Symposium on the Convergence of Gamification & Financialisation

We are pleased to present the program for an interdisciplinary symposium on the problematic convergence of gamification (adding game mechanics to non-game environments) and financialisation (embedding financial processes in non-finance contexts).

At a moment when playful activities are becoming more and more financialised (such as in monetised casual videogames) and when we experience financial activities as more and more gamified (such as in many online banking and investment apps), how does this impact our attitudes towards money, finance, the value of attention, and our agency in online activities?

In light of such developments, how should we rethink the concept of play?

🤑🤑🤑 ~ PROGRAM ~ 🤑🤑🤑

Date:
May 31 and June 1 2024
In-person and live-streamed

Location:
Abertay University
Event Space (Kydd Building, Bell St., Ground Floor)
Dundee, Scotland

Organised and hosted by Dr. Darshana Jayemanne and Dr. Martin Zeilinger
Funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE)
Additional support from the School of Design & Informatics, Abertay University

Live stream: Link

Access a PDF of the program here and digital copies of abstracts/bios here

🤑 Day 1 (May 31)

9:30–10:30: Arrival // coffee & pastries // mingling

10:20: Welcome Remarks

Prof. James Bown, Dean of the School of Design & Informatics, Abertay University

10:30: Introduction & house-keeping

Dr. Darshana Jayemanne (Senior Lecturer in Games and Arts, Abertay University)
Dr. Martin Zeilinger (Senior Lecturer in Computational Arts & Technology, Abertay University)

Morning panel (11:00–13:00)

11:00: “Digital Tokens, Playful Finance, and Datafication in Child Finance Apps” (remote)

Dr. Bjorn Nansen (Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Melbourne)
Dr. Lauren Bliss (Research Fellow, School of Culture and Communications, University of Melbourne)

11:25: “’Hello can I apply for scholarship?”: Digital Labor in Crypto Games”

Daniel Nielsen (PhD Candidate in Media Studies, Charles University)
Dr. Anne Mette Thorhauge (Assoc. Professor in Communication and IT, Center for Tracking and Society, University of Copenhagen)

11:50: “A Map of Labor and Finance in Games and Play, and Vice Versa”

Alberto Calleo (PhD Candidate, Advanced Design Unit, University of Bologna)

12:15: Discussion

Lunch break (13:00–14:30)

Afternoon panel (14:30–16:30)

14:30: “Powered by Steam, not affiliated with Valve Corporation”

Dr. Anne Mette Thorhauge (Assoc. Professor in Communication and IT, Center for Tracking and Society, University of Copenhagen)
Daniel Nielsen (PhD Candidate in Media Studies, Charles University)

14:55: “The Ludic and the Digital”

Dr. Ashley Woodward (Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Dundee University)

15:20: “Umpire Governments and Labor Tournaments: Toward a History of Game Form in Capitalism” (remote)

Sam Pizelo (PhD Candidate, Dept. of English, University of California, Davis)

15:45: Discussion

Coffee break (16:30–17:00)

Keynote (17:00–18:30) “MONEY, THE METAVERSE & THE MAGIC CIRCLE”

Dr. Rachel O’Dwyer (Lecturer in Digital Cultures, National College of Art and Design, Dublin)

Respondent: Adrian Hon (Game designer and author)

(Evening activities TBA)

🤑 Day 2 (June 1)

9:30–10:15: Arrival // coffee & pastries // mingling

Morning panel (10:15–12:15)

10:15: “Run to Earn and Stake to Lose: A Convoluted Embrace of Gamified Fintech among Chinese Disadvantaged Individuals” (remote)

Jiaxi Hou (PhD Candidate, Interdisciplinary Information Studies, University of Tokyo)

10:40: “Gamification in Blockchain-Based Climate Finance”

Inte Gloerich (PhD Candidate in Media and Culture Studies, Utrecht University and Amsterdam University of Applied Science)

11:05: “Towards a Political Economy of the Financialisation of Play“

Dr. Daniel Joseph (Senior Lecturer of Digital Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University)

11:30: Panel Discussion

Lunch break (12:15–13:45)

Afternoon panel (13:45–15:45)

13:45: “The Value of NFTs in Games” (remote)

Alesha Serada (PhD Candidate, University of Vaasa)

14:10: “Mobile Cell”

Dr. Dominic Smith (Senior Lecturer, Philosophy, Dundee University)

14:35: “Collecting Stuff in Video Games: Consumerism, Hoarding, and Sustainability”

Dr. Hadi Mehrpouya (Artist and Lecturer in Computer Games Technology, Abertay University
Dr. Tom Brock (Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University)

15:00: Panel Discussion

Short Coffee break (15:45)

16:00: Reflections on the symposium and closing discussion (with coffee & biscuits)

Dr. Max Haiven (Canada Research Chair in the Radical Imagination, Lakehead University)
in conversation with
Dr. Aleena Chia (Lecturer in Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths University)
Facilitated by Martin and Darshana