PLAYING AT THE POLLS: VIDEO GAMES IN/AS PLATFORMS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Authors

  • Christine H. Tran University of Toronto
  • Bonnie "Bo" Ruberg University of California Irvine
  • Nicholas-Brie Guarriello University of Minnesota
  • Daniel Lark University of Southern California

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12134

Keywords:

video games, digital platforms, participation, live streaming, political discourse

Abstract

This panel explores the rise of ludic technologies as both figurative and computational “platforms” for American political participation. As COVID-19 forced many politicians to abandon massive rallies and other in-person engagement into 2020, American politicians turned to video games for alternative means of public outreach, from “Biden Island” in $2 to Twitch streams with Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders. This panel contextualizes these and other “ludopolitical” phenomena from a variety of perspectives, ranging from digital media studies to queer studies and political economy. We attend to the mass re-politicization of games and question the politics of identity, content moderation, and labour that are downloaded onto policy when party communication becomes strategically playful.

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Published

2021-09-15

How to Cite

Tran, C. H., Ruberg, B. "Bo", Guarriello, N.-B., & Lark, D. (2021). PLAYING AT THE POLLS: VIDEO GAMES IN/AS PLATFORMS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12134

Issue

Section

Panels