Morality as a labour of love : Digital games, parental practices and the moral economy
(2019) NordMedia- Abstract
- The ways in which we experience life through, with and around media constitutes creative practices in our daily routines. However, media use is in part associated with harmful effects, for example television viewing amongst children and young people (Livingstone 2009). Discourses around digital games have been echoing the same type of concerns, becoming one of the focal points of these struggles in recent years (Thorhauge, Gregersen & Enevold 2018). The household becomes a place of regulation as parents fear the effects that playing digital games have on their children. This article aims to provide a closer look at how games played on phones, consoles or computers are part of a moral production within the everyday of family life. The... (More)
- The ways in which we experience life through, with and around media constitutes creative practices in our daily routines. However, media use is in part associated with harmful effects, for example television viewing amongst children and young people (Livingstone 2009). Discourses around digital games have been echoing the same type of concerns, becoming one of the focal points of these struggles in recent years (Thorhauge, Gregersen & Enevold 2018). The household becomes a place of regulation as parents fear the effects that playing digital games have on their children. This article aims to provide a closer look at how games played on phones, consoles or computers are part of a moral production within the everyday of family life. The consumption of media technology in the home is a ”consumption that has to be understood as productive” (Silverstone 1989). But the question remains: what is actually produced in these practices of consumption? Based on nine semi- structured interviews with parents, all conducted in Sweden in 2018, the article focuses on understanding everyday practices, or to use de Certeau’s (1984) term, ’tactics’, surrounding digital games.
The analysis deals with how the ’moral economy’ (Silverstone, Hirsch & Morley 1992) functions as a series of negotiations in the form of ‘transactions’ of values within the household. The ’modern’ family is a highly complex constellation, and social life within a family is an intricate web of practices and experiences (Chambers 2012). Within the families studied here, negotiations surrounding value-making regarding digital games can be noted, manifested as an economy of morals. Between family members, the moral economy operates in a dialogical and circular fashion, producing values, morals and sociability through individual and collective interaction. The parents regard, for example, physical activity, gender-neutral content and creativity as valued transactions that drive this unique micro-economy within the household. These values form a complex set of moral intersections placing importance on activities surrounding digital games. Nonetheless, a family is often built on trust, respect and intimacy, making these practices in the moral economy, more often than not, a ’labour of love’. The upkeep of this labour is a shared practice of give and take between family members. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5ea316ae-d65f-4154-9905-b917cb8cddd8
- author
- Johansson, Magnus LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019-08-21
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- unpublished
- subject
- keywords
- morality, moral economy, parenting, digital games, gaming
- conference name
- NordMedia
- conference location
- Malmö, Sweden
- conference dates
- 2019-08-21 - 2019-08-23
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5ea316ae-d65f-4154-9905-b917cb8cddd8
- date added to LUP
- 2025-02-07 10:01:46
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 14:27:24
@misc{5ea316ae-d65f-4154-9905-b917cb8cddd8,
abstract = {{The ways in which we experience life through, with and around media constitutes creative practices in our daily routines. However, media use is in part associated with harmful effects, for example television viewing amongst children and young people (Livingstone 2009). Discourses around digital games have been echoing the same type of concerns, becoming one of the focal points of these struggles in recent years (Thorhauge, Gregersen & Enevold 2018). The household becomes a place of regulation as parents fear the effects that playing digital games have on their children. This article aims to provide a closer look at how games played on phones, consoles or computers are part of a moral production within the everyday of family life. The consumption of media technology in the home is a ”consumption that has to be understood as productive” (Silverstone 1989). But the question remains: what is actually produced in these practices of consumption? Based on nine semi- structured interviews with parents, all conducted in Sweden in 2018, the article focuses on understanding everyday practices, or to use de Certeau’s (1984) term, ’tactics’, surrounding digital games.<br/><br/>The analysis deals with how the ’moral economy’ (Silverstone, Hirsch & Morley 1992) functions as a series of negotiations in the form of ‘transactions’ of values within the household. The ’modern’ family is a highly complex constellation, and social life within a family is an intricate web of practices and experiences (Chambers 2012). Within the families studied here, negotiations surrounding value-making regarding digital games can be noted, manifested as an economy of morals. Between family members, the moral economy operates in a dialogical and circular fashion, producing values, morals and sociability through individual and collective interaction. The parents regard, for example, physical activity, gender-neutral content and creativity as valued transactions that drive this unique micro-economy within the household. These values form a complex set of moral intersections placing importance on activities surrounding digital games. Nonetheless, a family is often built on trust, respect and intimacy, making these practices in the moral economy, more often than not, a ’labour of love’. The upkeep of this labour is a shared practice of give and take between family members.}},
author = {{Johansson, Magnus}},
keywords = {{morality; moral economy; parenting; digital games; gaming}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
title = {{Morality as a labour of love : Digital games, parental practices and the moral economy}},
year = {{2019}},
}