The use of computer and video games has increased immensely over the past few decades and today a majority of the Swedish population enjoys them on a daily basis. With such a large number of frequent users, the media reporting on the subject of games becomes interesting and important. How are games represented in the media, and has there been any change in the way they are portrayed as their popularity has grown? The aim of this study is to determine if and how the portrayal of computer and video games in Swedish newspapers has changed during the period 1995–2012. The study was conducted with the use of quantitative content analysis and the empirical data was collected from the two most widespread newspapers in Sweden – DN and Aftonbladet. The main theories used to analyze and interpret the data consisted of framing theory and theories on the concept of moral panics. The result of the study shows that there has been a large increase in the number of articles that treats the subject of games, especially in the period 1995—2002. When games are described in negative contexts, the issue most often discussed is the violent content and the negative effect it has on the user. In recent years, however, more focus has been directed towards the beneficial effects of games.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-66118 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Carlbring, Jakob |
| Publisher | Institutionen för kultur- och medievetenskaper |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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