Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network – New Books in Game Studies
Host: Rudolf Inderst
Guests: Alisha Karabinus, Carly Kaczurek, Cody Meier, Emma Vossen (Editors)
Book Discussed: Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be (Punctum Books, 2025)
Date: September 17, 2025

This episode dives into the newly released anthology Historiographies of Game Studies, an open-access collection that critically examines how the field of game studies has constructed its own past (and present), the boundaries it has set, and the potential directions for its future. Hosts and editors discuss issues such as disciplinary gatekeeping, the diversity of approaches and voices in the field, and the practical and personal realities of editing a massive, multi-authored volume.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Challenging and Expanding Boundaries in Game Studies

• Gatekeeping and Professional Identity

  • Game studies, like many fields, has long been defined by what is excluded as much as what is included (04:10, Carly Kaczurek).
  • Developing the field is “a boundary exercise”—distinguishing between what counts as "game studies" versus what does not, often shaped by individual and collective identities.

  “Sometimes it’s not just wrapped up in what they’re doing, but also in what they’re excluding or what they’re saying isn’t.”
  —Carly Kaczurek (04:23)

• Interdisciplinarity and Openness

  • The anthology aims to kick open gates, encouraging broader conversations and including more voices from rhetoric, philosophy, anthropology, and beyond (05:31, Alicia Karabinus).
  • The collection pushes against siloed thinking, urging scholars to “include those voices and making sure that then when we take some of that stuff back to our home disciplines... we don’t feel like we have to reinvent the wheel just so we can study one thing.” (12:53, Alicia Karabinus)

Surprising and Contentious Discoveries

• Belonging and Exclusion

  • Many early contributors to game studies, even from diverse fields (anthropology, critical race studies), often felt unwelcome and found academic homes elsewhere (06:38, Cody Meier).
  • Interviews reveal that even foundational figures remembered field-defining moments, such as the “ludology vs narratology” debates, in very different ways—reflecting underlying misunderstandings or tensions (07:54, Cody Meier).

  “One of the things that struck me was how many people from different fields felt like they didn’t belong in game studies... I don’t think that those different responses were at all people trying to... misrepresent what they thought happened. But I think in those different experiences and memories of the time, there’s a lot to be gained.”
  —Cody Meier (08:40)

• Hostility and Unexamined Privilege

  • Experiences within game studies are colored by identity: who is considered to "belong" and who must continually justify their presence (09:32, Emma Vossen).

  “Who has to justify that they belong in games culture and who is just sort of accepted as like, ‘Oh, of course you’re a gamer.’ ...Some people might be shocked that... this listserv felt hostile to you—that’s a big surprise—but it’s because they’ve never probably had to fight for their belonging in that space.”
  —Emma Vossen (09:35)

Imagining the Future of Game Studies

• Globalization & Context Sensitivity

  • As games and their technologies spread everywhere, the field can’t be siloed—“something operationalized in one country... is not the way it’ll be read in another.” More inclusivity and recognition of local contexts and methods are needed (10:49, Alicia Karabinas).
  • Recognizing different values, experiences, and disciplinary positions is essential for collective growth.

• Celebrating Evolution, Not Fossilization

  • There's hope future scholars will “be better” and “do such better work that I look at my work and I’m like, yeah, that is garbage… that’s exciting, that’s what I want for the field.” (12:53, Carly Kaczurek).
  • The field should be vibrant, evolving, and humble about its past limitations.

  “A fundamental thing as an academic is, I hope whoever comes after me is better than me... I hope they’re building, I hope they’re doing new, interesting things... I don’t want a bunch of, like, moribund, like, giants of the field. I want something that’s vibrant and evolving.”
  —Carly Kaczurek (12:53)

The Realities of Editing a Major Anthology

• Collaborative Vulnerability and Adaptability

  • The project’s scope (over 30 chapters, 800+ pages) brought logistical, emotional, and practical challenges, especially as all editors navigated major life events (moving, surgery, maternity leave, the pandemic) (16:48, Cody Meier; 17:23, Carly Kaczurek).
  • Cohesion wasn’t the goal; instead, they sought a “conversation that could then ideally continue after the publication of the book” (17:50, Carly Kaczurek).

  “It’s interesting, like we worked on the introduction at various points... there’s actually sections of it, we don’t know who wrote it. We’re like, whoever said that, that’s really funny... but I don’t mean in the sense that I think they’re wrong, I just mean like, I think about it differently. So I’m not sure the goal is cohesion so much as a conversation.”
  —Carly Kaczurek (18:03)

  • Recognition that no matter how expansive, the volume could never be fully comprehensive: “There could be another 800 pages… there was a point where we have to pick and choose… we’re not trying to tell a different proper history. We’re just trying to add and complicate the history that already exists.” (19:35, Emma Vossen)

• Personal Acknowledgments

  • Emma Vossen’s organizational skills were highlighted as vital to managing the massive volume, particularly pre-maternity leave (19:14, Alicia Karabinas).
  • The anthology began during the pandemic, with contributors seeking meaningful academic engagement amidst global uncertainty (21:25, Carly Kaczurek).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Field Evolution and Embracing Change

  “I hope I feel dumb. I hope someone comes along and they’re doing such better work… that’s exciting... that’s as it should be.”
  —Carly Kaczurek (12:53)

• On Openness and Kicking Down Gates

  “Sometimes when we do want to gate off some of these conversations, my natural inclination is to be like, but let’s just kick that gate open and see what happens on the other side.”
  —Alicia Karabinas (05:57)

• On the Anthology as a Living Document

  “We’re not trying to tell a different proper history. We’re just trying to add and complicate the history that already exists.”
  —Emma Vossen (19:35)

Games the Editors Are Playing (Lighthearted Segment)

• Alicia Karabinas: Enjoys building in post-apocalyptic games, especially Fallout 76 after the new building update (22:24)
• Carly Kaczurek: Playing D&D with theater faculty and colleagues—appreciates the immersive DMing (23:04)
• Cody Meier: Plays Dead by Daylight, appreciating its “memes and strong queer culture” (23:34)
• Emma Vossen: Obsessed with Blueprints, praising it as a truly innovative “notebook game” with puzzles rivaling the best in class (24:37)

Important Timestamps

• [03:50] – Framing the anthology’s challenge to field boundaries
• [06:38] – Surprising revelations about exclusion and difference in field history
• [09:32] – Intersection of field belonging and social identity
• [10:49] – Visions for a more inclusive, globally relevant field
• [12:53] – On humility and encouraging a dynamic field
• [16:48] – The challenges and rewards of editorial collaboration
• [22:24] – Editors' current favorite games
• [26:33] – Book availability and open access status

Where to Find the Book

• Title: Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be
• Publisher: Punctum Books (Open Access)
• Availability: Free on the Punctum Books website, JSTOR, and other academic platforms (26:33, Alicia Karabinas)

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation balances scholarly depth with warmth, humor, and a sense of humility. The editors emphasize messy, collaborative, incomplete history-making as a strength—encouraging readers and listeners to view Historiographies of Game Studies as an invitation into an ongoing conversation rather than a final word.

For those interested in game studies:
This episode (and the anthology itself) is essential listening/reading for anyone interested in the history, present, and possible futures of the discipline, and especially for those concerned with making game studies more inclusive, reflective, and adventurous.