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  • © 2012

Computer Games and New Media Cultures

A Handbook of Digital Games Studies

  • One of the few interdisciplinary handbooks of Digital Game Studies
  • Strong focus on social, cultural and educational dimensions
  • Including papers from a number of renowned international researchers (e.g. from the US, Canada, the UK)
  • Many of the contributors are in a key position in universities and other institutions. They are engaged in the field of Digital Game Studies and will be excellent multipliers (Tanya Krzywinska, e.g., has been the president of DIGRA, the Digital Games Research Association, until 2009)
  • The first handbook in English with significant participation of German researchers

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Table of contents (42 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-viii
  2. Computer Games and Digital Game Cultures: An Introduction

    • Johannes Fromme, Alexander Unger
    Pages 1-28

About this book

Digital gaming is today a significant economic phenomenon as well as being an intrinsic part of a convergent media culture in postmodern societies. Its ubiquity, as well as the sheer volume of hours young people spend gaming, should make it ripe for urgent academic enquiry, yet the subject was a research backwater until the turn of the millennium. Even today, as tens of millions of young people spend their waking hours manipulating avatars and gaming characters on computer screens, the subject is still treated with scepticism in some academic circles. This handbook aims to reflect the relevance and value of studying digital games, now the subject of a growing number of studies, surveys, conferences and publications.

As an overview of the current state of research into digital gaming, the 42 papers included in this handbook focus on the social and cultural relevance of gaming. In doing so, they provide an alternative perspective to one-dimensional studies of gaming, whose agendas do not include cultural factors. The contributions, which range from theoretical approaches to empirical studies, cover various topics including analyses of games themselves, the player-game interaction, and the social context of gaming. In addition, the educational aspects of games and gaming are treated in a discrete section. With material on non-commercial gaming trends such as ‘modding’, and a multinational group of authors from eleven nations, the handbook is a vital publication demonstrating that new media cultures are far more complex and diverse than commonly assumed in a debate dominated by concerns over violent content.

Editors and Affiliations

  • , Institute for Educational Science, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

    Johannes Fromme

  • , School of Education, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Alexander Unger

About the editors

Dr. Johannes Fromme (*1956) is a Professor for media research and adult education at the University of Magdeburg (DE) since 2002. He initially studied English, Sports and Educational Science to become a teacher, but then decided to engage in academic leisure and media research. He received his Ph.D. (doctorate) from the Faculty of Educational Science at the University of Bielefeld in 1985 and earned a qualification for lecturing (habilitation) from the same Faculty in 1995. In Magdeburg he co-developed the Bachelor (undergraduate) and the Master (graduate) Programme “Media Literacy: Visual Culture and Communication”. His main research interests are the transformation of media cultures and media literacies, Digital Game Studies and new forms of interactive and audio visual communication, and media supported forms of formal, non-formal and informal learning.

Dr. Johannes Fromme (*1956) is a Professor for media research and adult education at the University of Magdeburg (DE) since 2002. He initially studied English, Sports and Educational Science to become a teacher, but then decided to engage in academic leisure and media research. He received his Ph.D. (doctorate) from the Faculty of Educational Science at the University of Bielefeld in 1985 and earned a qualification for lecturing (habilitation) from the same Faculty in 1995. In Magdeburg he co-developed the Bachelor (undergraduate) and the Master (graduate) Programme “Media Literacy: Visual Culture and Communication”. His main research interests are the transformation of media cultures and media literacies, Digital Game Studies and new forms of interactive and audio visual communication, and media supported forms of formal, non-formal and informal learning.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access