The Information Society is excited to offer free access to a very important and relevant article, in a rapidly growing area of research, from Volume 25, Issue 2, 2009.   The research-based article by Sara M. Grimes and Andrew Feenberg is titled, "Rationalizing Play: A Critical Theory of Digital Gaming" (please see the full abstract below). 

Abstract:  This article constructs a new framework for the study

of games as sites of social rationalization, applying Feenberg's critical theory of technology. We begin by making the case for a consideration of games as systems of social rationality, akin to other modern systems such as capitalist markets and bureaucratic organizations. We then present a conceptualization of play as a process through which the player focuses attention away from the undifferentiated action of everyday life toward a differentiated sphere of playful activity. This approach reveals how the experience of play changes as it becomes rationalized through the technological mediation and widespread standardization that occurs as games become large-scale social practices. We propose a theory of the rationalization of play (ludification), which outlines the key components of socially rationalized games, which we then apply

to the specific example of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs).

We have made the article available for viewing, free of charge, for the next 90 days.  To access the article, visit http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a909230753.

For any questions or trouble accessing the article please email jason.mcandrew@taylorandfrancis.com.

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