The Matter at Hand: A Practice-Theoretical Model of Digital Gaming

Digital gaming functions as a situated human practice, defined by the intersection of embodied habitus and the material constraints of hardware and software. By applying Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of practical sense to the ludic experience, this framework posits that gameplay is not merely a cognitive exercise but a performative mastery of digital environments. This model establishes that while digital games vary widely in design, they share a fundamental material basis that necessitates a specific form of literacy, bridging the gap between diverse gaming experiences and the underlying physical requirements of play.

Player proficiency is structured across three overlapping layers: material familiarity with platforms, genre-specific expertise, and title-specific competencies. Empirical analysis of 2D platformers reveals that gameplay performance is heavily contingent upon a player’s prior history with specific mechanics and input methods. While certain skills demonstrate transferability across similar titles, the transition between disparate game systems requires the continuous development of specialized repertoires. Notably, genre familiarity serves as a more reliable predictor of performance than hardware proficiency, suggesting that the cognitive and physical demands of specific game structures outweigh the influence of the input device itself.

To account for the dynamic nature of digital challenges, the model incorporates a layer of particular skills—discrete, title-specific requirements that fluctuate during active play. This refinement allows for a more nuanced understanding of how players adapt to evolving environmental demands. While these findings provide a robust conceptual tool for framing the practices generated by digital artifacts, the current scope remains limited to small-scale case studies. Future research involving larger, more diverse populations is essential to validate the broader applicability of this practice-theoretical model across the global gaming landscape.