Marie Friske (Augsburg University), Tomas Novy (Augsburg University), Jeffrey Wimmer (Augsburg University) Download the pdf   Abstract Video games have evolved in recent years, moving between complex cinematic narration and reflexive gameplay. To account for these developments, this article proposes a combined approach drawing on film analysis and video game analysis, centred on the ...

Fabrizio Matarese (University of Turin) Download the pdf   All games are defined by a set of rules which in practice allow the playing of any number of matches. Ritual, which is also ‘played’, is on the other hand, like a favoured instance of a game [...]. Lévi-Strauss, Claude. 1966, p. 30. Abstract This paper explores ...

Dany Hsiao-Yueh Yu (National Taiwan University of Science and Technology) Download the pdf   Abstract Players’ characters are set in an aesthetic look that appears on popular platforms and in strategy and role-playing games. MapleStory players, who have an artist’s eye for their iconic characters, are immersed in this, delving into the customized, pixelated ...

Ezequiel Ramon-Pinat (Open Universityof Catalonia) & Diana Moisés Toro (Open Universityof Catalonia) Download the pdf   Abstract The Twitch platform has become a globally preeminent streaming platform, with millions of active daily users who engage with content creation and consumption on the site. Video game content, in particular, has become a prominent feature. Consequently, ...

Tamires Lietti (Universidade Católica Portuguesa) Download the pdf   Abstract Split Fiction invites players to navigate the emotional aftermath of trauma through the connected arcs of Mio and Zoe. Although the game adopts dystopian/sci-fi aesthetics only partially, it fully operates within a speculative framework that questions how power, interactivity, and emotional regulation converge in ...

Raúl Alejandro Treviño González (Universidad TecMilenio) Download the pdf   Abstract This study develops a framework for analyzing how players interpret video games and their characters from a cultural studies perspective. Based on qualitative interviews with Mexican gamers, the study combines classic ideas from reception theory with concepts from game studies, creating a bridge ...

Argyrios Emmanouloudis (Erasmus University Rotterdam) Download the pdf   Abstract This paper explores the dynamic, often exploitative, relationship between fan labour and the video game industry, focusing on the success of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Using platform and user-generated content theory, it examines how fan contributions, such as fan art and gameplay improvement suggestions, contributed ...

Yiling Hu (KU Leuven) Download the pdf   Abstract This article examines how Slay the Princess (Black Tabby Games, 2023) reconfigures the bishōjo as a binding force that wounds, rather than reassures, the player. Drawing on Patrick Galbraith’s account of bishōjo “techno-intimacy” and Donna Haraway’s writings on companion species, I argue that the game ...

Luisa Ferraro (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II) Download the pdf   Abstract This article examines the educational potential of interactive storytelling, a hybrid form that integrates elements of cinema and video games, which blends emotional engagement with decision-making agency. This study, based on experiments and cases related to the effects of violent ...

Bruno De Paula (University College London) Download the pdf   Abstract The present work reflects on the tensions between gaming as a global phenomenon, and the relationship between games and local/regional cultures. Beginning from a reflection on the ideological positioning of gaming as a global – and almost universal – culture, the present paper ...

Aida Gallego-Márquez (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) & Pablo Soto-Casás (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) Download the pdf   Abstract This article examines the epistemological and ethical challenges involved in conducting digital ethnographies within gaming communities on Discord. Despite its mainstream status, the platform’s culture often reproduces hegemonic masculinities and antifeminist technocultures. This forces women and ...

Alessandra Micalizzi (SAE Institute Milano), Fabrizio Festa (Conservatorio di Matera), & Claudio Pomo (Politecnico di Bari)  Download the pdf   1. Beyond Play: Reframing the Ontological Status of Videogames This special issue originates from a shared theoretical and epistemological concern: the need to reassess the ontological status of videogames within contemporary media and cultural ...

Vincenzo De Masi (Guangdong University of Foreign Studies) Download the pdf   Abstract This article explores how China’s gaming industry has transformed sustainable design into a broader socio-technical practice that merges environmental responsibility, aesthetic expression, and digital governance. Building upon the regulatory infrastructures that have shaped China’s technological modernization, the paper argues that sustainability ...