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Extractivism in the world of minecraft
Karvan, Daniel ; Kuřík, Bohuslav (advisor) ; Heřmanský, Martin (referee)
This thesis is based on virtual ethnographic research, through which it explores the environment of the video game Minecraft, focusing on its environmental aspects. In particular, monster theory, but also theories of modernity, extractivism and environmental critiques of development are used to analyse the data collected through this virtual ethnography. The focus is on how male and female players relate to the virtual environment of the game, and how this relationship is influenced by the 'real' world, and in turn, how it feeds back into it. Thus, through the aforementioned theories and concepts, the thesis explores the environmental dimensions of players' and players' interactions with the Minecraft environment. Keywords Extractivism, Minecraft, virtual, ethnography, monsters, player, environment, modernity
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Pro-Ana Phenomenon on Twitter
Temesgenová, Natálie ; Hrešanová, Ema (advisor) ; Hájek, Martin (referee)
Pro-ana is an abbreviation of pro anorexia, referring to supporting and favouring of anorexia and understanding it rather as a choice, not a disease. On social media platforms this phenomenon is embedded in communities gathering to exchange knowledge and practices and provide social support to each other. This master's thesis aims to explore this phenomenon on Twitter by conducting digital ethnography and scrutinizing the development of the pro-ana discourse and its relation to biomedical discourse. In regards to the findings, the relation between the biomedical and pro-ana discourse is rather one sided and parasitical. This relation provides a foundation to conceptualizing the pro-ana phenomenon as an emancipating self-help people changing institution, allowing for holistic perspective and greater understanding of the discourse rooted in the discourse itself.
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Representational Roleplay in a Virtual World: Applying Dramaturgical Analysis to World of Warcraft
Špán, Adam ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Kabele, Jiří (referee)
This thesis explores the possibilities of applying dramaturgical analysis to the virtual world of the computer game World of Warcraft. In this virtual world, some players engage in so-called representational roleplay. This is a complex social activity that entails a number of specific rules and practices. The aim of this thesis was to test the applicability of four different dramaturgical concepts (character, regions, scene, and exhibition) to actors' performances in the virtual world. The findings of this thesis are based on several months of ethnographic research and 16 semi-structured interviews. Analysis of these data revealed a number of similarities and a high degree of applicability of dramaturgical sociology to representational roleplay in the virtual world of World of Warcraft. The various dramaturgical metaphors were further extended to include new concepts in the context of the virtual world. These include the "character flaw" which consists of rejecting the consequences of fateful moments, "always IC" roleplayers who ignore the existence of a back region, the "immersive march" which describes the dramatic transitions between scenes, and the "exhibition with a passive curator" which reflects the distinctiveness of the curator in the virtual world.
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Addictive substances and tv shows
Kašík, Jan ; Hrešanová, Ema (advisor) ; Matoušek, Petr (referee)
This work is focused on examining the effect of depictions of addictive substances in the series "BojackHorseman" and "How I Met Your Mother" on their viewers. This is a netnographic research and as such takes place purely in the Internet environment, specifically in Facebook groups focused on fans of these series. This thesis builds on my previous work "Alcoholism and other addictive substances in series", which brought several findings (higher desire to consume while watching fiction series, the assumption to consume supports consumption while watching, etc.), on which the text is based and builds on their knowledge. I expanded the work to include participatory observation and semi-structured interviews not only in the original group, but also new ones, focused on the series "How I Met Your Mother." This series was deliberately chosen because the original data indicated that substance abuse was more likely if the individual was watching a feature series where the substances were positively portrayed. My goals focus on finding out how the series affects mental health, attitudes and substance use, and inserting the series into the lives of fans. I explain these goals using concepts and theories from sociological and socio-psychological backgrounds, such as observational learning, habitus, social...
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Archeogaming and Cultural Heritage of Gamers
Neuheisl, Lukáš ; Supa, Markéta (advisor) ; Švelch, Jaroslav (referee)
Progression of human civilization in fields of technology, culture and media is closely tied to the creation of remains known as a cultural heritage. These artefacts and knowledge are testimonies of human cultures of distant and recent pasts. In last two decades, a trend of creating and living in synthetic worlds has emerged with social media and vast digital games being prime examples of such synthetic worlds. To better understand human culture, a new, yet undeveloped and academically unestablished (even though suggested by texts in past 30 years) interdisciplinar field has emerged: archaogaming. Its mission is researching distant and recent past through cultural heritage in and of digital games, connecting archaeology, game and media studies, using methods and tools inspired by archaeological practice. Among such methods belongs digital ethnography and on-site research, methods used in this Master's thesis' research. Its aim was to describe artefacts used and left in game worlds by gamers of three chosen digital games: GTA Online, Fortnite Battle Royale and Soul Calibur VI. Moreover, other goals of this research were to identify factors influencing such relics and their lifespan. Analysis of data collected during 60 gaming sessions throughout the trio of synthetic worlds suggests that artefacts...
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