Social marginalization of Chinese TV game players group status

I. Preface

On the whole, being "marginalized" is not just a Chinese video game, but the world, even in the highly developed game culture of Japan, Europe and North America, the "player (Gamer)" and the game still do not go into the mainstream culture of the big circle. The word "オタク" in Japan represents a very negative image even for a long time. and specific to China, the player group is misunderstood deep, is distorted, presumably you from the 80 's all the way from the "old man" are deeply touched.

In the domestic current language environment, the word "player" often has a negative meaning

Any thing has the result certainly to have the reason, since the vast majority of players are so excluded by the mainstream culture of the society, so where is the reason? This article will try to combine the classical political economics theory with the Chinese players ' life reality, analyze the origin and the vein of this phenomenon, the right to be a trigger

Second, the economic base determines the superstructure

Although the term "Ma Zhe" is only one of the most boring courses in the university, it can be found in all aspects of the real life, but "the economic base determines the superstructure and the superstructure reacts to the economic base". You can see this as a justification, but it cannot be denied that it is one of the core principles of academic problems.

specifically to the theme of this article, the author thinks that the basic reason why Chinese TV game players are marginalized by the mainstream society is that they do not have the economic foundation, so they cannot have enough influence on the public opinion, the social thought and the social structure, and the result is that the main culture is excluded. To trace the cause of this phenomenon, we must first look at the birth of video games, the time to enter China and the corresponding economic environment.

There is a stark economic rule behind the marginalized social status of players

As we all know, until 1972, the traditional first home host "Odyssey" came out, only to mark the TV play on the formal commercialization of video interactive games, the idea of this is just recently died in the "father of video game" Laff Bell. Video games are nearly 100 years old, compared to the birth of another popular entertainment movie that has spread all over the world. So even the most hardcore players will not be able to reach this thing before 1972, which objectively determines the approximate age level of the game player.

1972 to now only a few 42 years, even in the developed economic environment in Europe and the United States, men under the age of 40 are still the mainstream of video game players, and on the whole (aside some of the young talent of Phoenix hair chestnut not talk), This age is still far from mastering the core resources of society and then the superstructure has a huge impact on the stage, many people have not even finished the first set of commercial housing loans. However, thanks to the relatively democratic political environment and mature market environment in developed countries, it appears that the players ' groups seem to have a certain sense of discourse and existence, and the game is occasionally able to get onto the mainstream media stage. For example, the American air talk show "Konan" host has been on the show many times to play the upcoming game, which is also only one of the game company's propaganda means.

For the vast majority of old players, or the small overlord of the symbol more cordial and familiar

In China, the situation is more complicated. Although the traditional sense of "reform and Opening-up" from the 1978 low, but the real economic reform will not begin until the 1980, the game machine into China's objective environment is at this stage to form, including relatively loose import control of materials and purchasing power and so on, So to become the domestic electronic game circle of the absolute main and loyal people, and this economic phenomenon inseparable. But the reason why the relatively open game environment has not formed in developed countries is that it is greatly restricted by the backward economy and living conditions, which indirectly leads to the discord and even opposition between the players and the mainstream people and the public opinion.

Iii. the scramble for space resources and time resources

In the author's opinion, the activity of "playing the game", although it is now widely regarded as a symbol of solitude, represents a kind of entertainment that can be accomplished with a small amount of resources, but it is not quite the same in the late 80 and the early 90 when the game machine just entered China. Most of the gamers who are children need to compete with the parents who have the absolute right to speak to the family for the space and time resources needed to play the game. This process seems absurd, but in the early stage of reform and opening-up of China, but is a helpless reality.

3.1 Space Resources

As with this famous picture, there is an independent game space, mostly in the late 90.

First, explain the space resources needed to play the game, which includes objective material conditions and environment. At that time in China and even the world's popular game consoles need to connect the TV to play, but also to maintain a certain distance from the screen, so the whole game must occupy the equivalent of half the room space and a television use. And until 1985, color television, a widely-spread household appliance in Europe and America, The average number of color televisions per hundred households in China's urban and rural areas is only 17.2 units and 0.8 1, so a typical dual-earner urban family with a color TV is the norm in that era, which is often the most important and only "high-end" entertainment device in a family. In addition, the extremely tight housing conditions are also a major constraint. As a result of the reform and opening up to the 80 's, the vast majority of urban residents of the housing rental units or housing sector, a large population, small housing area, by 1978, the average living area of urban residents only 4.2 square meters. 2 So the question is, who is going to use the only entertainment equipment in the family and the only living room, is this group of gamers who are still being raised by their parents, who have no economic autonomy, or who are parents with the right to property and absolute discourse? The result is self-evident.

We, as children, cannot, of course, speculate that our parents are driving us out of the living room just to grab the TV and the soap operas, because from another point of view, they don't have to use this low-level excuse to expose their inner darker side to persuade themselves to rob their children of the game space, but also to be righteously This high-sounding reason.

3.2 Time Resources

In fact, the next discussion of the contention for time resources, exactly, should be in the "How to use the limited time," the problem between the parents and the player's fierce contradictions.

Standing together with the mainstream ethos of society, parents are always justified in stopping children from playing games.

Since ancient times, China is an extremely advocating knowledge and culture of the Society, the relevant proverbs, historical stories countless, such as "all low-grade, only reading high" and so on. In the era of peaceful farming, the imperial examination is the only way for the middle and lower level people to move to the upper level, the whole ancient society from high to to the "Shinong" to classify the habit is also prompted countless people embark on reading for the arduous journey of the important reason. and "Play" the word represented by the behavior of the society with the positive trend of the mainstream, so in the traditional Chinese context is almost no positive meaning.

This kind of custom naturally also extends to the new China. Although in the economic tide of reform and opening up a variety of overnight "flips", "nouveau riche", many years ago even popular similar "to build missiles than sell tea," such a joke, the pursuit of cultural knowledge of the atmosphere seems not so important in front of money, but overall, Reading and progress is still the majority of parents in the education of their children's core thinking, and often in this issue put the most energy and time. And play the game this kind of behavior, obviously is with the parents ' anticipation contrary.

After the family game is blocked, players are bound to pursue another game place

The limited time to "play" instead of learning, in the eyes of many parents although can understand, after all, love play is a child's nature, but the attitude is often relentless. Combined with the extreme shortage of space resources, the two contradictions form a resultant force, so the demand of the players at the primary and secondary stage will naturally be strongly marginalized and deprived, in the whole family life "playing games" This behavior will naturally become marginalized, It may only be in the smallest part of the family to occupy a place in the main agenda. This obviously affects the players who deeply love this behavior, causing their emotions to be antagonistic to their parents. If you stick to your position, you will be more marginalized within the family. To get rid of this dilemma, one is to compromise with the parents to give up the game behavior, the demand since no longer exist, contradictions will disappear. Another option is to get rid of the family to the external environment to seek a gaming experience, so although the contradictions of time and resources remain, but at least not as direct and intense as the scramble for space resources. Therefore, the bag room and arcade hall in China's hot.

Four, the bag room--is a haven, also is the catalyst

The emergence of charter rooms and arcade halls is not accidental, as this public gaming site solves to some extent the two main contradictions that Chinese players have encountered in playing games.

The first game location outside the home, do not have to occupy limited space and equipment. The contradictions of time, though not fundamentally resolved, but as long as the heart, squeeze out a few hours to play games than to find games, TV, space and so on hardware is much less difficult, commonly used means including a small lie said by the teacher left to cram, or to help neighbors Liu Grandma moved things so late home and so on. In addition, the charter room and Arcade Hall need for the scattered capital investment, for living in the city of primary and secondary school students, nor is it too difficult. It is believed that the old players of that era had a memory of saving breakfast or lunch money for a few coppers or a few hours of games. This is the safe haven of the chartered and arcade halls, avoiding direct confrontation between the player and the parent, and the charging standard also takes into account the survival of the store and the poor purchasing power of most players.

Early charter rooms and arcade halls always leave a "dark" impression.

Unfortunately, although this kind of place solves the certain contradiction, but also to a certain extent has exacerbated the player group in the whole society's marginalization. If in the context of family life, but only "game behavior" is marginalized, because parents will only exclude behavior and not to exclude children themselves, in the "bag room" phase, the exclusion of the whole player group. Rough social mainstream trend of thought will not carefully distinguish among these places are a few of the future Couba, scientists, there are a few are ruffians, all are labeled "foul smoke" label.

One important reason for this result is that the main sites of the two games are themselves in the "fringe" of the social public environment. Take the bag room, often located in a humble market or residential area after the alley, by the private owner of the contract, the host is a cottage or smuggled in the machine, the quality of the television sets are often uneven, there is no uniform fee standards, not to mention the business license or business license, it can be said that from the inside to the outside The impression is not serious, but actually it is so.

A caricature of a branded game like this can be found in a single search.

Because it has not been included in the effective regulatory system, plus the majority of people playing games are teenagers, young and impulsive, do not consider the consequences of only one side, economic constraints are common, but also the most important characteristics. So youth Rob Middle school students, middle school students go back to rob Pupil's play code, almost every day in the crowded arcade hall or bag room around. Because the amount is often small, play the game is robbed this kind of thing even if the parents there is no use, but will reveal whereabouts to provoke another fat beat, helpless silence to some extent, catalyzed the bad behavior of the repeated occurrence. Gradually, such evil deeds and villains are connected to the mainstream media and the crowd and "play the game" itself, although logically speaking there is no connection between the two, is the objective reality of society caused such undesirable consequences. But after all, it is mentioned that the problem, do not grasp the social resources of primary and secondary school students and even part of the youth is not a right to speak, nor to this conclusion caused any impact, can only let it constantly stigmatized game behavior and gamers. And this process of stigmatization in the "electronic heroin" and other concepts have been invented by the genius of the climax, angry public opinion should be the final release of the country's electronic game ban is one of the important incentives.

V. Start out on the edge of society

2014 is a destined to be loaded into the history of Chinese video game, September 29, Microsoft's Xbox One officially on the sale of major electric dealers, electrical chain, December 11, Sony held a conference in Shanghai, announced China, the next month to sell the mainland licensed version of PS4 and PSV mainframe. Shanghai since the establishment of the trade area and the "game ban" lifted at the beginning, many people have expected to have such a day, can see the host in the streets of advertising, in the electrical chain stores play to the licensed host, but did not expect to come so fast. Why is it so fast?

After Microsoft, Sony also actively beaches in China's video game market

Is it because the domestic public opinion environment is more open? Perhaps many people will come to the opposite conclusion. Is the country finally can not bear the chaos of the parallel mainframe market is going to introduce a clean? Dealers on the website of the merchants are still alive and well, so it should not be the reason. Here we have a few data to illustrate this problem.

According to the new game research in CNG (gamma data), the "2014 China Game Industry Report" has not yet been released, as of the middle of November this year, the Chinese game market (covering the network, mobile, stand-alone and many other fields) actual sales revenue has exceeded 100 billion yuan 3, mobile games, page tour continue to maintain a rapid growth situation. Japan, which once claimed to occupy half of the world's gaming industry, has a market size of 1.4819 trillion yen 4, or about 78.459 billion, in 2013, according to the data published by the Business Intelligence Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Economic and Industrial affairs, the Digital content white Paper 2014. The rise of China's gaming market is no longer a new topic, as evidenced by data from several survey companies around the world. In the near future, the United States has been able to foresee more than the first years of global stability in the field.

So huge market potential and strong economic policy are the driving forces behind this series of changes. The country can not always allow parallel imports to dominate the entire video game market, the tax losses caused by the former may be insignificant, but the future development who is not clear; no large-scale and formalized publicity and listing, for overseas gaming companies they can not form an effective sense of existence, Rely on parallel imports stuffy sound hair a little wealth is only wild way. Resistance must have, consumption habits, policies and regulations, and domestic and foreign differences are all, but there is no doubt the huge size of the market has attracted them to eagerly pathbreaker in. How did such a huge piece of cake form?

The new generation of players in the game environment is more comfortable, this is not only because their parents often have contact with the game, the improvement of living conditions can not be ignored

When the game's consumption habits are retained by the time they embark on the job, they naturally have relatively independent property control. And the growth of the environment is just in time for the Chinese economy into the rapid and stable development of the 90 and 00, the survival of the pressure for most of them are already very strange, their parents are at this stage began to enter the middle age, the overall income and housing situation has been greatly improved. So even without the company of the bag room, they can also be in their own room through a computer or another television (2007 National urban households each hundred households have color TV 137.8 5) Fully enjoy the fun of the game, so the two major contradictions mentioned earlier in the after and 00 after the embodiment is not obvious. As a result, a huge demand market gradually formed, also means that the player group began to grasp a certain discourse in social life. But vigorous demand and domestic closed game environment form a strong contrast, on the one hand caused the parallel imports of the big line, on the other hand, because of the rampant piracy and game development level of deficiencies, resulting in stand-alone games in the domestic unsustainable, so formed a net game, hand tour of the zenith, Just left to the combination of network technology to almost eliminate piracy problems of a new generation of home host great development space.

To celebrate the national line Xbox One listing, Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV station has also become a green

Hope this is a good start.

Global players such as PS4 and Xbox One are officially entering the Chinese market, not just for a market that has been lurking for years, but also for gamers who have become accustomed to being ostracized and vilified to get a chance to move from the edge of the mainstream ideology to the sun. Of course, at this stage, we see the lock area of the Xbox One, difficult game review, compared to parallel imports of the price of no advantage, these are to prevent home hosts in the domestic received more popular negative factors. But believe that with the TV games and gamers in the social life of the growing sense of the market is constantly open, I hope we no longer need to envy foreign players, no longer need to buy parallel to the day of the early arrival.