Visualizing Game Studies: Materiality and Sociality from Chessboard to Circuit Board

Journal of Games Criticism, 1, 2014, Forthcoming

16 Pages Posted: 9 Feb 2020

See all articles by Aaron Trammell

Aaron Trammell

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - School of Communication & Information

Aram Sinnreich

American University School of Communication

Date Written: November 2013

Abstract

The goal of this article is to present an alternate narrative of the way that game studies has been framed as a field of research. It is our opinion that game studies, like Narcissus in Greek mythology, has jeopardized its longevity by drinking in its reflection too deeply. Scholars working within in the field frequently situate it as a chaotic “neutral zone” of interdisciplinarity, where there are few rules as long as the object of study, the game, remains consistent. Or, polemically, it is situated in an instrumental fashion where its object, the game, is grafted into a preexisting disciplinary discourse.

Keywords: games studies, video games, games criticism, digital media, games history

JEL Classification: L82

Suggested Citation

Trammell, Aaron and Sinnreich, Aram, Visualizing Game Studies: Materiality and Sociality from Chessboard to Circuit Board (November 2013). Journal of Games Criticism, 1, 2014, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2358922

Aaron Trammell

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - School of Communication & Information ( email )

NJ
United States

Aram Sinnreich (Contact Author)

American University School of Communication ( email )

Mary Graydon Center
4400 Massachusetts Av. NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.american.edu/soc/

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
110
Abstract Views
866
Rank
377,147
PlumX Metrics