"My Games are … Unconventional" : Intersections of game and BDSM studies

This article examines connections between games and BDSM (consensual bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism), theoretically speaking (in their respective research areas) as well as in practice. A common grounding behind these connections is the consideration of play as a foundational component in games and game studies as well as in BDSM practices and the studies of BDSM as a cultural phenomenon. We identify five sets of relevant connections. First, there are direct comparisons between the two types of play. Second, several live-action role-playing games have been made about BDSM, or for BDSM. Third, many other games have borrowed ideas from BDSM, as well, as have some BDSM activities, in turn, from games and play. Fourth, queer game studies frequently discuss subversive and transgressive play practices, which provide a fruitful context for analyzing play elements in BDSM, and BDSM-inspired elements in games. And fifth, both games and BDSM are frequently discussed in the research contexts related to performance, theater, and rituals, which forms a potential bridge between these activities. Through this five-strand exploratory analysis, we show how deeply interconnected these two realms are, even if the connection is only rarely mentioned, and to this date, not fully recognized as a valid research topic.© The Author(s) 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Suomalaisten sadomasokistien informaatiokäytännöt

This presentation discusses information searching, information use and critical source analysis conducted by Finnish practitioners of sadomasochism. On one hand, sadomasochists seek out new ideas from sources that might in other contexts such as work-life be seen as non-optimal and inefficient, and on the other, they often try and control their information environments, in order to protect themselves from social stigma. The work is based on ethnographic research conducted by the author

Tiedekirjastot ja osaajarooli

Kirjastot ovat malliesimerkkejä siitä, että asiakkaiden hyväksi tehty työ jää helposti asiakkaille näkymättömäksi. Sujuvan palvelun kohdalla on helppoa, Erving Goffmanin teatterimetaforaa lainatakseni, eläytyä kaiken toimivuuteen asiakaspalvelun lavalla niin huolella, että takahuoneen puolella vaadittu valtava työ unohtuu asiakkaalt

'Biodynamically cultivated hash, confidentially' : information sharing on the dark web

Introduction. This article analyses the marketing mechanisms of Dark Web drug trade focusing on advertising as information sharing. Key research questions are 1) vendors use to convince the potential customers about the quality and service, 2) what kind of arguments do vendors try to build and how they do it? and 3) what kind of information is shared when illegal goods are advertised.Method. The data were collected from Utopia, which is an archive of the Finnish cryptomarket called Sipulimarket. The sample contained all advertisements from December 6, 2019 to March 19, 2020.Analysis. All the advertisements were analysed by using a qualitative content analysis.Results. Four main elements on which the marketing speech is based are 1) quality and 2) effects of the drugs (which we discuss here together), 3) price and 4) persuasiveness of the vendor. Together with the name of "drug store", they make up the image. These elements are the types of information shared mostly when convincing customers about the products. In advertisements both persuasiveness and informative contents were shared.Conclusions. By understanding the mechanisms used in illicit communication happening in the Dark Web, we get a new perspective on sharing information that requires anonymity.Peer reviewe

CryptoKitties and the new ludic economy : how blockchain introduces value, ownership, and scarcity in digital gaming

This article analyzes specific characteristics of value created through digital scarcity and blockchain-proven ownership in cryptogames. Our object of study is CryptoKitties, the first instance of a blockchain-based game that has garnered media recognition and financial interest. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the limits of scarcity in value construction for owners of CryptoKitties tokens, manifested as breedable virtual cats. Our work extends the trends set out by earlier cryptocurrency studies from the perspective of cultural studies. For the purpose of this article, we rely on open blockchain analytics such as DappRadar and Etherscan, as well as player-created analytics, backed by a one-year-long participant observation period in the said game for research material. Combining theoretical cryptocurrency and Bitcoin studies, open data analysis, and virtual ethnography enables a grounded discussion on blockchain-based game design and play.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Drug Traders on a Local Dark Web Marketplace

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Service design for information searching

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Information as capability for action and capital in synthetic worlds

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‘Even with all this, I could not live without kinkiness’. Kinky Understandings of Everyday Life.

In this article, we discuss the relationship of kink and everyday life and ask how kinky-identified individuals negotiate the relationship between kinkiness and everyday life in a society that stigmatises kink. We address kink as an everyday life experience through discussing authenticity, total power exchange, serious leisure, and escapism. We do not discuss merely kinky acts, such as BDSM play, but are also interested in the more mundane and implicit aspects of kink: those moments where nothing overtly kinky occurs. Our research material consists of 28 autobiographical writings by Finnish kinky-identified individuals. The writings depict various understandings of the ways everyday life and kink are intertwined such as experiencing kink as an authentic way of living, or as a deeper connection to one’s partner. Kink envelopes everyday life experiences and offers escape from the mundane. The kink community provides social connections, commitment, and active participation. Different forms of kink may present as crucial aspects in making everyday life enjoyable and meaningful for kinky individuals. Kink, thus, seems to have a multifaceted role in the everyday life of individuals, often enhancing the everyday life experience.</p

Speaking with Swingers in Spain and France : Strategies from the Swinger World

This paper explores the ways in which swingers negotiate their world in swinger settings in Spain and France. This includes previously ignored subgroups in swinger subculture, such as single swingers, intergenerational and intercultural couples as well as cuckold couples. Demographics differ slightly from previous studies, including 7 nationalities, suggesting a higher level of multiculturalism among swingers in cosmopolitan and touristic areas, such as the south of Spain and south of France. Drawing on ethnographic data collected in Andalusia, Spain, and Cap d´Agde, France, as well as qualitative interviews with 40 participants, we demonstrate the ways in which swingers negotiate their world. Strategies by swingers were used to avoid misunderstandings, create boundaries, claim agency, transgress, and deal with stigma.Peer reviewe