Abstract
In this article, we develop the concept of “transplatform” to contribute to platform studies. We analyze the rivalry between the Atari Video Computer System (VCS)—the best-known member of the “second generation” of home videogame consoles—and Intellivision, which was the Atari VCS’s key competitor for most of this period. Through this analysis, we hope to provide conceptual tools for rethinking the notions of platform, culture, and context in platform studies. In particular, we seek to link the two main ways platforms are currently understood—“computing platforms” like the Atari VCS or Flash and “social platforms” like FaceBook or YouTube. Online sociality is increasingly “platform sociality” in some form. Understanding platforms not just in “context,” but as shaped by rivalries not ontologically subsequent to the platforms themselves, is vital to responding to these emerging formations.
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