Entertainment and Media Studies Archive
What Does a Gamer Look Like?
Abstract: Recent years have seen changes to the video game industry and the image of video game players. There are more games on the market and larger variety of ways […]
Pay to Play
Abstract: This article examines the often-overlooked industrial ecosystem of performer labor. A complex economy surrounds the work of “being an actor” in Los Angeles. In their quest to be cast […]
Hybrid News Practices
Abstract: Because “mainstream” and “alternative” journalism are treated too often in discussions of digital journalism as separate spheres, comparatively less has been written about the insufficiency of positing separate spheres, despite […]
When You See it You’ll S**t Bricks
Abstract: The scary stories we tell have meaning. The things that go bump in the night, the things we are terrified by, the monsters that creep under our beds and […]
Cultural Transduction and Intertextuality in Video Games
Abstract: In their chapter, the authors look at the ways in which three different videogames create a link to former products, be they television, film or music. This intertextuality, as […]
The Queer Case of Video Games
In recent years, scholars have theorized about the narrative potential of video games. These conversations have helped to situate a complex new medium into the parameters of older forms of storytelling. […]
Dilemmas of ‘Media’
Abstract: Despite its seeming stability and obviousness, the term “media” deserves critical scrutiny. To critique “media,” this paper historicizes the use of “media” by focusing on the case of alternative/activist […]
We are All Fishes Now
Abstract: Following DiGRA 2014, our Fishbowl was used by some members of the GamerGate movement as proof of the “nefarious” dealings within our academic community. Some have asked the question of […]
Not Your Mother’s Video Game
Abstract: This essay analyzes the complicated role of motherhood in television commercials for video games, spanning several decades. Video game advertising, in particular, often features mother characters utilizing a kind […]
Social, Casual, Mobile
GamerGate began in August of 2014, resulting in several women game developers being attacked through harassment (both online and off), doxxing, and violent threats. This essay explores several aspects of […]