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Foreword
computers,forexample,“werelaunchedonthemarketwithinfinitepromise
andnoapplications.”2ButinWesterncontextssomeatemptwasmadetoshape
perceptionsandtoguidefirstusersintocertainkindsofrelationshipwiththema-
chines.Mostcommonly,educationaluseswereforegroundedandpeoplewere
encouragedtobuyhomecomputerstogivetheirchildrencompetitiveadvantage
inthehigh-techjobsmarketofthefuture.Aconcertedelortwasmadetoculti-
vateamarketforgamesplayedonthemachines.Tisamountedtoasignificant
culturalintervention,inwhichmagazinepublications,ofenwiththebacking
ofcomputermanufacturers,soughttodefinenewkindsofconsumer,capitulating
themintoparticipationin“gaming”anddefiningthemas“gamers.”3
Tiskindofculturalactivityhadimplicationsforthewaythatdistinctions
mightbedrawnbetweenobjects,withsomemachinesassociatedwithlearning
(theBBCMicrointheUK,theMeritumcomputerinPoland)andsocialbound-
ariesformedbetween“in”and“out”groups-inthecaseofgamers,thisinvolved
excludinganyonewhowasn’tyoungandmale.4Atthesametimeregulativecon-
cepts5wereintroduced,sothatanewlexiconofappreciation(“greatgameplay,”
“supergraphics”)cameintocirculation.Inthiswaynewfieldsofculturalactivity
weredesignedandnewsubjectivities(“gamer,”“user,”“hacker”)wereproduced.
IntheBritishcontext,theseprocesseswereplayedoutinthepagesofmagazines,
atmarketingeventsupanddownthecountry,inschoolclassrooms,onTVscreens
andinradiobroadcasts,aswellasinlivingroomsandteenagers’bedrooms.
InPoland,muchofthisactivitywasmissingandthevitalmediationsthat
frameanewmediatechnology,givingitsmeaningandlocatingitinitsspecific
culturalnichewereallverydilerent.Ineachofthethreechaptersthatfollow,
theseissuesareexploredinconnectionwithvideo,computersandsatelliteTV
.
Tesetechnologieswereallequally“new”inPolandatthistime,aselsewhere.Te
bookrightlypresentsitself,therefore,asastudyof“newmedia”thatincludesdig-
italdevicesandchallengestheeasy,deterministicassociationofthatphrase
withcomputers,theinternetandother“digital”innovations.Tesocialandcul-
turalcontextmakeswhatitwillofthealordancesofeachdevice.Fromtheper-
spectiveofanageinwhichwethinkweknowwhatcomputersandsatelliteTV
“are”andwhattheyare“for,”itisfascinatingtolookbackandreflectonthedi-
verserangeofourinitialresponsesanduses.
2AndrewFeenberg,QuestioningTechnology(London:Routledge,1999),85.
3GraemeKirkpatrick,TeFormationofGamingCulture(Basingstoke:Palgrave-Mac-
millan,2015).
4GraemeKirkpatrick,“Meritums,SpectrumsandNarrativeMemoriesof(pre-vir-
tual’ComputinginColdWarEurope,”SociologicalReview55,no.2(2007).
5LydiaGoehr,TeImaginaryMuseumofMusicalWorks:AnEssayinthePhilosophy
ofMusic.RevisedEdition(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2007).
