STS Invaders: Gaming as an emerging theme for Science and Technology Studies

Abstract

Video games represent a significant part of the digital revolution that swept over our contemporary society. Although these socio-technical artefacts can be seen as a network of human and non-human actors, STS literature on this theme remain scarce. Therefore, this Scenario aims to fill this gap by delving into gaming through a three-sided move: first, it will present a review of the few extant works that tackle, even tangentially, the theme through an STS lens; secondly, it will draw from game and media studies to highlight concepts that may bridge the different scholarships and be useful for future STS contributions on video games, but also how gaming evolved into eSports (i.e., competitive gaming) and what it means for STS; finally, it will display through the empirical example of gaming houses how an STS approach may benefit the study of gaming. Conversely, these structures where professional players gather to live and work/play together will show how gaming and its declinations may constitute a useful breeding ground for original STS conceptualisations.