Arcade Talks: Mainstreaming and Game Journalism

This talk will preview a forthcoming academic book that discusses why games are not mainstream and how game journalism can help them gain cultural credibility. First, both the history and current practices of game journalists will be discussed, along with the roles writers and industry play in conveying that the medium is a “mainstream” form of entertainment. Second, the bumpy process of what we think of as “mainstreaming” will be unpacked. We argue that it encompasses three overlapping factors: ubiquity, literacy, and legitimacy. Ultimately, we will grapple with two provocative questions: will games ever gain widespread cultural acceptance, and should they even?

Hosted by David B. Nieborg, an Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Toronto and a Visiting Professor (’22-’23) at the University of Amsterdam. He held visiting and fellowship appointments with MIT, the Queensland University of Technology, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the co-author of Platforms and Cultural Production (Polity, 2021) and Mainstreaming and Game Journalism (MIT Press, 2023).