publications

drafts | books | published articles | book chapters | conference papers | reviews

drafts

in press insert credit to continue. narrative and commodity form in video games. to be published in erzählformen im computerspiel. zur medienmorphologie digitaler spiele, edited by  jürgen sorg and jochen venus.

books

2008 playability. prolegomena zu einer computerspielphilologie. saarbrücken: vdm

published articles

2009 virtual worlds and their discontents: precarious sovereignty, governmentality, and the ideology of play. games & culture, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 340-352.
a techno-semiotic approach to cheating in computer games or how I learned to stop worrying and love the machine. games & culture, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 158-169.
unreal tournament. computerspiele und realismus. kunst+unterricht exkurs ("computerspiele"), no. 329/330, pp. 11-13.
2007 invaded spaces. anmerkungen zur interdisziplinären entwicklung der game studies. siegener periodicum zur internationalen empirischen literaturwissenschaft, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 285-303. 

homo deludens – cheating as a methodological tool in digital games research, convergence, vol. 13, no. 4 (2007), 355-367.

from adventure to everquest - narrative strategies in computer games now and then, anglistik, vol. 18, no. 2 (2007), 121-140.
das spiel vom tod – videospiele als vernichtungs- und utopiemaschinen, in kursbuch 167 ("kampfmaschinen"), edited by tilman spengler, 138-141.
cheating als methodisches werkzeug in der computerspielforschung. jahrbuch für computerphilologie, no. 8 (2006), 151-172.
2006 game studies 2.0, column for the digra hard core series
(with aphra kerr and pat brereton) new media - new pleasures?
international journal of cultural studies, 9.1, 63-82.
2005 precarious playbour. modders and the digital games industry. fibreculture, 3.5.
ground rules. notes on how to study games. intersection, 1.1.
2004 konfigurative praktiken in computer- und videospielen. dichtung-digital, 6.2.
2003 perspectives of computer game philology. game studies, 3.1.
2002 the floating eye of the crowd. medialität in don delillos mao II.
philologie im netz, 6.21, 16-34.
2001 auf der suche nach dem verlorenen text. literaturwissenschaften und computerspiele. philologie im netz, 5.15, 25-42.
öffentlichkeit im internet. medienobservationen.

book chapters

2009 narratologische ansätze - computerspiele als erzählungen. wie wir spielen, was wir werden. computerspiele in unserer gesellschaft, edited by tobias bevc and holger zapf, konstanz: uvk, pp. 27-48. 411-425.
computerspiele, medialität und öffentlichkeit. medien – macht – demokratie. neue perspektiven (rosa-luxemburg-stiftung texte, no. 54), edited by lothar bisky, konstanze kriese, and jürgen scheele, berlin: karl dietz, pp. 411-425.
2008 set deusex.jcdentonmale bcheatsenabled true: cheating as a way to enhance player experience in deus ex. extending experiences. structure, analysis and design of computer game player experience, edited by olli leino, hanna wirman and amyris fernandez, rovaniemi: lapland university press, pp. 123-139.

forbidden pleasures. cheating in computer games. the pleasures of computer gaming: essays on cultural history, theory and aesthetics, edited by melanie swalwell and jason wilson, jefferson (nc): mcfarland, 52-71.
2007 wallhacks and aimbots. how cheating in computer games changes the perception of gamespace. space time play. computer games, architecture, and urbanism, edited by friedrich von borries, steffen p. walz, and matthias böttger in collaboration with drew davidson, heather kelley, and julian kücklich, basel: birkhäuser, 118-121. 

online-rollenspiele als soziale experimentierräume. computerspiele und politik. zur konstruktion von politik und gesellschaft in computerspielen (studien zur visuellen politik, vol. 5), edited by tobias bevc, münster: lit-verlag., 55-76.
(with d. charles, a. kerr, m. mcalister, m. mcneill, m. black, a. moore, k. stringer) adaptive game technology as a player-centered approach to game design. worlds in play. international perspectives on digital games research (new literacies, vol.21), edited by suzanne de castell and jennifer jenson, new york: peter lang, 249-266. 
  un phénomène de "mods". les travailleurs précaires de l'industrie des jeux vidéo. culture d'univers. jeux en réseau, mondes virtuels, le nouvel âge de la societé numérique, edited by frank beau, paris: éditions fyp, 259-268 (translated by frank beau).
2006 literary theory and digital games. understanding digital games, edited by jason rutter and jo bryce, london: sage, 95-111.
2005 from interactivity to playability. why digital games are not interactive. digital gameplay. essays on the nexus of game and gamer, edited by nathan garrelts, jefferson (nc): mcfarland, 232-247.
2004 wieviele polygone hat die wirklichkeit? zum realismus von egoshooter-spielen. wie im film. zur analyse populärer medienereignisse. edited by bernd scheffer and oliver jahraus, bielefeld: aisthesis, 219-232.

conference papers

2009 work hard, play harder. labour, playbour, and the ideology of play. paper presented at the the internet as playground and factory conference, the new school, new york, usa.
seki. ruledness and the logic of gamespace. paper presented at the logic and structure of the computer game conference, digital games research center, university of potsdam, germany.
newsgaming: from representation to simulation. paper presented at the global media forum 2009, bonn, germany.
ludic journalism and the future of news. paper presented at the re:publica 09 conference, berlin, germany.
games & film - ästhetik und produktionsbedingungen. paper presented at the games & film conference, international film school, cologne, germany.
2008 collusion. mapping the interplay between paid and unpaid labourers in the digital games industry. paper presented at the internet research 9.0 conference, itu, copenhagen.
computer games and the future of literature. paper presented at the norwegian festival of literature, lillehammer, norway.
second lives and endless forests – paradiesische topoi in computerspielen. paper presented at the paradies – konjunkturen eines religiösen topos conference, university of hamburg, germany.
a mass without criticality – virtual worlds, social networks, and their discontents. paper presented at the re:publica 08 conference, berlin, germany.
playing with the rules – cheating als gegenstand der kulturwissenschaftlichen computerspielforschung. paper presented at the clash of realities – 2nd international computer games conference, fachhochschule köln, cologne, germany.
2007 jenseits des zauberkreises. cheaten in computerspielen, paper presented at the 7th hdm-symposium zur medienethik, hochschule der medien, stuttgart, germany

mmogs and the future of literature, proceedings of the digra 2007: situated play conference, edited by akira baba, university of tokyo, 319-326. 
2006 mmorpgs als soziale utopieräume, paper presented at konstruktion von gesellschaft und politik in computerspielen, technische universität, munich.
cheating as a methodological tool in computer game studies, paper presented at the games and technology seminar, university of the west of england, bristol.
2005 (with a. kerr, p. brereton, and r. flynn) intermedial pleasures: the enjoyment of digital games in the context of home media use, paper presented at changing views: worlds in play (digra 2005), simon fraser university, burnaby.
(with d. charles, a. kerr, m. mcalister, m. mcneill, m. black, a. moore, k. stringer) player-centred game design: adaptive digital games, paper presented at changing views: worlds in play (digra 2005), simon fraser university, burnaby.
precarious playbour. modders and the digital games industry, paper presented at the creative gamers seminar, hypermedia lab, university of tampere.
2004 other playings. cheating in computer games, paper presented at the other players conference, it university, copenhagen.
entwicklung der medialität von spielen in asien, paper presented at the babelsberg digital symposium, fx center, babelsberg.
2003 the playability of texts vs. the readability of games, proceedings of the level up conference, edited by marinka copier and joost raessens, utrecht university, 100-107.
forbidden pleasures - cheating in computer games, paper presented at the power up symposium, university of the west of england, bristol.
2002 the road less traveled - the case for computer game philology. paper presented at the challenge of computer games conference, university of lodz.
the study of computer games as a second-order cybernetic system, proceedings of the computer games and digital cultures conference, edited by frans mäyrä, university of tampere press, 101-111.
perspectives of computer game philology, paper presented at playing with the future, university of manchester.
2001 literary theory and computer games, proceedings of cosign 2001, edited by frank nack, cwi, 51-58

reviews and reports

2008 review of jesper juul: half-real and ian bogost: unit operations.” european journal of cultural studies, 11.2, pp. 245-248.
2007 the gospel according to wark or why this is not a review of gamer theory. gameology.

review of second person: role-playing and story in games and playable media, edited by pat herrigan and noah wardrip-fruin. game research.
liberalisierung der kreativität. telepolis.
schöne neue blogosphäre? freitag 20, 12.

kreative aller länder, vereinigt euch!, freitag 06, 17.
2006 review of fans, bloggers and gamers / convergence culture
by henry jenkins, game face 20, 86.
review of better game characters by design by katherine isbister, game face 20, 87.
review of playing video games by jennings bryant and peter vorderer (eds.), game face 20, 87.
anarchie online? zur politischen kultur von computerspielen, freitag 45, 12.
interview with ian bogost. game face 19, 62-63.
interview with tl taylor, and review of taylor's book play between worlds.
game face 19, 64-65.
review of gamework/gameplay by aphra kerr, game face 19, 101.
review of computer games by diane carr et al., game face 19, 101.
review of game cultures by jon dovey and helen kennedy, game face 19, 101.
videospiele sind kunst. ralph baer, der vater der videospiele, besucht berlin. freitag 32 (august 11, 2006), 13.
interview with jesper juul, and review of juul's book half-real. game face 16, 24-27.
2005 manhunt. aesthetics of the amoral. natural selection 3, 12-14.
die lust am mogeln - über die ästhetik von cheats. guest column for "die kultur des schummelns", 4players.
2004 (with aphra kerr, pat brereton, and roddy flynn) new media, new pleasures? stem working paper. final research report.
play and playability as key concepts in new media studies. report on research undertaken during marie curie fellowship at dublin city university, 2003-2004.
review of first person, edited by noah wardrip-fruin and pat harrigan, dichtung digital, 6.2.
review of cybermedienwirklichkeit by goedart palm, medienobservationen.
review of twisty little passages by nick montfort, game research.
aufklärer in der blogosphäre, review of krieg und internet by stefan krempl, medienobservationen.
review of digital play by stephen kline et al., game research.
review of grenzen spielerischen erzählens by klaus walter, medien & kommunikationswissenschaft, 52.1, 122-124.
2003 review of more than a game by barry atkins, game research.
review of narrative as virtual reality by marie-laure ryan, tekka 1.2.
2002 review of interfictions by roberto simanowski, medienobservationen
playing with the future. report on the playing with the future conference, manchester, mute 24
2002 - the year we make contact, reviews of the medium of the video game, edited by mark wolf; spielplatz computer by konrad lischka; wir waren space invaders by mathias mertens und tobias meißner; and game on, edited by lucien king. medienobservationen.
2001 review of media made by g. lischka and t. feuerstein, medienobservationen.
report on the cosign conference 2001, medienobservationen.