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Cited by 4Digital Games and MediaEducational Games and GamificationGame Theory and Applications

The Game Studies Crisis: What Are the Rules of Play?

Open access
Ouellette, Marc, Conway, Steven·2021·Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture
DOI 10.7557/23.6360
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Abstract

Though no field or discipline’s historical vector presents itself as a strictly linear building of knowledge, the historical trajectory of Game Studies is problematic: certainly not linear, yet also not even multiplicious or rhizomatic. Instead, we are cyclical. Past debates often re-emerge, zombie-like, muttering the same arguments, often encased in binaries as endemic to our field as they are to the objects we study: unbridgeable disagreements on fundamental concepts; incompatible ontologies and epistemologies; incommensurability writ large. We view this as a chronic issue which has of late culminated in a crisis, exacerbated by changing institutional prerogatives championing multidisciplinary approaches and demands for “public impact”. This article takes a metaphysical approach, performing a meta-review to search for the root cause of our field’s cyclical nature. We identify and explore a key issue, namely our continuing status as pre-paradigmatic field, and ask questions designed to provoke ways forward, to provide more inflection points and fewer endless loops.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper argues that Game Studies remains pre-paradigmatic, marked by incommensurable goals, tools/theory, and objects of study rather than a shared paradigm. It calls for the field to cooperate in setting its own “rules of play,” using Kuhn’s paradigm framework and examples from immersion, realism, identity, and teaching/learning.

Key findings

  • The authors diagnose Game Studies as preparadigmatic in Kuhn’s terms, with unresolved foundational debates and three types of incommensurability: semantic, observational, and methodological (citing Orman 2016, p. 51).
  • They identify three symptoms: incommensurable goals (e.g., serious vs. distraction, morality, immersion), incommensurable tools/theory (e.g., the “real” vs. fictional, catharsis/escapism, Juul’s *Half-Real*), and incommensurable objects of study (e.g., phenomenology, the magic circle, vertical/horizontal bounds, identity).
  • They cite citation metrics as evidence of circularity: Gee cited over 15,000 times, Provenzo just over 1,100, and Loftus and Loftus 542 times according to Google Scholar; they also note 2,278 academic publications using the keyword “immersion” from 2000 onwards via Microsoft Academic.
  • They argue the field’s only dominant paradigm is the persistent position of “I know best,” and that teaching/learning discourse shows a refusal to learn and circularity; they call for cooperation to set shared rules.

Methods

  • Theoretical/position paper and meta-analysis of the pre-paradigmatic status of Game Studies; no empirical sample or formal data collection is reported.
  • Draws on Kuhn’s *The Structure of Scientific Revolutions* and related literature (Orman, Chang, Harris, etc.) to frame incommensurability and paradigm emergence.
  • Uses illustrative examples (Loftus and Loftus, Juul, Squire/Gee, *Battlefield*, simulators, reenactment) and citation counts from Google Scholar/Microsoft Academic as supporting evidence.

Limitations

  • The paper states it is not interested in providing answers, only questions for the field; it avoids diving deeply into any one example in favor of a wider view, and avoids edge cases, strawmen, and “what about” distractions.
  • The authors acknowledge they are “tired too, and probably equally guilty” and that their argument may be interpreted as doing the same.
  • Evident from the text: there is no systematic empirical method or defined corpus, and the citation metrics are illustrative rather than systematically analyzed; the claims are programmatic and opinion-based.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.7557/23.6360

Cites

51 of 52 references verified1 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

2 of 42 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Interpretationcitation

    Historically, Game Studies has seen an outwards movement of the 'magic circle' of analysis from game typology, behavior, design, rules, mechanics, and narrative to encompass player, context, lifestyle, and gender.

    “Historically, we can describe an outwards movement here of the 'magic circle' of analysis, from a focus on game typology, behavior, design, rules, mechanics and narrative (we won't mention the war), to now encompass player, context, lifestyle, gender (as described in Harviainen et al.'s three waves [2018]) and so on”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Harviainen et al. 2018

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Crawford 2009

      The supplied passages and passages retrieved by searching for “magic circle,” game studies, players, and gender are labeled as sections of a FinTech cybersecurity paper, not the cited video-games paper. They do not address the claimed historical shift in Game Studies, so the attribution cannot be checked against the available copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Findingown data

    Provenzo has been cited just over 1,100 times in thirty years.

    “In thirty years Provenzo has been cited just over 1,100.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Interpretationcitation

    The distinct lack of conversation between theorists in Game Studies is a clear indication of a pre-paradigmatic field.

    “Our concern is not the deficit of agreement: it is the distinct lack of conversation between theorists in the first instance, a clear indication of a pre-paradigmatic field (Kuhn 1970).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kuhn 1970

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Interpretationcitation

    Trumping becomes particularly salient in Game Studies when theorizing ethical concerns, particularly disparities between duty and utility.

    “trumping becomes particularly salient in Game Studies when theorizing ethical concerns, particularly disparities between duty and utility.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Chang 2013

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Premisecitation

    Players make no distinction between in-game and out-of-game behaviours and traits.

    “Indeed, Thompson finds that players make no distinction between in-game and out-of-game behaviours and traits.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Thompson (2004)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Not yet classified. 8
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 51
  • May combine two claims. 9

  • Not yet classified.

    Premise

    Game Studies is often siloed in echo chambers, myopic in approaches, objects of study, and selection of topics.

    “we are often siloed in echo chambers: myopic in our approaches, in our objects of study, and in our selection of topics respectively.”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified1 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Deterding 2017

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Frome and Martin 2019 source

      The Discussion (page unavailable) finds that some games and genres receive disproportionate attention and that sports videogames are rarely the primary focus of articles. This supports concern about a narrow selection of objects of study, but it does not establish that game studies is generally siloed or myopic in its approaches and topics; the Discussion also reports a recent broadening in the range of games studied. (LLM, conf=0.85)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites Harviainen et al. 2018

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Gee has been cited over 15,000 times in the roughly twenty years since he wrote his popular text.

    “In the roughly twenty years since he wrote his popular text, Gee has been cited over 15,000 times (and we've just added one more).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    From the year 2000 onwards there are 2,278 academic publications using the keyword 'immersion'.

    “Using Microsoft Academic at the time of writing, from the year 2000 onwards there are 2,278 academic publications using the keyword “immersion”.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingnone given

    Loftus and Loftus have been cited 542 times in nearly forty years according to Google Scholar.

    “In nearly forty years Loftus and Loftus have been cited 542 times according to Google Scholar.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Not yet classified.

    Interpretation

    Game Studies suffers from incommensurability: its goals, tools, and objects of study do not acknowledge, address, or perceive the same observational data, nor share questions or resolve the same problems, nor agree on what counts as adequate or legitimate explanation.

    “A significant issue we face is 'incommensurability', as outlined by Orman, where often our goals, tools, and objects of study: do not acknowledge, address, or perceive the same observational data nor they have the same questions or resolve the same problems, neither they agree on what counts as an adequate, or even legitimate, explanation.”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Orman 2016

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Not yet classified.

    Premise

    Three types of incommensurability can be distinguished: semantic, observational, and methodological.

    “Thus, 3 types of incommensurability can be respectively distinguished in Kuhn's thoughtsemantic, observational and methodological obstacles could be seen in comparing those theories.(2016, p. 51)”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Orman 2016

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Not yet classified.

    Interpretation

    Game Studies is pre-paradigmatic, characterized by unresolved foundational debates, chaotic activities, and as many conflicting theories as there are theorists.

    “In the language of Kuhn, we are preparadigmatic: unresolved debates over foundational issues, chaotic activities, as many conflicting theories as there are theorists.”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kuhn 1970

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Not yet classified.

    Premise

    Identification is multiple and fractured.

    “Identification is therefore multiple and fractured, a sense of seeing the constituent parts of the spectator's own psyche paraded before her or him.”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Ellis (1982)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Not yet classified.

    Interpretation

    Juul's Half-Real does not define the pivotal notion of the 'real'; it is simply implicated in a binary as the opposite to fictional.

    “Nowhere is this pivotal notion of the 'real' defined; rather, it is simply implicated in a binary as the opposite to fictional.”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Juul 2005

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Not yet classified.

    Interpretation

    Skepticism towards the realest 'real' escalates towards an infinite regress and we fail to establish the boundaries originally sought.

    “It is here, of course, where we might hit upon the problem of 'epistemological chicken' (Collins and Yearley 1992), as our skepticism towards the realest 'real' escalates towards an infinite regress, and we fail to establish the boundaries originally sought.”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Collins and Yearley 1992

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Not yet classified.

    Premise

    Player behaviour during reenactment has material effects in not only the reenacting world, but also in the 'real world'.

    “We should also turn to the world of historical reenactors and their relationship with the world because, as Jenny Thompson (2004) finds in her ethnographies, player behaviour during the reenactment has material effects in not only the reenacting world, but also in the 'real world'.”
    Quote in the paperNot yet classified0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Thompson (2004)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    Games can stretch or compress time and space in ways that other media still struggle to match.

    “Games can stretch or compress either in ways that other media still struggle to match.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationnone given

    The concept of 'real' is repeatedly used in the public sphere, weaponized both for and against digital games.

    “To loop back to the prolific concept of 'real', we find it repeatedly used in the public sphere, weaponized both for and against digital games, to say nothing of its volatility in other areas of life.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Actor-Network Theory, if combined with phenomenological approaches, can offer a robust way to start sketching boundaries.

    “As mentioned earlier, some theorists have shown how Actor-Network Theory, if combined with phenomenological approaches, can offer a robust way to start sketching our boundaries.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The 'reality-based community' of reenactors meets many unrealized needs and dreams of the performers.

    “As one might assume, the “realitybased community” of the reenactors does meet many unrealized needs and dreams of the performers (2004, p. 278).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Thompson (2004)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The list of relationships that a dogmatic phenomenology would miss could go on endlessly, which is a key problem of the pre-paradigm.

    “The list could go on endlessly (and, if it wasn't obvious, this is a key problem of the pre-paradigm).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationnone given

    There is less certainty in Game Studies about how far to go in the vertical and horizontal bounds of objects of study.

    “Of less certainty is how far we go in either direction.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Kuhn's sociological insights are not confined to the sciences but can be applied to many, if not all, areas of study making knowledge claims.

    “Kuhn's sociological insights are not confined to the sciences, but can be applied to many, if not all, areas of study making knowledge claims.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Chang 1997

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Identification with the hero is one among many identifications, including identification of the self with the various positions involved in fictional narration.

    “As John Ellis (1982) notes in his contribution to the Film Studies debates, the identification with the hero is one among many, including: the identification of self with the various positions that are involved in the fictional narration: those of hero and heroine, villain, bit-part player, active and passive character.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Ellis (1982)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Juul's notion of the 'real' amounts to a tautology: it is real because it is not really fictional, and fictional because it is not really real.

    “The 'real' amounts to a tautology here: it's real because it's not really fictional, and it's fictional because it's not really real.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Juul 2005

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Any presumed identification is always already based on a privileged position.

    “Any presumed identification is always already based on a privileged position.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    The resistance to catharsis and escapism in game studies goes back to one of the earliest principled stands about games: violence and sex.

    “The resistance to catharsis and escapism in game studies goes all the way to one of the earliest 'principled' stands about games: violence and sex.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning

    The privileging of masculinity offers a narrow understanding of identifications that occur in and through the process of imagination.

    “It also offers a similarly narrow understanding of identifications that occur in and through the process of imagination.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Issues of ethical concern remain among the foremost thoughts of game scholars in the absence of a paradigm.

    “These are issues that remain among the foremost thoughts of game scholars in the absence of a paradigm.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    Game Studies has an almost wilful aversion to long-established paradigms in favour of innumerable syntagms.

    “These include an almost wilful aversion to long established paradigms in favour of innumerable syntagms.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    A movement towards the phenomenological-focusing on lived experience and meaning-emerged in Game Studies in the early 2000s and became a tangible vector in the past decade.

    “One interesting avenue for Game Studies, emerging in the early 00s and becoming a tangible vector in the past decade, is a movement towards the phenomenological; a focus upon lived experience and the matter of meaning.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Mol et al. 2017 source
    • cites Krzywinska 2006

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Bayliss 2007 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The problem of incommensurability is what allows a paradigm to emerge or replace an old one.

    “Kuhn, for example, outlines how the problem of incommensurability is also what allows a paradigm to emerge (or replace an old one): during pre-paradigm periods and during the crises that lead to large-scale changes of paradigm […] many speculative and unarticulated theories […] can themselves point the way to discovery.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kuhn 1970

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationnone given

    The concept of immersion in Game Studies is still at issue.

    “the very concept is still at issue: does it exist?”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Graham Harman (2011) has provided articulate versions of objects and the ways in which they are generative of realities.

    “Philosophers such as Graham Harman (2011) have already provided a map, offering articulate versions of objects and the ways in which they are generative of realities.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Harman (2011)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    An unspoken principle of Western society is its privileging of the masculine as the master signifier, the ground zero where all other significations derive their meaning in relation.

    “Nicholas and Agius (2017) convincingly argue an unspoken principle of Western society is its privileging of the masculine as the master signifier, the ground zero where all other significations derive their meaning in relation.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Nicholas and Agius (2017)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationcitation

    There is potential for a phenomenological paradigm to emerge in Game Studies.

    “there is potential for a phenomenological paradigm to emerge.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Mol et al. 2017 source
    • cites Krzywinska 2006

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Bayliss 2007 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Digital games have more, not fewer, potential identifications than film.

    “We do not disagree.Quite the contrary, we would argue that there are more not fewer potential identifications!”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    If one can trace the effects of an entity, regardless of its material or ideational status, it meets the litmus test for 'real' and is worthy of description and analysis.

    “if one can trace the effects of an entity, regardless of its material or ideational status, it meets the litmus test for 'real' and is worthy of description and analysis”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Giddings 2009

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Taylor 2009 source
    • cites Boellstorff et al. 2012

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Adhering to a dogmatic phenomenology would cause Game Studies to miss many important relationships in focusing on experience of being-in-the-(game)world.

    “One of the problems, if we were to adhere to a dogmatic phenomenology-and we are tempted-would be the many important relationships we miss in focusing upon our experience of being-in-the-(game)world.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Video games have changed the way sports are viewed and played.

    “we already know that video games have changed the way sports are viewed and played (Ouellette and Conway 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Ouellette and Conway 2018 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisenone given

    Game Studies seems to agree that the notion of 'game' exists alongside software, hardware/platform, the player, the context, and infrastructure.

    “Horizontally, we seem to agree this notion of 'game' exists, alongside software, hardware (or 'platform' as one trajectory of Game Studies describes), the player, the context, the infrastructure, and so on.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    There is a vast difference between reality described by physics, reality described by anthropology, and reality described by analytical psychology.

    “There is a vast difference, for example, between reality described by physics, reality described by anthropology, or reality described by analytical psychology.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    The question of morality is often tangentially discussed both outside and within Game Studies, with siloed commentaries, conversations at cross-purposes, and incompatible frameworks.

    “The question of morality is often tangentially discussed both outside and within Game Studies (sometimes interwoven with ethics for design, for pedagogy, for play et cetera), and again we find siloed commentaries, conversations at cross-purposes, and incompatible frameworks.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Game Studies is in a pre-paradigmatic phase.

    “This only serves to obfuscate the systemic, which is a persistent pre-paradigmatic mode.”
    • Also stated in: § Conclusion -Press to Continue? · plain
      “suitable metaphors for Game Studies in its pre-paradigmatic phase.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    Game Studies' only dominant paradigm is the persistent position of 'I know best'.

    “It seems our only dominant paradigm is the persistent position of 'I know best'.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    The one paradigm of Game Studies is borrowed from games themselves: the so-called 'USP', or unique selling point.

    “It is as if the one paradigm of Game Studies is borrowed from games themselves: the so-called 'USP', or unique selling point, the newest 'most realistic' version yet.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The reaction to the last two Battlefield games with playable women characters shows the weapons porn of the games is overlooked in a quest for a version of realism that privileges default white, western masculinity.

    “Suddenly, the weapons porn of the games are completely overlooked in some quest for a version of realism that privileges the default white, western masculinity.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    There is a stunning circularity in Game Studies, most pressingly in the domain of teaching and learning.

    “First, there is a stunning circularity, not only as we enumerated above but most pressingly in the domain of teaching and learning.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationnone given

    Mother, may I, and Simon Says are didactic games teaching obedience to a singular, rigid syntagm.

    “They are didactic games teaching obedience to a singular, rigid syntagm; suitable metaphors for Game Studies in its pre-paradigmatic phase.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    Serial aspects are a key learning process and outcome in their own right.

    “Ignoring the argument that serial aspects are a key learning process and outcome in their own right, we find this claim more than a little disingenuous”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    This refusal manifests itself in two distinct and almost willfully pre-paradigmatic ways.

    “This refusal manifests itself in two distinct and almost willfully pre-paradigmatic ways.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    More than a little of the current discussion takes its inspiration from Frye's (1957) Anatomy and McLuhan's (1964) chapter on 'Automation'.

    “More than a little of the current discussion takes its inspiration from Frye's (1957) Anatomy when he writes of the myth of newness and McLuhan's (1964) chapter on “Automation” when he discusses the effects of automation on teaching and learning.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Frye (1957)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites McLuhan (1964)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    Game Studies is reluctant to acknowledge that audiences experience texts idiosyncratically and instead favours 'indie' games and deterministic readings.

    “Game Studies seems reluctant to acknowledge this and instead favours 'indie' games on the one hand and deterministic readings on the other.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Squire cites that games outsell Hollywood and have for a while, and cites Provenzo's (1991) germinal study of games.

    “and not only because Squire then goes on to cite the fact that games outsell Hollywood and have for a while; that he cites Provenzo's (1991) germinal study of games.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Squire 2003

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Provenzo (1991)

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationcitation

    Play, whether inauthentic or not, matters in terms of the reputation of a given player.

    “But play, whether inauthentic or not, matters in terms of the reputation of a given player.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Game Studies repeats the simultaneous assertion that games are 'maturing' and have found something 'never before seen'.

    “Rather, it is the repetition, the circularity, and the simultaneous assertion that games are 'maturing' and having found something 'never before seen'.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    Game scholars are equally and contradictorily alarmed by the use of Full Spectrum Warrior and America's Army as overt recruitment tools.

    “We only ask because game scholars seem equally and contradictorily alarmed by the use of Full Spectrum Warrior (Pandemic Studios 2004) and America's Army (United States Army 2002) as overt recruitment tools, an eventuality presciently speculated in The Last Starfighter (Castle 1984).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Premisecitation

    In choosing an epistemological stance one should ask not for the meaning but for the use.

    “As Collins and Yearley advise however, “how do we choose our epistemological stance?The answer is to ask not for the meaning but for the use” (1992, p. 308).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Collins and Yearley 1992

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The field isn't deciding; the field is circling, in part, by making the same claim and citing the same people.

    “The field isn't deciding.The field is circling, in part, by making the same claim and citing the same people.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Mother, may I, and Simon Says are suitable metaphors for Game Studies in its pre-paradigmatic phase.

    “suitable metaphors for Game Studies in its pre-paradigmatic phase.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The audience can and will experience the text in idiosyncratic ways.

    “The audience-here, in the figure of the increasingly mythologized and individualized 'player' or 'gamer'-can and will experience the text in idiosyncratic ways.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Gee emphasizes his own category of 'good games', stocked with a roster of his choosing, based on criteria of his devising.

    “What gets buried is that Gee emphasizes his own category of “good games”, stocked with a roster of his choosing, based on criteria of his devising.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Gee (2003) source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    Players agree they are performing in a particular way.

    “Most simply, players agree they are performing in a particular way.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    Games are about discovery as much as they are about accumulation.

    “Perhaps we have forgotten that games are about discovery as much as they are about accumulation.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    There is a particularly disturbing strain of incommensurability in the refusal to learn.

    “As much as this has been somewhat cathartic for us, we also recognize a particularly disturbing strain of incommensurability in the refusal to learn.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationnone given

    One interesting vector of Game Studies has been its consideration of identity.

    “In this regard one interesting vector of Game Studies has been its consideration of identity.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
61 of 61

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 9/11 hijackers practiced on Flight Simulator.

    “Likewise, the 9/11 hijackers did practice on Flight Simulator.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    All games teach.

    “All games teach.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The industry responds to institutional and to audience expectations.

    “This is key because as with any field, the industry responds to institutional and to audience expectations.”
3 of 3

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Jenkins's initial differs between text and reference

    Minor

    The text identifies Squire's 2003 coauthor as Henry Jenkins, while the corresponding reference lists the coauthor as Jenkins, K.

  • de Smale citation disagrees with its reference entry

    Minor

    The text cites de Smale, Kors, and Sandovar as a 2017 work on page 1, but the matching reference entry dates it to 2019 and gives its pages as 387-409.

2 of 2

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Chang, R. (1997) Introduction. In: Chang, R. (ed.), Incommensurability, Incomparability, and Practical Reason. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 1-34.
  2. Collins, H. and Yearley, S. (1992) Epistemological Chicken. In: Pickering, A. (ed.) Science as Practice and Culture, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 301-326.
  3. Ellis, J. (1982) Visible Fictions: Cinema. Television, Video, London: Routledge.
  4. Zheng, R. and Gardner, M. K. (eds.) Handbook of Research on Serious Games for Educational Applications. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 19-40.
  5. Harris, R.A. (2005) Introduction. In: Harris, R.A. (ed.) Rhetoric and incommensurability. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor Books, pp. 3-149.
  6. Krzywinska, T. (2006) The Pleasures of the Game: Up Close and Personal. Games and Culture, Vol. 1 (1), pp. 119-122.
  7. Nicholas, L. and Agius, C. (2017) The Persistence of Global Masculinism: Discourse, Gender and Neo-Colonial Re-Articulations of Violence. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan US.
  8. Orman, T. F. (2016) "Paradigm" as a Central Concept in Thomas Kuhn's Thought. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 6 (10), pp. 47-52.
  9. Schiller, F. (2006) Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man. Available from: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6798/6798-h/6798-h.htm [Accessed: 2 February 2021].
  10. Sicart, M. (2011) Against Procedurality. Game Studies, Vol. 11 (3). Available from: http://gamestudies.org/1103/articles/sicart_ap [Accessed: 2 February 2021].

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Ouellette, M., & Conway, S.
ORCID
Venue
Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture
Publisher
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Published
2021-09-03
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
145-159
ISSN
1866-6124 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.7557/23.6360
OpenAlex
W3200980821
Semantic Scholar
6f0a311bbfeb827bcca580593bf89b93dd699344
Cited by
4
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 1
FWCI
1.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Eludamos Journal for Computer Game Culture (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Eludamos Journal for Computer Game Culture (publishedVersion)
  • ODU Digital Commons (Old Dominion University) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Game Theory and Applications
Keywords
game studies, disciplinary history, epistemology, ontology, incommensurability, multidisciplinary approach, public impact, meta-review

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-19.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-19.

Cited sources are checked by gpt-6-sol.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

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