Mark R.
Johnson

Lecturer in Digital Cultures at the Department of Media and Communications, University of Sydney. Researching the intersections of play and money - live streaming, esports, loot boxes, gamification, gamblification, playbour - and their impacts on leisure, labour, and culture. Also blogs, podcasts, and designs and codes freeware games.

Recent Papers & Books

The Unpredictability of Gameplay

A Deleuzean examination of unpredictability in game systems and its effects on player cultures.

The Imperative to be Seen: the Moral Economy of Celebrity Video Game Streaming

The allure of gaming careers in the context of modern economic conditions.

The Affective Labor and Performance of Live Streaming on Twitch.tv

Building intimacy, deploying humour and being a "character" in live streaming.

The Lives and Careers of Professional Video Game Streamers on Twitch.tv

Who becomes a professional streamer, what does it take, and how secure is the job?