Just Fun and Games? A Sociological Consideration of Fun in Video Games

Just Fun and Games? A Sociological Consideration of Fun in Video Games

Just Fun and Games? A Sociological Consideration of Fun in Video Games

Garry Crawford, Tom Brock

Abstract

"The concept of “fun” is widely used within the game design and game studies litera-ture, and is frequently highlighted as a key component of good game design, as well as a key factor in why people play games. However, it is a term rarely unpacked, and fun in video games remains relatively underresearched, certainly in comparison to other associated terms such as “play.” This article therefore provides a much-needed socio- logical exploration of a term at the center of games design and studies, and moreover, argues, that doing so allows us to explore a range of important and related topics, such as the changing relationship between work and leisure and the blurring of fun and no-fun boundaries, as well as enabling us to delineate between often interchange- ably used terms, such as happiness, enjoyment, and pleasure."

Reference

Crawford, G., & Brock, T. (2024). Just fun and games? A sociological consideration of fun in video games. Games and Culture. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120241254876

Keywords

Fun, Happiness, Gamification