1st Edition
Cultural Game Studies Critical Approaches
Introduction to the Cultural Game Studies: The Emergence of the Research Field
Frans Mäyrä and Raine Koskimaa
1. Understanding Games: Hermeneutic Approaches to Game Studies
Jonne Arjoranta
2. Understanding Players
Thomas Apperley
3. Politics of Games, Play and Critical Game Studies: What Does it Mean to be ‘Critical’?
Rainforest Scully-Blaker and Sabine Harrer
4. Games and Art
Jaakko Stenros and Leland Masek
5. Games and Transmedia
Tanja Välisalo and Elisa Wiik
6. Games, Play and Online Videos
Tero Kerttula
7. Storyworlds and Game Characters
Joleen Blom
8. The Changing Landscape of Game Production
Heikki Tyni
9. The Many Cultures of Game Production
Casey O’Donnell and Olli Sotamaa
10. Game Jams and Game Culture
Kati Alha and Riikka Aurava
11. Identity and Game Culture: The Limits of Game Cultural Participation and Agency
Usva Friman
12. Cultivating a Bildung of Gaming: Doing Socially and Culturally Engaged Game Studies
Mikko Meriläinen
13. Nondigital Games and Culture
Thomas Apperley and Souvik Mukherjee
14. Emergence of Game Cultural Institutions: Hobbyist Efforts, Policymaking and Lucky Accidents
Jaakko Suominen and Markku Reunanen
15. Critical Game Heritage: On Collaboration, Controversies and Contextualization
Jaakko Suominen, Niklas Nylund and Markku Reunanen
16. Well-being and Game Design
Valtteri Kauraoja
17. Gambling and Cultural Game Studies
Jani Kinnunen
18. Cultures of Competitive Gaming
Maria Ruotsalainen
Biography
Frans Mäyrä, PhD, is a Professor at Tampere University and founder of the Game Research Lab, with its over 50 externally funded game research projects, having also served as the Director of the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies. As a leading expert in socio-cultural issues relating to games, play, and playfulness, he has published widely on topics ranging from game cultures, meaning making through playful interaction, and online social play to borderlines, identity, and transmedial fantasy and science fiction.
Raine Koskimaa, PhD, is a Professor of Contemporary Culture Studies at the University of Jyväskylä. He conducts research in the fields of game studies, transmedia storytelling, and digital culture. Koskimaa has published widely, and his writings have been translated into several languages. His current research interests include eSports, games and transmedia, and machine learning-based digital humanities methods.
