Game Cultures: Investigating the Games Industry
Date & Time:
23rd February, 16:00
Location:
Online event; the link will be sent out to those who register.
Information:
This seminar will explore investigations of the game industries and game work, featuring Quintin Smith and Dr. Anna Ozimek.
Quintin Smith (Freelance Games Writer) Roblox’s Disruption of Child Labour
Roblox Corporation is now one of the most expensive and successful gaming companies in human history. It’s also an empire built on the labour of children.
In 2021 the YouTube channel People Make Games launched two investigations into Roblox’s questionable business practices, and in this talk we’ll be joined by the journalist behind them, Quintin Smith. Quintin is here to talk more about the staggering lack of regulation in this area, and wants to open up the question of what should be done.
Dr Anna Ozimek (Independent Researcher) Researching Game Work in Europe
In this presentation, I will discuss different approaches to investigating games industries and game work based on empirical data from two research projects about the games industries in Poland (2014–2018) and Estonia (2019–2020). The aim of this talk is threefold: 1) to demonstrate the importance of investigating national and regional games industries and how this knowledge expands our understanding of global game industries; 2) to discuss the challenges of investigating game work, including the limitations of the available data sources, researcher positionality and engagement with industry partners; and 3) to provide suggestions for the further development of research about working in the games industry.
About the speakers:
Dr Anna M. Ozimek is an independent researcher based in Stockholm, Sweden. Her research interests include creative labour, cultural industries and the sociology of work. For the last seven years, she has been researching national game industries and working conditions in the sector. Previously, she held research positions at the University of York, Tallinn University and the University of Leeds.
Quintin Smith has been writing about games for almost 20 years. His work has been featured in Wired, the Guardian and NPR, but mostly you’ll find him on the YouTube channels People Make Games and Shut Up & Sit Down.