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All in a day's work: Working-class heroes as videogame protagonists

Michael Iantorno

Michael Iantorno

,

Courtney Blamey

Courtney Blamey

,

oraz

| 07 kwi 2021

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Data publikacji: 07 kwi 2021

Zakres stron: 88 - 110

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0028

Słowa kluczowe
videogames, working class, blue collar, narratives, gameplay

© 2021 Michael Iantorno et al., published by Sciendo

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

Driving cabs and pleasing passengersComments: Crazy Taxi depends on pleasing passengers with speed and accuracy. Above, a player earns additional cash for aggressively skidding across a city sidewalk while a green countdown indicates how long they have to reach their next destination.Source: Crazy Taxi (Hitmaker Studios, 1999)Comments: In Neo Cab, skills revolve around knowing what to say and managing passenger emotions. As seen above, bringing politics up during conversations can run the risk of a bad review.Source: Neo Cab (Chance Agency, 2019)

Virtual bartendingComments: A police officer regularly visits the bar in V:CAB.Source: VA11 HALL-A (Sukeban Games, 2016)Comments: A typical end of day tally for Jill the bartender, including bonuses for having no mistakes and helping a customer calm down.Source: VA11 HALL-A (Sukeban Games, 2016)

Early roots of virtual bartendingComments: Tapper has, over the years, been franchised by Root Beer, Budweiser, and Mountain Dew. Above, a Budweiser banner can be seen topping the screen.Source: Tapper (Marvin Glass and Associates, 1983)Comments: Level score system shown to the player at the start of the game.Source: Tapper (Marvin Glass and Associates, 1983)

Virtual bartending in the futureComments: The screenshot shows a typical interaction screen between Jill and a customer.Source: VA-11 HALL-A (Sukeban Games, 2016)Comments: Sudden bills appear when Jill returns home for the day.Source: VA-11 HALL-A (Sukeban Games, 2016)

Janitorial life as comic reliefComments: Roger is awarded with a golden mop for preventing the destruction of the planet Xenon. The narrators declare “once a janitor, always a janitor”.Source: Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter (Two Guys from Andromeda, 1986)Comments: Roger avoids falling to his death by comically clinging to a plunger.Source: Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge (Two Guys from Andromeda, 1987)

Precarity and janitorial workComments: The screenshot shows the janitor attempting to complete a quest while savings run low while the indicator in the left corner warns “you are starving”.Source: Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (Sundae Month, 2016)Comments: An arrogant Smith dismisses the janitor for not being able to afford their wares and wasting their time.Source: Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (Sundae Month, 2016)

Firefighters as heroesComments: The screenshot shows Pete Grey verbally berating Frank Weller, the building's architect, over the radio.Source: The Firemen (Human Entertainment, 1994)Comments: The screenshot shows the protagonists combatting flames atop the Metrotech complex.Source: The Firemen (Human Entertainment, 1994)

Virtual firefightingComments: The screenshot shows white-collar workers bemoan their dangerous, cost-cutting measures (while trapped behind a wall of fire).Source: Real Heroes: Firefighter (Epicenter Studios, 2009)Comments: The screenshot shows a sequence where the player must operate a rotary saw with the Wii's motion controls in order to progress.Source: Real Heroes: Firefighter (Epicenter Studios, 2009)

eISSN:: 2001-5119
Język:: Angielski

Częstotliwość wydawania:: 2 razy w roku
Dziedziny czasopisma:: Social Sciences, Communication Science, Mass Communication, Public and Political Communication

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