Heterogeneity in Game Histories

Abstract

The Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab is a multidisciplinary research lab that experiments with the theory, aesthetics, culture, craft, legacy, pedagogy, technology, and play of games. It develops and shares prototypes, findings, and best practices to challenge and shape global game research and industry. However, it is also an assemblage of international scholars and practitioners from vastly different domains, cultures, age groups, and game experiences. Each person developed his or her passion for games through a lifetime of play in a unique context, taking into account generational gaps, technological sophistication, and the availability of domestic and foreign media. In the lab, the accessibility and variety of these individual stories have helped researchers and students to think beyond any assumed monolithic history of games, identifying richness, disconnects, and commonalities across decades, countries, and platforms.