Stephen Kline's article

Stephen Kline’s article “The new cyber-city: The interactive game industry in the new millennium” discusses the virtual gaming industry and its integration into society, primarily since the turn of the 21^st century. Kline’s main argument can be summed up by the following quotation from the article: “The game industry is no longer a discrete and distinct sector. All its circuits, technological, cultural, and promotional, have become intertwined with the wider orbits of an e-capitalism betting on digital networks as the critical zone for growth and profit” (Kline, 176). Throughout the article, Kline repeatedly brings up the concept of “post-fordism”(the idea that modern industrial production has moved away from mass production in huge factories, as pioneered by Henry Ford, towards specialized markets based on small flexible manufacturing units) and whether or not the video game industry fits the idea. The article discusses how the video game market is one that has larger effects on the world than just serving as an entertainment outlet.

            The article was published in a book titled “Digital Play: The Interaction of Technology, Culture, and Marketing released in 2003, written by Kline and two other professors specializing in media analysis. Though not explicitly stated, the article appears to be intended for general readers who are looking for an in-depth look at the emergence of the video game industry. Mcgill Queen’s University Press, a company well known for publishing scholarly books, published Kline’s book.  

            Stephen Kline is a professor and director of media analysis at Simon Fraser University, and graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has been studying media analysis throughout his career, and is in charge of the research department at the media analysis laboratory at Simon Fraser. He appears to be an expert in the field, as his article is supported by a significant amount of data and research.

            After reading reviews of the book, its audience seems to credit it as a reliable source supported with valid evidence from its authors. Most reviews I came across were written by other professors in the media analysis field, which is an indication that the book is respected in the field and can be recognized as a credible source. Other reviews from sites like Amazon.com suggest most readers thoroughly enjoyed the book, and were able to clearly identify the arguments Kline and the other authors made.

            As I read through the article, I kept wondering what an updated version of the 2003 article would look like in 2014. I came across another book, titled “The Video Game Industry: Formation, Present State, and Future, written by two professors of Marketing in Sweden published in 2014. After reading a description of the book, I came to the conclusion that when Kline published his article in 2003, the video game industry was extremely different than it is today. The main difference between Kline’s book and others published about the video game industry is that Kline covers the topic of how the industry has had larger global effects, including effects on the military and impoverished countries.  

Works Cited: Kline, S. (2003). The new cyber-city: The interactive game industry in the new millennium. Digital Play: The Interaction of Technology, Culture, and Marketing. McGill Queen’s University Press.