How do game studies connect to television and film studies?

Game studies is an interdisciplinary field of cultural studies focused on games, players, and their sociocultural contexts. While some of its humanities-based approaches use interpretative methods like close reading and audience theory, these methodologies are shared with other media disciplines such as television and film studies. Before the rise of video games, the field was rooted primarily in anthropology.

What we know

• Game studies is an interdisciplinary academic field within cultural studies that analyzes games, the act of playing them, players, and their sociocultural contexts. [1, 2]
• Humanities-based approaches in game studies utilize interpretative methods such as close reading, textual analysis, and audience theory. [2]
• The interpretative methods used in humanities-based game studies are shared with other media disciplines like television and film studies. [2]
• Before the development and spread of video games, game studies was rooted primarily in anthropology. [2]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is ludology?
• how it workedHow do social science approaches apply to games?
• a case in pointWhat are Buffy studies?
• compared withHow is drama defined in film and television?
• an unexpected connectionWhat was the impact of Master of Study?

Sources

• [1]game studies (Wikidata Q675281) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Game studies · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Buffy studies · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Drama (film and television) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Master of Study · CC BY-SA 4.0