User co-creation relations: Emerging social network markets

In this presentation, Dr John Banks draws from his recent research with Auran Games on their forthcoming massively multiplayer online game, Fury to discuss user co-creation relationships as emerging social network markets.

John considers how the choices that participants make in negotiating these relationships can be understood as emerging competencies for navigating the opportunities, risks and uncertainties associated with these networks. He will argue that far from being duped or exploited, users are often quite canny and knowledgeable participants in the making of these relationships.

• Download the presentation (1.1mb PDF)

About the speaker

Dr John Banks is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Federation Fellowship program, ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, Queensland University of Technology. His research interests focus on the interface between media corporations and consumer co-creators in participatory culture networks.

From 2000-2005 John worked for Auran Games as an online community manager, facilitating the development of user-led content creation networks within the context of game development projects. He is currently collaborating with Auran on the propagation of social networks around Fury.

Videos

1 - Introduction - 2 minutes

• John introduces his research, his work with Auran and provides some background to Fury
• the Fury trailer is played

View the Fury trailer in YouTube (you can also download game trailers from the Fury site)

2 - Game structure - 6 minutes

• the details of the game and its social networking features
• time taken in game play to develop avatars and teams

3 - Game play - 10 minutes

• detailed feedback from test players
• multiplayer game play in Fury
• team play, role of the Guilds
• UGC web content about the game

4 - Development - 7 minutes

• John talks about the development process of Fury
• focus on creating complex social interaction
• the game targets serious rather than casual gamers

5 - Social networks - 13 minutes

• discussion of the research about social networking
• analysis of Henry Jenkins‘ book Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide
• analysis of Yochai Benkler’s book The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom (you can read the whole book online)

6 - Involving the gaming community in development - 11 minutes

• positives and negatives of opening the game to the community during the development process
• importance of engaging with gamer community during development

7 - Participation - 11 minutes

• why gamers want to participate in development
• the relationship between gamers and company
• give and take on both sides key to effective partnership

8 - Business of games - 11 minutes

• gamers use their hobby expertise to become employed in game development
• commercial potential of user participation
• social network awareness now standard industry practice
• effectiveness of social networks in marketing difficult to estimate
• social networks must be genuine and offer users something to be effective

9 - Conclusion - 11 minutes

• are community participants displacing paid workers?
• are gamers fairly rewarded for their community participation?
• gamers are sophisticated users of social networks
• gamers are developing valuable skills