Resisting the Perpetual Update: Struggles against Protocological Power in Video Games

The journal New Media & Society has recently published my article Resisting the Perpetual Update: Struggles against Protocological Power in Video Games. This article explores the evolution of video game updates and patches from a mechanism of customer support to a tool of control over the way games are played in the ecosystem of digital gaming platforms. It charts a historical trajectory across various cultural industries, including literary publishing, screen industries, and music, to show a shift from multiplicity of editions to one perpetually updated contingent commodity. Focusing on the issues of power and control enabled by the always-online platforms, the analysis shows that previously updating was often voluntary. However, now players must actively resist patches if they wish to play the game on their own terms. As illustrated by three case studies of update resistance (Borderlands 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Marvel Strike Force), developers, publishers, and platform holders wield protocological power, which can be successfully opposed—although the outcome often remains localized and tends to alter a specific iteration of protocol and not the underlying infrastructure.

Playing with and against Microtransactions

The cover of the edited volume.

The edited volume The Evolution and Social Impact of Video Game Economics has been recently published by Lexington Books (an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield). It features my chapter about acceptance and rejection of video game microtransactions in full-priced mainstream video games. I take a closer look at the implementation of additional monetization models in five video games: Mass Effect 3, Dead Space 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mortal Kombat X, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Beside a formal analysis of the types of microtransactions including their pricing and overlaps with downloadable content (DLC), I explore the online discussions about the reception of microtransactions. I identify several discourses that feature arguments such as general unaccepability, diversification, cosmetics, single-player traditionalism, cooperation, and transparency. I also focus on declarative behavior of players regarding microtransactions, including various forms of political consumerism and cheating.