance it manifests. This provides an inspiring basis for reflection on the materiality of software, the occurrence of glitches, the preservation of games, the technical background of the game, and the traces left by other players.
Computer games as a subject of psychological research – negative and positive aspects of gaming
Computer games are an interactive form of entertainment that is popular with younger and younger players. Therefore researchers are actively seeking information on the consequences of pursuing this type of pastime. At the beginning, the researchers’ attention was focused mainly on the negative aspects of gaming. Nowadays, more and more benefits related to this activity are being indicated. In 2014, Granic, Lobel and Engels published an article on the benefits of playing computer games. The researchers focused on four areas: cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social. They wanted to inspire new research on mental health benefits of gaming by pointing to various research reports they selected. This paper aims to present the research directions explored in recent years by researchers who strive to describe the positive and negative consequences of gaming. I present the main directions and examples of research in these areas, highlighting the ambiguity of the current results. Problematic areas related to gaming include aggression and violence, addiction, weakening of social relations, experiencing undesirable emotions, sexualization, racial prejudice, and racial discrimination. The indicated opportunities and benefits are the strengthening of cognitive, motor, emotional, and social competences.
Farming games in the cozy aesthetic a fantasy of dreams of a simple life
The article is devoted to the trend of farm games, which can be described using the aesthetics of cozy / “coziness”. The countryside life they create is based on cultural phenomena (mainly slow cinema and idyllic images derived from popular songs). What characterizes cozy games is creating the impression of slowness and putting relationships above competition or achieving the intended goal. For this reason, the stages of “life” on the farm, which make up the player’s functioning in the game – sowing, waiting for the harvest, and harvest itself – become the goal in themselves, constituting a source of satisfaction thanks to their repetition. The cyclicality inherent in the routine corresponds to the renewal proper to ritual time. The participation in this act of the user of the game allows them to enter this time in order to take part in a ritual that gives additional meaning to what is monotonous. The aim of the article is to present farm games as a realization in the digital space of a phantasm about a “simple life,” which is a response to the social reality dynamically changing due to the influence of technology. At the same time, this dream is an artistic manifestation of a broader existential project, which is the slow life trend.
Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Getting Cozy with the Zombie Apocalypse: The Saferoom as Capitalist Breakroom in "Left 4 Dead" and "Back 4 Blood"
This article considers how players experience coziness inside t h e saferooms of Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, and Back 4 Blood, which are ot herwise high-demand, fast-paced first-person shooter zombie games. Pairing Agata Waszkiewicz and Martyna Bakun’s concept of “situational coziness” with James Ash’s “intense space,” this discussion first explores how moments of coziness can occur within competitive and stressful FPS environments, and indeed may be considered cozy specifically in how they afford temporal, spatial, aesthetic, and audial reprieves from the stress of those environments. I explore how such situational coziness, when produced as both break from and reward for succeeding at stressful zombie apocalypse gameplay, contributes to the zombie genre’s ability to allow players performances of an idealized iteration of capitalism’s work/ leisure cycle, as both “work” and “leisure” have come to be defined under and in service to exploitative capitalist labor conditions.
Idle Games: A Cozy Genre Turned Exploitative
This paper explores the connection between cozy games and idle games, analyzing shared elements and underlying principles. Cozy games are characterized by an emphasis on comfort, relaxation, and safety, offering players an escape from the pressure of daily life through soothing gameplay experiences. Meanwhile, idle games feature waiting as a core mechanic, allowing progress to be made even in the player’s absence. This provides a continuous sense of growth and progression throughout the player’s day but may also lead to frequent engagements to optimize production. Furthermore, this desire for continuous progress may also be exploited by developers who capitalize on player impatience by incorporating microtransactions that expedite progression in exchange for real-world money. Thus, while idle games can fit within the cozy game genre, their monetization practices raise questions about ethical responsibility on the part of game developers and taint the genre’s potential as a serene gaming experience.
Looking for Cosy in All the Wrong Places. Cosiness and Tamed Sublime of "No Man’s Sky"
In this article, I argue that some games may elicit cosy sentiments even if they are centred on a premise not usually associated with cosiness – for example the infinity of the universe. They do so not by a fluke, and cosy spaces in these games do not only appear as designated spaces apart. Evoking a cosy feeling is done by specific game mechanics or design choices, “taming” the sublime premise of the game discussed. The architecture and mechanics of this unexpected cosiness may offer a new look at the fringe cases of cosy aesthetics, perhaps broadening the understanding of this phenomenon.
Beyond Aesthetics: Players, Player-Characters and Interactivity-as-Demand in Cozy Games
Cozy games are often defined by their soft visual design, ambient audio, and low risk gameplay that addresses a range of themes from casual to meaningful. Typically, they also center on simple gameplay in terms of control schema and the ability to disconnect, as a safe, relaxing play space, and with its easy exits points to quit the game. While these aspects have been discussed in both scholarly and media entertainment writing, the demands (or lack thereof) have yet to be explored from a theoretical perspective. Through the lens of interactivity-as-demand theory, this paper aims to explore the connection between the gameplay experience as it relates to cognitive, physical, social, and emotional demands and the in-game representations of the player-character. Through this analytical lens, it is possible to understand the consistency and disconnect of demands as experienced by the player compared to how they are (re)presented on screen which has potential implications related to the player’s expectations and design principles of cozy games.
Brewing Happiness Design Aspects of Coffee Representation in Cozy Games
This paper examines the way coffee is represented and used in cozy games. As a genre, cozy games are defined by the concepts of safety, abundance, and softness, which together establish a sense of coziness. Coffee, commonly associated with casual and friendly social situations, has a potential to be a strong contributor to coziness within cozy games. To explore this, the authors identified 27 cozy games containing coffee-related elements, and then performed a qualitative analysis on their content. The analysis found it was comparatively rare for coffee themes to strongly impact the overall game experience; however, there was a significant tendency for coffee to amplify the game’s overall sense of coziness.
No Uglies: Rejection and Utopia in "Animal Crossing: New Horizons"
What motivates cruelty against video game characters designed to be friendly? Using human-to-NPC interactions within the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a case study, this paper seeks to define what aspects of a cozy game contribute towards public displays of aggression or kindness toward the game’s characters. An examination of public forums dedicated to discussing villagers deemed ugly reveals the importance of parasocial connections in the utopian community planning aspects of Animal Crossing’s gameplay. The resulting online discourse surrounding ethical treatment of villagers becomes part of players’ conceptions of their role as social planner in-game, further solidifying which behaviors and objectives will yield them the coziest experience. Paratext, therefore, plays an active role in the conception and socialization of Animal Crossing players’ utopian urban projects.
“Drown Your Troubles in Coffee”: Place, Heterotopia, and Immersion in the Coffee Talk Series
This article contributes to the growing body of research on space, place, and immersion in video games and offers an analysis of placeness in Coffee Talk (Toge Productions, 2020) and Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (Toge Productions, 2023). Building on the work of Michel Foucault (1967/2008), this article begins by analyzing the coffee shop of this series as a heterotopia that allows the game characters and the player to find a form of comfort. Then, it examines the series in light of theories of immersion and pays particular attention to the place where the author played the two games – his bed – and also describes it as a heterotopia. This paper shows the usefulness of Foucault’s concept of heterotopia to understand placeness and coziness in video games, and the relevance of taking into account the physical space of play when we conduct a textual analysis.
The Duality of Cozy Games: Cozy Agency, Neoliberalism, and Affect
Cozy games can be thought of both as indoctrination into, and escapism from, anxieties caused by neoliberal ideology underpinning the late-capitalist apparatus championing productivity, progress, and quantifiable result generation. I draw on sociologist Anthony Giddens’ notion of “ontological security” – which refers to our sense of stability and safety that we draw from continuous, and therefore reliable, predictable, unthreatening, and familiar sequences of events or activities happening in our everyday lives – and propose the concept of “cozy agency” to productively examine the aesthetics of games that are not characterized by a hypermasculine drive to successfully overcome challenges, nor by the inessentiality of player action typical of idle games. Research on lifestyle media, cuteness, and vegetal affect is put into dialogue to theorize the modalities of agency typical cozy game aesthetics can afford and constrain. Such an approach is in line with recent shifts in discourses of agency and interactivity in game studies, which criticize these two terms for being too binary, masculine, and not accommodating alternative forms of engagement with games, with recent scholarship on agency especially calling for a politicization of the term and a call to delve into the significance of meaningful empowerment to act in/with/on/through games.
Comfortably Numb: An Ideological Analysis of Coziness in Videogames
This essay analyses the concept of coziness in videogames, focusing on their role as a stress-relieving diversion in modern capitalist societies. The article emphasizes the genre’s features of safety, abundance, and softness, which create an atmosphere that soothes players amidst high-paced, contemporary lifestyles. While often framed as a type of resistant design, it is argued that cozy games uphold capitalist principles, by encouraging players to replicate them within the game. The discussion extends to the idea of coziness in interior design within these games, which is shown to reproduce ideologies of class, status, and consumerism. Drawing from atmosphere theory as well as the works of Jean Baudrillard, Slavoj Žižek, and Richard Dyer, the author argues that even the act of designing cozy spaces in these games serves as a continuation of capitalism and that cozy games may be thought of as utopian entertainment attempting to answer societal shortcomings through capitalist solutions. Thus, the essay posits that while cozy games offer a respite, they reproduce the conditions sustaining capitalist modernity.