In this presentation, I explore what game historians actually do. I engage with fundamental questions common to various historical disciplines: What is history? What are the methodologies of historical research? Additionally, I examine the often artificial boundaries between game history and game studies. I will also discuss the sources of game history research through two practical examples: digital photographs taken by gaming enthusiasts and so-called game postmortem documents created by game developers. This presentation builds on my previous and ongoing research on the theoretical and methodological dimensions of game history, as well as case studies examining both digital and non-digital game cultures.
Jaakko Suominen received his PhD in Cultural History and is a Professor of Digital Culture at the University of Turku, Finland. His research focuses on the cultural history of media and information technologies, including computers and popular media, the Internet, social media, digital and non-digital games, and the theoretical and methodological aspects of digital culture studies. He has led several multidisciplinary research projects and has authored over 100 scholarly publications. Suominen also serves as a team leader at the Center of Excellence in Game Culture Studies.
Find more information about Jaakko Suominen here