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Abstract

This article draws from ethnographic work in the game industry to challenge claims that digital platforms “democratize” cultural production by supporting small teams. I show how game developers exemplify the New Spirit of Capitalism in their search for creative autonomy outside of the risk-averse blockbuster console industry. Their risk of cultural production is ostensibly reduced by tools that leverage big data. By following one studio making free-to-play mobile games, I test the celebratory claims of democratization against the reality of implementing these now-essential analytics tools. The studio’s experiences demonstrate how mobile production for digital platforms intensifies game labor rather than facilitating its democratization in any straightforward way. It restricts creative autonomy, exacerbates the burden of risk on developers, and reinforces existing market and gender inequities. Rather than creatively liberating developers and expanding access to game development, data-driven design for digital platforms introduces new gatekeepers and literacies of exclusion.

Keywords

game development mobile games ethnography big data creative industries data-driven design

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The New Spirit of Capitalism in the Game Industry

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References