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Taking ownership of gaming and disability

Wästerfors, David LU and Hansson, Kristofer LU (2017) In Journal of Youth Studies 20(9). p.1143-1160
Abstract
Gaming among young people with disabilities is often understood within a habilitation frame, as if video and computer games primarily should help to exercise and ‘improve’. Little is known about how these games are used within a private frame, and how young people with disabilities operate their gaming as concrete persons rather than as treatment-receiving clients. Through the use of stories, descriptions, and demonstrations from Swedish youth and young adults with disabilities (muscle diseases, cerebral palsy, and Asperger’s syndrome), we explore these gamers’ practical maneuvers, verbal accounts, and biographical-narrative concerns in relation to digital games. As they strive to bypass or overcome digital inaccessibility, various... (More)
Gaming among young people with disabilities is often understood within a habilitation frame, as if video and computer games primarily should help to exercise and ‘improve’. Little is known about how these games are used within a private frame, and how young people with disabilities operate their gaming as concrete persons rather than as treatment-receiving clients. Through the use of stories, descriptions, and demonstrations from Swedish youth and young adults with disabilities (muscle diseases, cerebral palsy, and Asperger’s syndrome), we explore these gamers’ practical maneuvers, verbal accounts, and biographical-narrative concerns in relation to digital games. As they strive to bypass or overcome digital inaccessibility, various challenges find their way into their gaming practices, not only to complicate, distract, or disturb them but also to give them extra meaning. Gamer–game identifications turn multifaceted, with disabilities serving as paths both around and into the games’ ‘magical circles’. We suggest partly new concepts – beyond a habilitation frame – to capture how young people struggle to take ownership of gaming and disability: engrossment maintenance, vicarious gamers and biographical as well as situational refuge. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
disability, youth, video and computer games, accessibility, engrossment, identity, biographical, situational refuge, Disability, youth, video and computer games, accessibility, engrossment, identity, biographical and situational refuge
in
Journal of Youth Studies
volume
20
issue
9
pages
1143 - 1160
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85017209517
  • wos:000410841600003
ISSN
1469-9680
DOI
10.1080/13676261.2017.1313969
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
44b66e33-1aa7-426a-89bd-b85e0fe97c05
date added to LUP
2017-04-19 13:53:02
date last changed
2022-04-24 23:20:18
@article{44b66e33-1aa7-426a-89bd-b85e0fe97c05,
  abstract     = {{Gaming among young people with disabilities is often understood within a habilitation frame, as if video and computer games primarily should help to exercise and ‘improve’. Little is known about how these games are used within a private frame, and how young people with disabilities operate their gaming as concrete persons rather than as treatment-receiving clients. Through the use of stories, descriptions, and demonstrations from Swedish youth and young adults with disabilities (muscle diseases, cerebral palsy, and Asperger’s syndrome), we explore these gamers’ practical maneuvers, verbal accounts, and biographical-narrative concerns in relation to digital games. As they strive to bypass or overcome digital inaccessibility, various challenges find their way into their gaming practices, not only to complicate, distract, or disturb them but also to give them extra meaning. Gamer–game identifications turn multifaceted, with disabilities serving as paths both around and into the games’ ‘magical circles’. We suggest partly new concepts – beyond a habilitation frame – to capture how young people struggle to take ownership of gaming and disability: engrossment maintenance, vicarious gamers and biographical as well as situational refuge.}},
  author       = {{Wästerfors, David and Hansson, Kristofer}},
  issn         = {{1469-9680}},
  keywords     = {{disability; youth; video and computer games; accessibility; engrossment; identity; biographical; situational refuge; Disability; youth; video and computer games; accessibility; engrossment; identity; biographical and situational refuge}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{1143--1160}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Journal of Youth Studies}},
  title        = {{Taking ownership of gaming and disability}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1313969}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/13676261.2017.1313969}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}