Routledge has now confirmed that the volume we have been working on for some time, Cultural Game Studies: Critical Approaches,will be out on 10 July 2026 and is available for preorder from 19 June 2026. You can already find the book listed at this web page:
https://www.routledge.com/Cultural-Game-Studies-Critical-Approaches/Mayra-Koskimaa/p/book/9781041155102
Drawing on extensive research carried out within the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies (https://coe-gamecult.org/), Cultural Game Studies provides a comprehensive framework for understanding games and play as interconnected cultural phenomena, examining their roles as art, entertainment, and human experience within contemporary society. It will be of interest to researchers, scholars, and advanced students in game studies, cultural studies, media studies, and digital humanities alike.
Table of Contents:
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
There are also review copies of this book available, see:
https://m.email.taylorandfrancis.com/review-copy-request-form