title: What makes gambling cool? Images of agency and self-control in fiction films.
abstract: The study is a qualitative film analysis. It seeks to determine the semiotic and cinematic structures that make gambling appealing in films based on analysis of 72 film scenes from 28 narrative fiction films made from 1922 to 2003 about gambling in North American and West European mainstream cinema. The main game types include card games, casino games, and slot machines. The theme of self-control and competence was identified as being central to gambling's appeal. These images are strongly defined by gender. The study was funded by ELOMEDIA, financed by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture as well as the Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies. The limitations of the study are noted.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Social Research and Centre for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance CEACG, University of Helsinki , Finland.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egerer
authors.forename: Varpu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rantala
mesh_terms: D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009040:Motion Pictures / Q000266:history*; D009656:North America; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012927:Social Control, Informal
keywords: addiction; emotional aspects in film; film studies; gambling; gender; loss of control; social semiotics