| Title | Re-Historicizing Game Studies with C.L.R. James |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Cameron Kunzelman(author) |
| Michael Lutz (author) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.53288/0441.1.13 |
| Landing page | https://punctumbooks.com/titles/historiographies-of-game-studies-what-it-has-been-what-it-could-be/ |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Cameron Kunzelman and Michael Lutz |
| Publisher | punctum books |
| Published on | 2025-07-25 |
| Long abstract | This essay considers what games studies might look like if Marxist critic C.L.R. James’ 1963 work of cultural criticism and biography Beyond A Boundary were accepted as a core, critical text in lieu of contemporary work that, while unquestionably central to the discipline, is primarily concerned with abstracted and typological models in attempts to theorize both games and play as universal ideals locatable outside history and culture. By contrast, James begins from his lived experience, focusing on the deep interrelations between his home of Trinidad, the sport of cricket, and colonial rule. James draws direct lines between the material political conditions of Trinidadians, including the racial codes of the British Empire, and how cricket was used to navigate the early 20th century mores around race and class on the island. We understand James as a theorist of play who engages the relationship between play and politics. It is undeniable that James produces a theory of play that is moveable and locatable beyond the circumstances delimited in the book, but it is the genre of his writing, and the way his reception is structured on racial grounds, that has prevented game studies from engaging with him directly. |
| Page range | pp. 293–306 |
| Print length | 15 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
Cameron Kunzelman (he/him) is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Theatre at Mercer University. He podcasts on the Ranged Touch network.
Michael Lutz (he/him) is an independent scholar, game developer, and narrative designer. He podcasts with the Ranged Touch network.