University News Last updated 29 May 2024
What have Playboy and the Mafia got in common? A strong and perhaps unexpected connection with play and video games, say scholars who attended the听History of Games 2024 conference听at 探花直播 (BCU).听听
For the internationally renowned event, 80 experts from 18 countries representing almost 40 institutions met in 探花直播 to discuss the theme of 鈥楩amilies鈥� in gaming.听 听
, a former PhD student at BCU, delivered one of three keynote talks, sharing insights from her research into the Mafia and video games. 听
鈥淲hat鈥檚 more family than the Mafia?!鈥� she said. 鈥淔amily structures are at the core of the Mafia鈥檚 organisation 鈥� and, as game players, we get immersed into these families.鈥� 听
Dr Seiwald highlighted how both the Mafia and a Mexican drug cartel had used video games to recruit people to carry out criminal activities on their behalf. 听听
"In 2021,听听reported that a Mexican drug cartel used Grand Theft Auto Online to recruit someone to transport narcotics 鈥� and not electronics as agreed 鈥� across the border,鈥� she said. 听
鈥淭his incident highlights the far-reaching influence of gangs, such as the Mafia, and inspired me to explore the relationship between the Mafia and video games in my research.鈥澨�
, Senior Research Fellow in the听听at听听in Finland, discussed how the Playboy legacy had shaped thoughts about play in the 20th century.听听
During his research into game cultures and pornography, he said he had realised that the Playboy brand was 鈥渢urning up a lot鈥� and 鈥減resented play as a masculine technique of self-mastery and seduction that women can鈥檛 join effectively鈥�.听听
He added: 鈥淎s a community, we鈥檙e thinking deeply about how we map the heritage of games. It鈥檚 essential we talk about and contextualise these things as important historical artefacts, remembering that there are also problematic aspects tied into some of their ideas. 听
鈥淎t first, Playboy was aimed at men鈥檚 leisure, which included popular culture phenomena such as board games and comic books. Playboy appealed because it discussed these topics and other hobbies in a serious and 鈥榤asculine鈥� way before specialist hobby magazines existed.鈥澨�
, a writer and game historian documenting the lives and careers of video game developers, gave a keynote address on forgotten lineages and untold histories in games.听听
鈥淒evelopers today making hugely popular games, such as Elden Ring, often drawing inspiration from older, forgotten titles they enjoy,鈥� he said.听听
鈥淚t鈥檚 about tracing how games have influenced each other to create a cognitive DNA or lineage of ideas that are passed from one developer to another.听听
鈥淕ames are part of our cultural fabric. They鈥檙e integrated into every aspect of our lives, from our formative years to growing up and playing video games with our children or families. I hope people will feel excited about the stories behind games and be inspired to dig deeper.鈥澨�
Nick Webber, Associate Professor in Media at BCU, said the conference had been a 鈥渂ig success鈥�, adding: 鈥淭hree great keynote talks and 59 excellent presentations from 73 authors stimulated some vibrant and engaging discussions and exposed gaps for future research. 听
鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time the History of Games community has come together in person since 2018 and it has reminded us how vital these events are. They introduce new scholars to colleagues from across the world and produce opportunities for new international collaboration. 听
鈥淥ne delegate remarked they haven鈥檛 been to a conference they enjoyed this much for years!鈥�