Game Cultures

The Game Cultures cluster is BCMCR’s address to the growing field of Game Studies. Our research takes a range of perspectives to the study of both digital and non-digital games in contemporary and historical contexts.

Two people playing mobile games

The Game Cultures cluster addresses the growing field of Game Studies. We explore the textual qualities of digital and non-digital games, and their paratextual and metatextual surrounds, but we go beyond this to engage also with players – their discussions about/responses to games, their productive activity in relation to games – with the games industry, and with the political and cultural institutions that create the landscape within which games are consumed/played and understood. Our cluster incorporates people and approaches from Game Studies and Media Studies, but also from other research units at BCU – including Education and Art & Design – as well as from fields such as Historical Studies and Fan Studies.

The main themes emerging from our work at present concern historical game studies; game adaptation and localisation; posthumanism and games; player narratives and play experience; national/transnational representation; the practices of players as fans; and ecocritical approaches to games. Much of our work incorporates themes of gender and sexuality. 

Areas of activity

  • Historical game studies
  • Video game narratives and adaptation
  • History and (video)game communities, including fan cultures
  • Posthumanism and video games
  • Video games and cultural policy
  • Games and national/transnational identity
  • Video games and ecocriticism

Cluster members

Postgraduate researchers

  • Harrison Charles
  • Reuben Mount
  • Andrew Bell
  • Mark Chapman
  • Mary Anne Argo Chávez
  • Antonio Greff de Freitas 

External members and partners

  • Dr Bettina Bódi (University of Birmingham)
  • Dr Matt Denny (University of Warwick)
  • Dr Iain Donald (Edinburgh Napier University; Visiting Research Fellow at BCU)
  • Dr Regina Seiwald (University of Birmingham)
  • Dr Esther Wright (Cardiff University; Visiting Research Fellow at BCU)