Spatial Regimes of the Digital Playground

Abstract

In this article, the author investigates how computer games can be understood as sociospatial practices. Although spatiality has always been considered a central quality of any digital game, cultural and social functions of space have not been much theorized in relation to games. This article furthers a discussion on how they can be understood as spatial practices by proposing a first approach that makes an analysis of games as sociospatial practices possible. It introduces the concept of magic node as a manner to facilitate such a study of games. A case study of cartographical practices in real time strategy games exemplifies how games can be approached as such magic nodes.