Category: Game studies (Page 3 of 11)

A Paper Ball: Play, Agency and Space in Dispute

June 20, 2025 / admin

Juan Sebastián Goyburu

ABSTRACT:
This philosophical exploratory paper considers the ontology of play and toys, specifically balls, showing that play is an autotelic phenomenon that reorganizes time, space and material relations. Its objective will be to start developing a philosophical definition of ‘play’ that includes imaginative play but does not rest on the idea of imagination but instead on the materiality of playing, in order to make it coherent with more physical games. We start from the analysis of play in classical phenomenology, finding that its perspective fails on two counts: That it rests on the idea of ‘imagination’ in order to define play and on something akin to the Waltonian ‘prop’ as the archetype of toy and, relatedly, that choice does not seem to be able to account for more physical types of play. We will then try to explore games by placing the materiality of playing and the ball as a technical object at the centre of the analysis. This path will open the network of interactions that, following Latour, we can see actualized in the ludic, revealing its inherent political nature. We will conclude by recovering the Heideggerian and Finkean notions on autotelicity and the space-time articulating character of the game, but now on material grounds that allow a more comprehensive and nuanced characterization of games, toys, playing and player.

KEY WORDS:
ball games, balls, Bruno Latour, phenomenology, play, play space, postphenomenology, toys.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.64-77

HOW TO CITE:
Goyburu, J. S. (2025). A paper ball: Play, agency and space in dispute. Acta Ludologica, 8(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.64-77

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Environmental Engagement and the Ecodystopian Narrative: The Last of Us and Its Anthropocenic Echoes

June 20, 2025 / admin

Pascal Verheul

ABSTRACT:
This paper explores the representation of Nature in the digital game The Last of Us as subversive of established ecodystopian tropes, providing a strong critique of anthropocentrism through its depiction of a world in which humanity is no longer on top. The paper focuses on the first digital game in the duology, with intertextual analysis of the second instalment and the HBO adaptation to support the framing of key concepts. While ecodystopian fiction commonly depicts environmental decline and scarcity to show the consequences of unbridled anthropocentrism, The Last of Us instead presents a world with abundant Nature that has turned hostile to humanity. Through an analysis of Nature’s characteristics within the digital game, through the scope of ecocriticism and Marxist literary theory, this paper argues that the narrative at hand makes complex environmental concerns tangible through an immersive, post-apocalyptic landscape wherein Nature has become both monstrous and sovereign. The paper furthermore posits that the mycomonstrous antagonist, the Infected, is Nature personified, reflecting ecological negligence, capitalist overreach and anthropocentric hubris. Through its interactive format, The Last of Us functions as a narrative-driven medium that critically provides echoes of anthropocentric capitalist actions and their consequences, refuting the end of Nature through humanity.

KEY WORDS:
anthropocene, capitalism, digital games, ecodystopian, environmentalism, post-apocalyptic, posthuman, The Last of Us.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.50-63

HOW TO CITE:
Verheul, P. (2025). Environmental engagement and the ecodystopian narrative: The Last of Us and its anthropocenic echoes. Acta Ludologica, 8(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.50-63

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Game on, Think Deep, Level up: Engaging Higher Education Students in a Digital Game Analysis and Critique Curricular Unit

June 20, 2025 / admin

André Carita

ABSTRACT:
This paper explores the importance and challenges of teaching a digital game analysis and critique curricular unit to students on a digital game course. The central research question guiding this study is: How can educators effectively teach students to critically analyse digital games as cultural artifacts and forms of media expression? Digital games, as a medium of cultural significance, require an in-depth approach to teaching their analysis. The paper begins with an introduction to the importance of digital game analysis in contemporary education, discussing the role of digital games as a medium for expression and the need for critical perspectives in their study. It also highlights the existing approaches and research gaps that still need to be addressed. The methodology section outlines strategies for teaching while the results and findings sections discuss the outcomes of implementing these strategies in educational settings and considers the practical exercises used as case studies throughout the semester in the past five years (from 2019/2020 to 2023/2024). Finally, the paper concludes with insights on the effectiveness of discussing digital games in the classroom and recommendations for future research and practice.

KEY WORDS:
active learning, creative writing, critical thinking, critique, digital games, hands-on activities, peer learning, student engagement.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.32-49

HOW TO CITE:
Carita, A. (2025). Game on, think deep, level up: Engaging higher education students in a digital game analysis and critique curricular unit. Acta Ludologica, 8(1), 32–49. https://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.32-49

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How Chinese Esports Rose: The Structure of Chinese Esports Before 2011 and Sicong Wang’s Esports Integration Practice

June 20, 2025 / admin

Pengze Zheng

ABSTRACT:
This paper seeks to interpret the big picture of Chinese eSports before 2011 and how it turned into the current model, contributing to its expansive development. Since the mid-2010s, China has become one of the most important players in the global eSports industry. However, before 2011, the Chinese eSports industry was chaotic. It began in 1998 and suffered from the industry’s late start and unregulated environments, including the unstable foundation of the eSports industry, the market separatism of domestic game companies, the government’s paradoxical control, and the stigmatization of eSports players. Game companies, investors, and eSports players struggled to think about the future, but little research ever went deep into these issues. This paper aims to fill the blank in the academic analysis of the Chinese eSports industry between 1998 and 2011. Beginning with the origins of Chinese eSports, it will consider the components that support Chinese eSports, the obstacles that hinder Chinese eSports’ development, Sicong Wang’s strategy of integrating Chinese eSports, and the significance of understanding Chinese eSports’ rise.

KEY WORDS:
eSports, game companies, government, China, internet cafe, Sicong Wang, society, stigmatization.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.16-30

HOW TO CITE:
Zheng, P. (2025). How Chinese eSports rose: The structure of Chinese eSports before 2011 and Sicong Wang’s eSports integration practice. Acta Ludologica, 8(1), 16–30. https://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.16-30

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Among Pixels and Pavement: Exploring the Feedback Loop Between Digital Games and Public Spaces

June 20, 2025 / admin

Caio Tulio Olimpio Pereira da Costa

ABSTRACT:
The paper explores the complex interactions between public spaces and digital games, highlighting how these environments both influence and are influenced by each other on real and virtual worlds. Drawing on Johan Huizinga’s concept of Homo ludens, the study underscores the importance of play as a fundamental aspect of human culture and its extension into contemporary digital interfaces. In addition, the paper argues that the feedback loop between game and reality reshapes our understanding of public spaces and games, exploring mini-cases as potential examples for the discussion. The analysis also considers Dewey’s notion of experience and Janet Murray’s concept of immersion, positioning the player as a critical mediator who navigates the thin line between virtual and real worlds. As a methodological approach, this study employs qualitative and bibliographic research to offer a theoretical perspective on how digital games and architectural dynamics intertwine, as well as using SimCity as a primary case study of public spaces in digital games. As result, the paper states that public spaces and their intertwining with digital games behave in the modern era as a projection of the user’s experience, with their cultural, social, and aesthetic values represented by instances that transit between the real and virtual, even narrowing the ties between these two fields.

KEY WORDS:
digital games, public spaces, urban and architectural dynamics, virtual environments.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.4-15

HOW TO CITE:
da Costa, C. T. O. P. (2025). Among pixels and pavement: Exploring the feedback loop between digital games and public spaces. Acta Ludologica, 8(1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.4-15

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Playful Learning Approach in an English Class in a Rural Normal School

December 27, 2024 / admin

Ana Arán Sánchez

ABSTRACT:
Using playful learning methodologies in foreign language learning among adults has gained more attention in recent years, due to the advantages and benefits that students receive from it. The results of an action research intervention with a mixed-method approach are presented, which was conducted in a Rural Normal School, a public federal higher education institution located in the state of Chihuahua, north of Mexico. This research was implemented in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course, involving 90 second-year students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and preschool education, during the 2022-2023 school year. The purpose of the study was to design and implement a program using a playful learning approach to develop the cognitive, affective, and sociocultural aspects of the students. The instruments used included participant observation, a teacher’s diary, and a structured questionnaire to identify students’ experiences in the English class. The results show strong development in the cognitive and affective aspects, and a lesser degree of development in the sociocultural element.

KEY WORDS:
English teaching, higher education, learning process, normal rural schools, playful approach.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2024-7-SI.114-126

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The Transmedial Connection of Tabletop Role-Playing Games and Cosplay in The Wayward Wanderers Campaign

December 27, 2024 / admin

Orsolya Nagy

ABSTRACT:
The present paper focuses on the transmedial relationship between cosplay and tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) in a specific case study: the analysis of The Wayward Wanderers campaign played online by an international tabletop role-playing team. The purpose of the research is to point out the diversity of cosplay storytelling in social media as well as to study its transmedial characteristics. To achieve this, it is first necessary to clarify the concept and definition of cosplay, tabletop role-playing and transmedia storytelling, and then to introduce the role-playing team as the subject of the analysis, which was founded by cosplayers. The central question of the research is how the narrative of The Wayward Wanderers campaign is retold or modified through the character portrayal and cosplay storytelling content created and published by the players on their TikTok accounts. For this research we use content and profile analysing methods: we examine in detail how much cosplay content the cosplayers created with the characters they played in the role-playing campaign, over what period the content was published, what different methods were used to create content (individual or group videos, etc.) and how they relate to the canon role-playing narrative.

KEY WORDS:
cosplay, cultural studies, fan studies, game studies, social media, tabletop role-playing games, transmediality.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2024-7-SI.98-112

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Preparing a Tabletop Role-Playing Game Experiment: Methodological Notes for Studying the Immersion of Tabletop Role-Playing Game Participants

December 27, 2024 / admin

András Hlavacska

ABSTRACT:
The study aims to contribute to the research that seeks a better understanding of the language of tabletop role-playing games through the analysis of video recordings of game sessions. In the autumn of 2021, the Tabletop Role-playing Game Research Group at the Department of Communication and Media Studies of the University of Debrecen performed an experiment, the aim of which was to analyse the communication of role-playing participants through video recordings. During the experiment, the research team recorded 38 hours and 47 minutes of video footage of the games played by participants with no previous role-playing experience; a text transcript was made of the recordings, in which different types of utterances were marked with colour codes. In this study, we present the preparation and execution of the experiment, paying special attention to preliminary proposals for similar experiments in the future. The experiment served as a basis of a subsequent quantitative and qualitative analysis, the purpose of which was to make the role-play participants’ immersion the subject of a closer examination. It is important to emphasise that this study does not discuss the results of the analysis due to the partial processing of the video recordings. However, it scrutinises the methodological possibility of examining the immersive experience of role-players through their communication.

KEY WORDS:
ergodic media text, focus group discussions, immersion, language, speech type categories, tabletop role-playing game, team psychological safety, video recording.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2024-7-SI.84-97

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A Wordless World: The Circulation of Affects in Journey

December 27, 2024 / admin

Imola Bülgözdi

ABSTRACT:
This article explores the communicative possibilities in the third-person walker Journey by Sony Computer Entertainment, which eschews verbal communication between player and game, and does not offer a channel for metagame interactions between players, despite the creators’ claim to provide entertainment that inspires human connection worldwide. The game has been praised for its innovative use of the online multiplayer option that only allows for chance meetings and a very limited repertoire of oral communication, leaving room for experimentation in a world lacking human language but rich in ambient sound beds. Although minimalist regarding player-initiated communication, Journey provides an exceptional atmospheric experience due to its Grammy-nominated and BAFTA Games Awards winning musical score, which foregrounds the affective potential of digital games. The soundscape encourages players from all over the world to travel together and share an adventure not only modelled on Campbell’s ‘the hero’s journey’ but also on Everyman’s. The decade-long continued interest in the game allows the article to focus on the circulation of affects involving the creators, the non-diegetic interpersonal communication between players, and the formation of a uniquely positive and supportive online fandom, which remains, in turn, an inspiration for the creators.

KEY WORDS:
affect theory, digital games, game studies, immersion, Journey, third-person walker, Zen games.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2024-7-SI.68-83

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Paws and Politics: A Postcolonial Reading of The Cat and the Coup

December 27, 2024 / admin

Mohammadreza Golshani

ABSTRACT:
The paper presents a close reading analysis of the digital game The Cat and the Coup, a documentary digital game that explores the historical narrative surrounding the 1953 coup in Iran. The game uses a unique perspective by placing the players in control of Mohammad Mosaddegh’s cat to explore a pivotal moment in Iranian history: the nationalization of the oil industry and subsequent foreign intervention. This independent game utilizes a distinctive visual style inspired by Persian miniature drawings and creates a transcultural experience, integrating traditional and contemporary symbolism of both East and West embedded in the medium-specific features of digital games. The research combines the insights of regional game studies and post-colonial studies to conduct an in-depth close reading analysis of the game’s narrative structure, visuals, and artistic choices. It argues that the game serves as a counter-narrative to dominant Western portrayals of Iran by focusing on the cultural and historical significance of the events depicted. Furthermore, the paper suggests analysing game design as a form of digital vernacular and scrutinizes the potential of independent games to challenge hegemonic narratives.

KEY WORDS:
counter-history, coup, documentary digital game, Iran, miniature, Mohammad Mosaddegh, Persia, postcolonial studies, regional game studies, tapestry, The Cat and the Coup.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2024-7-SI.50-66

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