Keywords:
Peripheral Religions, Game Cultures, Religious Practice, gamevironments
Abstract
This introduction presents the conceptual framework for the special issue Peripheral Religions and Games, peripheral religions and the relevance of focusing on such within the context of game culture studies. Considered as a rarely explicitly, but often implicitly understood phenomenon of religion in the context of game cultures, the goal of this special issue is to explore the presence, function, and design of peripheral religions and religious practices both across the fields of digital and analogue games. Based on previous research in religious studies and theology, and rooted in practice research, peripherality will be mapped out as a socio-cultural, relational, practice based, and context-based category for specific communities of religious practice. In parallel, through mapping out the conceptual framework, the specific perspectives applied by the authors of this special issue are introduced.
Author Biographies
-
Carolin Puckhaber, University of Münster
Carolin Puckhaber (she/her) holds a MA in Ecumenism and Religions and a MEd in Protestant Religion and Mathematics from the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. She is a research associate at the Department of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology at the University of Münster. Her research focuses on the intersection of religion and media, particularly the relationship(s) between non-religion and gaming culture(s), using qualitative methods.
-
Aska Mayer, Tampere University
Aska Mayer (they/them) studied Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art in Germany and Finland. Since 2023, Mayer is a Doctoral Researcher at Game Research Lab Tampere University (Finland) and is affiliated with the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies. Mayer’s research is focused on influences of game cultures on (peripheral) technology practices, somaesthetics of technology interaction, and DIY practices within the field of Human-Computer Interaction.
-
Knut V.M. Wormstädt , RWTH Aachen University
Knut V.M. Wormstädt (he/him) studied Theology, Physics and Pedagogy in Hamburg and Oldenburg, Germany. He received his PhD from Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. Since 2019 he is employed as a postdoctoral researcher in the field of systematic theology at RWTH Aachen University. Among his research interests are reconciliation theology, Christian influencing, queer theology, and Theologies of the Digital.
