Intermediating the Everyday : Indie Game Development and the Labour of Co-Working Spaces

Abstract

Emblematic of major cultural and economic shifts towards ‘new work,’ indie game development has positioned itself at the forefront of market innovation by subverting traditional, hierarchical models of workplace organization. At the centre of these major shifts is the figure of the ‘cultural intermediary’ – a nebulous, ill-defined role which we, nonetheless, contend is integral to understanding cultural industries. By focusing on the mercurial forms of labour performed by founders and directors of indie co-working spaces, this chapter aims to give shape and dimension to the role of cultural intermediaries, arguing that their networked mobility and delamination from traditional ‘sites’ of work necessitates a rethinking of studio-based study as the standard for examining indie cultural production.