Material Game Studies: A Philosophy of Analogue Play

Material Game Studies is the first volume to apply insights from the material turn in philosophy to the study of play and games. It explores the entanglement of physical materiality with cultural meaning, examining games and play as existing within worlds of matter. The book defines a new field of material game studies and demonstrates its value to wider debates about the material turn and the place of embodied humans in a material world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This groundbreaking book is the first to apply insights from the material turn in philosophy to the study of play and games. At a time of renewed interest in analogue gaming, as scholars seek to explore beyond the digital and virtual realms for the first time since the inception of game studies in the 1990s, Material Game Studies not only champions the significance of the (re)turn to the analogue but also proposes a broader materiality of play. Recognizing the intricate entanglement of physical materiality with cultural meaning, the authors in this volume employ a diverse range of theoretical approaches, including material eco-criticism and animal studies, to examine games and play as existing within worlds of matter.

Different chapters delve into the material properties of board, card, and role-playing games, exploring their design, manufacturing, tactile interaction, and connections with other human and nonhuman entities. By bringing together international scholars, Material Game Studies establishes a new field of material game studies and showcases its valuable contribution to broader debates about the material turn and the role of embodied humans in a material world.

Weight: 538g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350202719