Players unleashed! : modding the Sims and the culture of gaming /

Players unleashed! : modding the Sims and the culture of gaming /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Sihvonen, Tanja.
Imprint:	Amsterdam : Amsterdam University Press c2011.
Description:	221 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
Language:	English
Series:	Mediamatters MediaMatters.
Subject:	Sims. Sims. Computer games -- Programming. Computer games -- Design. Computer games -- Design. Computer games -- Programming.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8439442

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9789089642011 9089642013
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-209) and index.
Summary:	Summary: The author of this informative study explores the question of what happens when players practice and negotiate computer code, various ideologies, and the game itself by modding (modifying a game) in the context of "The Sims", the bestselling computer game of all time. Sihvonen examines the technical and material specificities of "The Sims" mods, as well as their cultural context. Viewed as a manifestation of participatory culture, modding makes PC games ultimately malleable: players reconfigure the game by creating new content, altering the code and changing the behaviors of the game engine. Using a semiotic framework, Sihvonen suggests a signification process that includes representation, interpretation, investigation and experimentation with the game system and rules.

Description
Summary:	It has been ten years since video game giant Electronic Arts first released The Sims , the best-selling game that allows its players to create a household and then manage every aspect of daily life within it. And since its debut, gamers young and old have found ways to "mod" The Sims , a practice in which gamers manipulate the computer code of a game, and thereby alter it to add new content and scenarios. In Players Unleashed! --the first study of its kind--Tanja Sihvonen provides a fascinating examination of modding, tracing its evolution and detailing its impact on The Sims and the game industry as a whole. Along the way, Sihvonen shares insights into specific modifications and the cultural contexts from which they emerge.
Physical Description:	221 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-209) and index.
ISBN:	9789089642011 9089642013