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This article explores the early history (and even some prehistory) of game studies from a perspective that is informed by an analysis of claimed opposition between "objective" and "politically committed" research. There is a well-documented and long intellectual history of fundamental disagreements that have set apart the various idealist, rationalist, positivist, empiricist, and constructivist orientations in academia, for example. However, the contemporary climate of "culture wars" has surrounded such disputes with a novel, often toxic framing that aggravates confrontations and erodes possibilities for reaching agreement. This article tracks the charged prehistory of contemporary game studies on one hand into the rise of poststructuralism and the "theory wars" of 1970s and 1980s, and then moves to discuss the heritage of literary studies for game studies. The special emphasis is put on formalism as a strategy of manufacturing authority and objectivity for arts and humanities-based disciplines. The key argument in the article is that this history of intellectual warfare hides from us an alternative history – a dialectical one, which has quietly grown to become arguably the mainstream of (cultural) game studies today. Rather than isolating the formal and cultural, or aesthetic and political dimensions of game cultural agency and meaning making, the examples discussed at the end of article point towards the strategic value produced by such a dialectic approach for game studies. ; publishedVersion ; Peer reviewed

Even while digital games are played by millions, game cultures have remained in the margins of public life, to a certain degree. Pokémon GO is part of a new wave of phenomena that are about to change that situation. As a location-based game, it encourages people to play digital games out in the open, visiting public places. The ludic mindset and playful practices first developed while interacting with Pokémon GO may provide a basis for more complex skill sets and cultural practices that will be needed in broader cultural ludification developments, and for the next steps of entering the Ludic Society. The phenomenal success of Pokémon GO also highlights the importance of the meaningfully implemented links between technology, gaming content, and culture.

"Simultaneously lacking some fundamental data about the role of digital games in culture, while being faced with the challenge of games' near global presence, cultural game studies is in need of collaborative research efforts. This article discusses some starting points for cultural and social-psychological study of games and digital play, while inviting participation into an international, comparative research project." [author's abstract]