Abstract
Dijital kapitalizmde istihdam olgusu, Covid-19 pandemisiyle birlikte değişime uğramıştır. "Serbest uzaktan işler” (freelance remote jobs) gibi istihdam biçimleri giderek yaygınlaşmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, dijital oyunculuğun bir istihdam biçimi haline gelmesinin kabulü durumunda emek-değer teorisinin argümanlarının işlevselliğini tartışmaktır. Bu tartışma, “oynadıkça kazan” (play to earn/P2E) tipi oyunların yeni bir istihdam biçimi olarak tanımlanmasının mümkünlüğü üzerine temellendirilmektedir. Bu amaçla merkeziyetsiz (kripto) oyunlar içinde en yüksek piyasa değerine sahip olan Axie Infinity oyunu, vaka çalışması yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgulara göre Filipinler, Venezuella ve Brezilya gibi az gelişmiş ülkelerdeki öğrenciler ve işsizler için dijital oyunculuk, yeni bir istihdam biçimi haline gelmiştir. Oyun dinamikleri içinde algoritmik olarak yaratılan dijital kıtlık olgusu, oyunların bir “değer” yaratmasını mümkün kılmaktadır. Oyun içinde yaratılan dijital değerler, hem emek-değer teorisi hem de subjektif değer teorisiyle açıklanabilir olgulardır. Merkeziyetsiz oyunların regüle edilemeyen doğası nedeniyle, sömürü mekanizmaları ilksel birikime benzer dinamikleri beraberinde getirebilmektedir. Kripto varlıkların yüksek volatiliteleri nedeniyle dijital emekçilerin günlük “ücretleri” esnektir; ücret katılıklarının olmaması, dijital emekçilerin ücretlerinin tümüyle “piyasa mekanizması” tarafından belirlenmesine neden olmaktadır. Blok zinciri altında ortaya çıkan merkeziyetsiz oyunlardaki istihdam biçimlerinin, ponzi finansman ya da rant teorisi bağlamında analiz edilmesi, çoğu zaman olguyu anlamayı zorlaştırmaktadır. Bir başka deyişle milyonlarca kişinin meydana getirdiği merkeziyetsiz otonom organizasyonları (DAO) finansal balon ya da kitlesel çılgınlık olarak ele almak realiteyi yeterince açıklayamamaktadır. Bu nedenle makalede, merkeziyetsiz oyunların değer teorisi bağlamında ele alınmasının işlevsel olduğu iddia edilmektedir.
Supporting Institution
Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi
Project Number
SCD-2021-2630
References
- Acemoglu. D.. & Restrepo. P. (2020). Robots and jobs: Evidence from US labour markets. Journal of Political Economy. 128(6). 2188-2244.
- Becker. H. S. (1971). Sociological Work: Method and Substance. London: Transaction Publishers.
- Culannay, R. C. (2022). Analysis on the Factors that Influence the Investment on Online Crypto Games. International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education, 3(1), s.143-154.
- De Jesus. S. B.. Austria. D.. Marcelo. D. R.. Ocampo. C.. Tibudan. A. J.. & Tus. J. Play-to-Earn: A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences and Challenges Faced By Axie Infinity Online Gamers Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Fidel. R. (1984). The case study method: A case study. Library and Information Science Research. 6(3). 273-288.
- Francisco, R., Rodelas, N., & Ubaldo, J. E. (2022). The Perception of Filipinos on the Advent of Cryptocurrency and Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Games. arXiv preprint arXiv:2202.07467, 6, s. 1005-1018, https://doi.org/10.25147/ijcsr.2017.001.1.89
- Fuchs. C. (2015). Dijital emek ve Karl Marx. Çev. Tahir Emre Kalaycı ve Senem Oğuz. Ankara: Notabene Yayınları.
- https://axie.substack.com/p/breedingadjustment
- https://naavik.co/deep-dives/axie-infinity#axie-decon=
- https://whitepaper.axieinfinity.com/gameplay/breeding
- https://whitepaper.axieinfinity.com/gameplay/breeding
- https://www.axieworld.com/en/economics/charts?chart=slpIssuance
- Irorita. F. C. (2021. August 10). Axie Infinity Season 18: Adventure. Quests SLP nerfed; PvP buff. ClutchPoints. Retrieved January 23. 2022. from https://clutchpoints.com/axie-infinity-season-18-adventure-quests-slp-nerfed-pvp-buff/
- Jiang, X. J., & Liu, X. F. (2021). Cryptokitties transaction network analysis: The rise and fall of the first blockchain game mania. Frontiers in Physics, 9(3), s. 1-12, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2021.631665
- Langley. P.. & Leyshon. A. (2017). Platform capitalism: the intermediation and capitalization of digital economic circulation. Finance and Society. 3(1). 11-31.
- Liang. Y.. Aroles. J.. & Brandl. B. (2022). Charting platform capitalism: definitions. concepts and ideologies. New Technology. Work and Employment. 1-20.
- Papadimitropoulos. E. (2021). Platform capitalism. platform cooperativism. and the commons. Rethinking Marxism. 33(2). 246-262.
- Scholten, O. J., Zendle, D., & Walker, J. A. (2020). Inside the decentralised casino: A longitudinal study of actual cryptocurrency gambling transactions. PloS one, 15(10), s. 1-18, https:// doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240693
- Serada, A., Sihvonen, T., & Harviainen, J. T. (2021). CryptoKitties and the new ludic economy: How blockchain introduces value, ownership, and scarcity in digital gaming. Games and Culture, 16(4), s. 457-480.
- Servando. K.. Sayson. I.. and Bloomberg (2021). The jobless turn to crypto video game for financial relief. https://fortune.com/2021/08/25/crypto-video-game-axie-infinity-crypto-traders-unemployed/.
- Shah. S. K.. & Corley. K. G. (2006). Building better theory by bridging the quantitative–qualitative divide. Journal of management studies. 43(8). 1821-1835.
- Srnicek. N. (2017). Platform capitalism. John Wiley & Sons.
- Wijman (2022), https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/games-market-revenues-will-pass-200-billion-for-the-first-time-in-2022-as-the-u-s-overtakes-china www.coingecko.com
- Yin. R. K. (2009). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (Fourth Edition). London: Sage.
Abstract
The phenomenon of employment in digital capitalism has changed with the Covid-19 pandemic. Forms of employment such as “freelance remote jobs” have become increasingly common. The aim of this study is to discuss the functionality of the arguments of the labour theory of value if being a digital gamer is accepted as a form of employment. This discussion is based on the possibility of defining play-to-earn (P2E) games as a new form of employment. For this purpose, Axie Infinity game, which has the highest market value among decentralized (crypto) games, has been analyzed by case study method. According to the findings, being a gamer for students and unemployed in underdeveloped countries such as the Philippines, Venezuela and Brazil has become a new form of employment. The phenomenon of digital scarcity, which is created algorithmically within game dynamics, makes it possible for games to create a “value”. Digital values created within games are phenomena that can be explained by both theory of labour-value and subjective theory of value. Due to its unregulated nature, exploitation mechanisms can bring about dynamics similar to primitive accumulation. Due to the high volatility of crypto-assets, the daily “wages” of digital workers are flexible; the absence of wage rigidities causes the wages of digital workers to be determined entirely by the “market mechanism”. Analyzing the forms of employment in decentralized games that emerged under the blockchain in the context of ponzi financing or rent theory often makes it difficult to understand the phenomenon. In other words, considering the decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO) created by millions of people as financial bubbles or mass insanity cannot adequately explain the reality. Therefore, in the article, it is claimed that it is functional to consider decentralized games in the context of value theory.
Project Number
SCD-2021-2630
References
- Acemoglu. D.. & Restrepo. P. (2020). Robots and jobs: Evidence from US labour markets. Journal of Political Economy. 128(6). 2188-2244.
- Becker. H. S. (1971). Sociological Work: Method and Substance. London: Transaction Publishers.
- Culannay, R. C. (2022). Analysis on the Factors that Influence the Investment on Online Crypto Games. International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education, 3(1), s.143-154.
- De Jesus. S. B.. Austria. D.. Marcelo. D. R.. Ocampo. C.. Tibudan. A. J.. & Tus. J. Play-to-Earn: A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences and Challenges Faced By Axie Infinity Online Gamers Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Fidel. R. (1984). The case study method: A case study. Library and Information Science Research. 6(3). 273-288.
- Francisco, R., Rodelas, N., & Ubaldo, J. E. (2022). The Perception of Filipinos on the Advent of Cryptocurrency and Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Games. arXiv preprint arXiv:2202.07467, 6, s. 1005-1018, https://doi.org/10.25147/ijcsr.2017.001.1.89
- Fuchs. C. (2015). Dijital emek ve Karl Marx. Çev. Tahir Emre Kalaycı ve Senem Oğuz. Ankara: Notabene Yayınları.
- https://axie.substack.com/p/breedingadjustment
- https://naavik.co/deep-dives/axie-infinity#axie-decon=
- https://whitepaper.axieinfinity.com/gameplay/breeding
- https://whitepaper.axieinfinity.com/gameplay/breeding
- https://www.axieworld.com/en/economics/charts?chart=slpIssuance
- Irorita. F. C. (2021. August 10). Axie Infinity Season 18: Adventure. Quests SLP nerfed; PvP buff. ClutchPoints. Retrieved January 23. 2022. from https://clutchpoints.com/axie-infinity-season-18-adventure-quests-slp-nerfed-pvp-buff/
- Jiang, X. J., & Liu, X. F. (2021). Cryptokitties transaction network analysis: The rise and fall of the first blockchain game mania. Frontiers in Physics, 9(3), s. 1-12, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2021.631665
- Langley. P.. & Leyshon. A. (2017). Platform capitalism: the intermediation and capitalization of digital economic circulation. Finance and Society. 3(1). 11-31.
- Liang. Y.. Aroles. J.. & Brandl. B. (2022). Charting platform capitalism: definitions. concepts and ideologies. New Technology. Work and Employment. 1-20.
- Papadimitropoulos. E. (2021). Platform capitalism. platform cooperativism. and the commons. Rethinking Marxism. 33(2). 246-262.
- Scholten, O. J., Zendle, D., & Walker, J. A. (2020). Inside the decentralised casino: A longitudinal study of actual cryptocurrency gambling transactions. PloS one, 15(10), s. 1-18, https:// doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240693
- Serada, A., Sihvonen, T., & Harviainen, J. T. (2021). CryptoKitties and the new ludic economy: How blockchain introduces value, ownership, and scarcity in digital gaming. Games and Culture, 16(4), s. 457-480.
- Servando. K.. Sayson. I.. and Bloomberg (2021). The jobless turn to crypto video game for financial relief. https://fortune.com/2021/08/25/crypto-video-game-axie-infinity-crypto-traders-unemployed/.
- Shah. S. K.. & Corley. K. G. (2006). Building better theory by bridging the quantitative–qualitative divide. Journal of management studies. 43(8). 1821-1835.
- Srnicek. N. (2017). Platform capitalism. John Wiley & Sons.
- Wijman (2022), https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/games-market-revenues-will-pass-200-billion-for-the-first-time-in-2022-as-the-u-s-overtakes-china www.coingecko.com
- Yin. R. K. (2009). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (Fourth Edition). London: Sage.
Details
| Primary Language | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Project Number | SCD-2021-2630 |
| Publication Date | August 31, 2022 |
| Submission Date | June 30, 2022 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2022 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 |
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