Balance and Meritocracies - Wordplay and the Discourse of Video Games - page 142

possible to turn to general tenets of online game design and specifi c exam-
ples of how balance is a key component of video game discourse. These
steps of er the ground to understand why balance has become so important
in online games and how wordplay tells us more about the games we play.
BALANCE AS IDEOGRAPH
Of the many tools that help articulate the value of wordplay, ideographs
place focus on words and phrases and their ability to function ideologically.
Originally designed to aid in analysis of political rhetoric, McGee uses ideo-
graphs as a means by which to identify and critique the ideologies present in
public discourse. Paying careful attention to ideographs aids in understand-
ing how specifi c words and phrases are mobilized to shape decision making
and public behavior. Analyzing ideographs enables critics to identify how
discourse intersects with public motives, facilitating understanding of the
ideologies functioning in a discursive environment. 3 Ideographs are taken
as fact by their audience, as audiences see the terms as a core part of the
society of which they are a part. 'Freedom,' 'equality,' and the 'rule of law'
are more than simply words or phrases; they embody positions that bring
an audience together and can defi ne them against another group. To under-
stand an ideograph is to better understand the beliefs of the group that uses
it, as the words become powerful symbols that contain elements of cultural
commitment, ideology, and preferred practices of behavior.
McGee argued that certain words were used in seeking to legitimize
Richard Nixon's actions in the wake of the Watergate scandal, while others
functioned to defi ne political subgroups and dif erent cultural practices.
Scholars employing ideographs as an analytical tool have often stuck to
the realm of political discourse, analyzing ideographs present in things
like how a redefi nition of the ideograph 'law' could be used to mobilize
Parliamentary opposition to the British crown. 4 However, the concept of
the ideograph has been extended into the realm of sports and games. By
identifying 'sport' as an ideograph in the television coverage of poker,
it is possible to see how the use of the term enables poker to be seen as
both masculine and suitable for television coverage and consumption. 5 By
deploying a well-known, accepted term to redefi ne poker, the new 'sport'
is cast into a known set of associations. Instead of holding on to the prior
belief that poker is a game played in smoky backrooms by gamblers who
may be breaking the law, a sport is a regulated, encouraged form of compe-
tition contested by athletes. In tandem with using the term sport, discourse
about poker began to focus on the mental discipline required to play it, as
well as the physical stamina needed to endure long sessions at the table.
By using the ideograph of sport and employing surrounding descriptions
that parallel the actions of athletes, the game of poker became a dif erent
kind of product, one that tapped into existing marketing and television