Once upon a bit: Ludic identities in Italy, from militant nostalgia to frivolous divertissement

Abstract

The relation between gaming consumption and subcultural feelings represents an issue challenging to explore because of the current multiplication of identity affiliations. Furthermore, games are a cultural sector characterized by constant turning points and a persistent growth of audiences in numerical and variety terms. The ‘game culture’ itself has become an ephemeral concept, while digital entertainment is catalyzing the public attention and influencing the habits of other gaming sectors. This article aims to shed light on the relation between old and new (or less old) ludus as social and identity frame. Applying a mixed approach between Sociology and Cultural Studies, I have interviewed 64 subjects among common players, gatekeepers, association’s leaders, publishers, shop’s owners and game designers associated with non-digital game cultures in Italy. The intent was to explore the impact of the diffusion of digital games on already established gaming environments and then the ‘identity bricolage’ acted by individuals between the two sides.

Authors and Affiliations

Enrico Gandolfi

Keywords

Related Articles

„They took personal data and some pictures, yet they found nothing for us” – misunderstanding and suspicion in a marginal Roma neighborhood from Romania

This paper claimed to reveal, that mistrust during fieldwork is more than an unpleasant individual experience: it is a telling ethnographic data. Repudiation of Gallilei Street ghetto residents was equally due to a wrong...

Truth or story or true story? The self in the interview situation

This study is a methodological inquiry into how individuals present themselves and picture their identity in the life-story interview situation and which are the settings which have a say in this presentation. In order t...

The relationship between domestic space and gender identity: Some signs of emergence of alternative domestic femininity and masculinity

The premise of this article is that, by introducing domestic space in the analysis of gender identity, one might gain a more nuanced understanding of how gender and power are co-constitutive. The research question is wha...

Mr. Zuckerberg and the Internet. An essay on power relations and privacy negotiation

This essay aims to analyze the power relations existing within one of the most interesting events of the last few months, namely, Mark Zuckerberg’s hearing before the American Congress, on the Cambridge Analytica scandal...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP122496
  • DOI -
  • Views 154
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Enrico Gandolfi (2015). Once upon a bit: Ludic identities in Italy, from militant nostalgia to frivolous divertissement. Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology, 6(1), 115-131. https://www.europub.co.uk/articles/-A-122496