Computing and Information Systems - Theses
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ItemConstructing authentic esports spectatorship: An ethnography( 2020)Formally organised competitive video gaming, commonly known as esports, has seen a rapid rise in popularity over the past decade as a form of spectator entertainment. Thousands of fans pack grand stadia across the globe to watch their favourite esports teams and players compete for extravagant prize pools, while millions watch online remotely in their homes via livestreaming platforms like Twitch. Unlike conventional sports however, there is no inherent need for esports to take place in any particular physically-situated site like a stadium. The computerised nature of esports lends the practice a perceived placeless quality. No matter where an esports event is situated, be it in a stadium or networked across homes, the digital synthetic environments in which players’ avatars compete remain the same as objective constructs of code and graphical assets. If the perspective of watching esports is largely the same across different sites by virtue of its inherent mediation, then why is esports spectated beyond the comfort of the home? The aim of this thesis is to address this conundrum by exploring the experiences esports spectatorship in varying contexts. In particular, this thesis seeks to understand how experiences of esports spectatorship are influenced by and differ across various sites of spectatorship. This aim is achieved through an ethnographic methodology, where data is generated through embedded interactions and experiences with esports spectators at three distinct sites of esports spectatorship. Data generation methods including semi-structured interviews and various forms of participant observation are employed across the ethnographic fieldwork, while data analysis is largely conducted through reflexive thematic analysis and a thick description approach. Three studies are conducted, each looking at a separate site of esports spectatorship: the home, the stadium, and the esports bar. Study 1 focuses on the experiences of domestic esports spectatorship. The findings of the study demonstrate that in the mundanity of the home, domestic spectators perform laborious spectatorship to authenticate and make spectacular their experiences of spectating esports. It also demonstrates that despite a perceived sense of autonomy, domestic spectators commonly encounter numerous compromising factors in their homes which often prevents them from constructing an ideal spectating experience. Study 2 focuses on experiences of and motivations for esports spectatorship in stadia. It reveals that spectators seek to affirm their expectations of authentic esports by attending events held in stadia, thus establishing notions of esporting authenticity. Besides seeking to partake in an authentic experience of esports spectatorship, those attending stadium-situated events seek to present themselves as authentic esports spectators. Aware of their status as props in the mediated spectacle of esports events broadcast to remote audiences, those spectating in stadia seek to present themselves in a perceived authentic manner to convince event organisers to host future esports events in Australia. Study 3 focuses on the experiences of spectating esports in an esports bar, representing a site of public communal spectatorship between the stadium and the home. Despite being a public place, the bar is in many ways more homely than the home. Void of many compromising factors commonly found in domestic environments, spectators at the esports bar are free to exercise a greater degree of autonomy over the construction of authentic esports spectatorship experiences. Taken together, the three studies reveal ways in which esports spectators construct authenticity in their experiences of spectatorship by creating a sense of placefulness. In doing so they establish a convention of esports authenticity for both those within and outside of the esports fandom. Different sites of spectatorship offer different tools, resources, and opportunities to construct experiences of esports spectatorship. Spectators choose accesible sites that best allow them to construct what they percieve an experience of esports spectatorship ought to be.
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ItemDesigning sports: exertion games( 2010)Exertion games are computer games that require intense physical effort from its users. Unlike traditional computer games, exertion games offer physical health benefits in addition to the social benefits derived from networked games. This thesis contributes an understanding of exertion games from an interaction design perspective to support researchers analysing and designers creating more engaging exertion games. Playing with other participants can increase engagement and hence facilitate the associated benefits. Computer technology can support such social play by expanding the range of possible participants through networking advances. However, there is a lack of understanding how technological design can facilitate the relationship between exertion and social play, especially in mediated environments. In response, this thesis establishes an understanding of how mediating technology can support social exertion play, in particular when players are in geographically distant locations. This understanding is forged through the design of three “sports over a distance” games. The experience of engaging with them was studied qualitatively to gain a rich understanding of how design facilitates social play in exertion games. The three games “Jogging over a Distance”, “Table Tennis for Three”, and “Remote Impact - Shadowboxing over a Distance” allow investigating different perspectives of mediated exertion play, since they represent three categories of richness on a social play continuum across both the virtual and the physical world. Studies of the experience of engaging with the three games resulted in an exertion framework that consists of six conceptual themes framed by four perspectives on the body and three on games. A fourth study demonstrated that the understanding derived from the investigation of the use and design of the games can support designers and researchers with the analysis of existing games and aid the creative process of designing new exertion games. This thesis provides the first understanding of how technology design facilitates social play in exertion games. In doing so, it expands our knowledge of how to design for the active body, broadening the view of the role of the body when interacting with computers. Offering an increased understanding of exertion games enables game designers to create more engaging games, hence providing players more reasons to exert their bodies, supporting them in profiting from the many benefits of exertion.