The Continuity of Labour in Video Games

From Bridging the Representation of Labour and Playbour

Abstract

This study critiques the overemphasis of existing playbour research on the platform economy and proposes an analytical framework rooted in a historical perspective of video games to redefine the continuity of labour. Specifically, it introduces a framework that deconstructs labour into three dimensions: "representation", "mechanics", and "valorisation". By doing so, this study aims to expand the concept of playbour from a critique of economic valorisation to an "aesthetic critique" of how labour is presented, thereby providing a more comprehensive theoretical tool for the field.