Remarks on Video Game Analysis

Abstract

Across the following pages, we want to present a collection of thoughts on academic video game analysis, making a plea for a more central role the actual experience of gaming should inhabit in the field of video game studies. At the same time, these thoughts are the result of a working group on video games based at “Cinepoetics – Center for Advanced Film Studies” situated at Freie Universität Berlin. In this group (2018–2024), scholars with film and media studies backgrounds have played and analyzed video games as well as engaged with theoretical texts from the field of game studies and beyond. The group aimed to transfer theoretical and methodological approaches from film and video analysis to the field of video games while at the same time discussing, testing, and adapting approaches from video game studies. We have chosen to structure the research perspective and respective challenges along fundamental questions that accompany all of our analytical studies of playing video games: What do you play? Why do you play? What’s the scope of your play? How does the game let you/lead you to play? What is your play-setting (and setup)? How do you record/observe play?