<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Gaming is a frequent source of conflict for families. Research on parents and gaming has identified a lack of gaming-related expertise, a general devaluation or fear of play, and authoritative and restrictive parenting styles as key sources of conflict. What happens when these deficits are addressed? What does mediation look like when parents are expert gamers, enjoy play, and encourage play for their children? Based on qualitative interviews with 29 parents who identify as gamers, we explore how gamer parents domesticate games. To explore the work of stabilising gaming as a wholesome and valued pastime, we combine domestication theory with overflows to address the struggles involved. The analysis investigates how gamer parents mediate play, with an emphasis on how games are interpreted, the family's player practices, and the role of gaming-related expertise in accordance with the three dimensions (symbolic, practice, cognitive) of domestication theory.</p>
</abstract>

Gaming is a frequent source of conflict for families. Research on parents and gaming has identified a lack of gaming-related expertise, a general devaluation or fear of play, and authoritative and restrictive parenting styles as key sources of conflict. What happens when these deficits are addressed? What does mediation look like when parents are expert gamers, enjoy play, and encourage play for their children? Based on qualitative interviews with 29 parents who identify as gamers, we explore how gamer parents domesticate games. To explore the work of stabilising gaming as a wholesome and valued pastime, we combine domestication theory with overflows to address the struggles involved. The analysis investigates how gamer parents mediate play, with an emphasis on how games are interpreted, the family's player practices, and the role of gaming-related expertise in accordance with the three dimensions (symbolic, practice, cognitive) of domestication theory.

The struggle and enrichment of play: Domestications and overflows in the everyday life of gamer parents

Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture

Department of Education and Lifelong Learning

Nordicom Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Gaming is a frequent source of conflict for families. Research on parents and gaming has identified a lack of gaming-related expertise, a general devaluation...

The struggle and enrichment of play: Domestications and overflows in the everyday life of gamer parents

Published Online: Sep 09, 2021

Page range: 107 - 123

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0044

Keywords
digital games, parental mediation, overflows, domestication, everyday life

© 2021 Kristine Ask et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The struggle and enrichment of play: Domestications and overflows in the everyday life of gamer parents

Published Online: Sep 09, 2021

Page range: 107 - 123

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0044

Keywordsdigital games, parental mediation, overflows, domestication, everyday life

© 2021 Kristine Ask et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
digital games, parental mediation, overflows, domestication, everyday life