On fictional games and fictional game studies

Stefano Gualeni; Riccardo Fassone; Dom Ford

doi:10.7557/23.8094

Authors

Stefano Gualeni University of Malta https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4873-4751
Riccardo Fassone University of Turin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9921-0849
Dom Ford University of Bremen https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5545-602X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/23.8094

Keywords:

fictional games, game studies, fiction, narrative

Abstract

We explain the concept of fictional games and the theoretical and disciplinary progression that this special issue represents. We summarise the issue and the contributions within it.

References

Banks, I. (1993) Complicity. Little, Brown and Company.

Bole, C. (Director). (1990, April 30). Hollow pursuits (Season 3, episode 21) [TV series episode]. In Star Trek: The Next Generation. Paramount Television

Ford, D. (2024). Approaching FromSoftware’s Souls games as myth. Transactions of the Digital Games Research Association, 6(3), 31–66. https://doi.org/10.26503/todigra.v6i3.2175

Ford, D. (2025). Mytholudics: Games and myth. De Gruyter Oldenbourg.

Fulci, L. (Director). (1984). I Guerrieri dell’anno 2072 [Film]. Titanus.

Gualeni, S. (2021). Fictional games and utopia: The case of Azad. Science Fiction Film & Television, 14(2), 187–207. https://doi.org/10.3828/sfftv.2021.13

Gualeni, S., & Fassone, R. (2023). Fictional games: A philosophy of worldbuilding and imaginary play. Bloomsbury Academic.

Hughes, S. (2021). ‘Agony of a dying MMO’. In B. Hackett (Ed.) Haunted PS1 Demo Disc 2021. itch.io

Nguyen C. T. (2020). Games: Agency as art. Oxford University Press.

Nitsche, M. (2008). Video game spaces: Image, play, and structure in 3D worlds. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262141017.001.0001

Plastiboo. (2023). Vermis I: Lost dungeons and forbidden woods. Hollow Press.