Game Studies vol 16, issue 1

Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research has just published its latest issue (Volume 16, Issue 1, October 2016). All articles are available at www.gamestudies.org/1601.

by Espen Aarseth

There is an ongoing battle for the heart and soul of open-access publishing. And it is not going well.

by Karen Collins

This paper provides an “audio archaeology” of the penny arcades, exploring the uses of sound in the electro-mechanical era of games.

by Maria B. Garda, Paweł Grabarczyk

We argue that “indie game” is a distinct narrow notion within a wider concept of “independent game”. The latter can be explained as a disjunction of three types of independence (financial, creative and publishing) and it is associated, in a given historical period, with different contingent properties determined by the game culture of the era.

by Bjarke Liboriussen, Paul Martin

Game studies is undergoing a regional turn marked by an increase in research conducted in and focussed on areas outside of Western Europe and North America. The development of “regional game studies” will extend the field’s ability to engage with important global issues and enrich game studies with new perspectives and concepts.

by Daniel Reynolds

Describes a confluence of forces that shaped the development of the Nintendo Game Boy. Argues that the Game Boy exemplifies a relationship between technologists, media technology, and users. Encourages theorists to consider the bodily and other material constraints that inform the development of media platforms.

by Veli-Matti Karhulahti