Interrogating Creative Theory and Creative Work Inside the Games Studio

The expansion of creative and cultural industries has provided a rich source for theoretical claims and commentary. Much of this reproduces and extends the idea that autonomy is the defining feature of both enterprises and workers. Drawing on evidence from research into Australian development studio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSociology (Oxford) Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 316 - 332
Main Authors Thompson, Paul, Parker, Rachel, Cox, Stephen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications Ltd 01.04.2016
SAGE Publications
Cambridge University Press
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Autonomy
Computer & video games
Creative industries
Culture
Economic development
Games
Identity
Job insecurity
Online entertainment
Political economy
Sociology
Software
Studies
Work skills
Workers
Australia
labour process
autonomy
games industry
political economy
creative labour
immaterial labour
effort bargain
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Summary:The expansion of creative and cultural industries has provided a rich source for theoretical claims and commentary. Much of this reproduces and extends the idea that autonomy is the defining feature of both enterprises and workers. Drawing on evidence from research into Australian development studios in the global digital games industry, the article interrogates claims concerning autonomy and related issues of insecurity and intensity, skill and specialisation, work–play boundaries, identity and attachments. In seeking to reconnect changes in creative labour to the wider production environment and political economy, an argument is advanced that autonomy is deeply contextual and contested as a dimension of the processes of capturing value for firms and workers.
ISSN:0038-0385
1469-8684
DOI:10.1177/0038038514565836