Procedures of Commodification: Case Livestock Welfare

<jats:p> Background. No scholarship exists on videogames that commodify, or contribute to the emergence of objects of trade. Such games are prone to become increasingly common, however, since the popularity of commodification as a policy tool is on the rise. </jats:p><jats:p> Purpose. A procedures of commodification approach is proposed in this article for studying how videogames commodify. </jats:p><jats:p> Approach. The approach is based on a combination of classical economics and Ian Bogost’s established framework for studying videogame rhetoric. The resultant framework is suitable for analyzing whether, and how, a game participates in commodity circulation and production. </jats:p><jats:p> Results. The approach is applied comparatively to two games on livestock welfare production and consumption. </jats:p><jats:p> Conclusion. The results suggest that rhetorical analysis can be fruitfully combined with systemic social theory. </jats:p>