Digital Games Research

The section aims to serve as a Europe-wide network for scholars interested in research on all types of digital games, analyzing their use, effects, forms and contents.

The section welcomes diverse approaches to the field, from theoretical/critical works and methodological discussions to quantitative and qualitative empirical studies. Given the innovative and cross‐disciplinary nature of the section’s core subject, we welcome researchers from communication and media studies, but also from other disciplinary backgrounds, such as sociology, psychology, political sciences, humanities, business studies, education studies, design, or informatics.

Topics explored by the section include, but are not limited to:

• Research on possible positive (e.g. enjoyment, well-being, cognitive skills) and negative (e.g. aggressiveness, social isolation, sexism) effects of gaming
• Theoretical approaches and methodological advances in digital games research
• The production, content, audiences and regulation of digital games
• Digital culture, gaming communities, and social interactions in and around games
• The use of games by particular target groups, such as adolescents, children, or elderlies
• The use of games in specific contexts, such as work, education, or health care
• Discursive approaches to games and play
• New forms of games and current trends in gaming, such as news games, retro gaming, mobile gaming, virtual and augmented reality games