The Playful Citizen: Civic Engagement in a Mediatized Culture
Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press (2019), 431 pp.
"From the Occupy movement to playful city-making to the gameful designs of the Obama 2008 and Trump 2016 presidential campaigns, and the rise of citizen science and ecological games, this book shows how play is a key theoretical, methodological, and practical principle for comprehending such new forms of civic engagement in a mediatized culture. The Playful Citizen explores how and through what media we are becoming more playful as citizens and how this manifests itself in our ways of doing, living, and thinking. We offer a pluralistic answer to such questions by bringing together scholars from different fields such as game and play studies, social sciences, and media and culture studies." (Publisher description)
1 The playful citizen: An introduction / René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries, 9
PART I: LUDO-LITERACIES
Introduction / René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries, 33
2 Engagement in play, engagement in politics: Playing political video games / Joyce Neys and Jeroen Jansz, 36
3 Analytical game design: Game-making as a cultural technique in a gamified society / Stefan Werning, 56
4 Re-thinking the social documentary / William Uricchio, 73
5 Collapsus, or how to make players become ecological citizens / Joost Raessens, 92
6 The broken toy tactic: Clockwork worlds and activist games / Anne-Marie Schleiner, 121
7 Video games and the engaged citizen: On the ambiguity of digital play / Ingrid Hoofd, 138
PART II: LUDO-EPISTEMOLOGIES
Introduction / René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries, 159
8 Public laboratory: Play and civic engagement / Jessica Breen, Shannon Dosemagen, Don Blair, and Liz Barry, 162
9 Sensing the air and experimenting with environmental citizenship / Jennifer Gabrys, 175
10 Biohacking: Playing with technology / Stephanie de Smale, 195
11 Ludo-epistemology: Playing with the rules in citizen science games / René Glas and Sybille Lammes, 217
12 The playful scientist: Stimulating playful communities for science practice / Ben Schouten, Erik van der Spek, Daniël Harmsen, and Ellis Bartholomeus, 235
13 Laborious playgrounds: Citizen science games as new modes of work/play in the digital age / Sonia Fizek and Anne Dippel, 255
PART III: LUDO-POLITICS
Introduction / René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries, 275
14 On participatory politics as a game changer and the politics of participation / Mercedes Bunz, 279
15 Playing with politics: Memory, orientation, and tactility / Sam Hind, 291
16 Meaningful inefficiencies: Resisting the logic of technological efficiency in the design of civic systems / Eric Gordon and Stephen Walter, 310
17 Permanent revolution: Occupying democracy / Douglas Rushkoff, 335
18 The playful city: Citizens making the smart city / Michiel de Lange, 349
19 Dissent at a distance / The Janissary Collective (Mark Deuze and Lindsay Ems), 370
20 Playing with power: Casual politicking as a new frame for political analysis / Alex Gekker, 387
PART I: LUDO-LITERACIES
Introduction / René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries, 33
2 Engagement in play, engagement in politics: Playing political video games / Joyce Neys and Jeroen Jansz, 36
3 Analytical game design: Game-making as a cultural technique in a gamified society / Stefan Werning, 56
4 Re-thinking the social documentary / William Uricchio, 73
5 Collapsus, or how to make players become ecological citizens / Joost Raessens, 92
6 The broken toy tactic: Clockwork worlds and activist games / Anne-Marie Schleiner, 121
7 Video games and the engaged citizen: On the ambiguity of digital play / Ingrid Hoofd, 138
PART II: LUDO-EPISTEMOLOGIES
Introduction / René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries, 159
8 Public laboratory: Play and civic engagement / Jessica Breen, Shannon Dosemagen, Don Blair, and Liz Barry, 162
9 Sensing the air and experimenting with environmental citizenship / Jennifer Gabrys, 175
10 Biohacking: Playing with technology / Stephanie de Smale, 195
11 Ludo-epistemology: Playing with the rules in citizen science games / René Glas and Sybille Lammes, 217
12 The playful scientist: Stimulating playful communities for science practice / Ben Schouten, Erik van der Spek, Daniël Harmsen, and Ellis Bartholomeus, 235
13 Laborious playgrounds: Citizen science games as new modes of work/play in the digital age / Sonia Fizek and Anne Dippel, 255
PART III: LUDO-POLITICS
Introduction / René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries, 275
14 On participatory politics as a game changer and the politics of participation / Mercedes Bunz, 279
15 Playing with politics: Memory, orientation, and tactility / Sam Hind, 291
16 Meaningful inefficiencies: Resisting the logic of technological efficiency in the design of civic systems / Eric Gordon and Stephen Walter, 310
17 Permanent revolution: Occupying democracy / Douglas Rushkoff, 335
18 The playful city: Citizens making the smart city / Michiel de Lange, 349
19 Dissent at a distance / The Janissary Collective (Mark Deuze and Lindsay Ems), 370
20 Playing with power: Casual politicking as a new frame for political analysis / Alex Gekker, 387
