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Latin American Ludology: Why We Should Take Video Games Seriously (and When We Shouldn't)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

Phillip Penix-Tadsen
Phillip Penix-Tadsen*
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
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Abstract

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This research report explores critical and methodological approaches to game studies, or ludology, contextualizing them within the field of Latin American cultural studies. It provides evidence of the growing influence of video games and explains major ludological concepts such as simulation and remediation, providing the theoretical and critical background necessary for the development of research on games and their cultural impact in the region. The report goes on to offer a preliminary taxonomy of Latin American cultural simulations in video games, thoroughly discussing examples of existing portrayals as well as laying the groundwork for further critical inquiry in this burgeoning field of study.

Resumen

Resumen

Este trabajo explora los acercamientos críticos y metodológicos hacia los estudios del videojuego, o la ludología, contextualizándolos dentro del campo de los estudios culturales latinoamericanos. Provee evidencia de la creciente influencia de los videojuegos y explica grandes conceptos ludológicos tales como la simulación y la remediación, proveyendo el requerido trasfondo teórico y crítico para el desarrollo de investigaciones sobre los juegos y su impacto sobre la región. El ensayo luego ofrece una taxonomía preliminar de las simulaciones culturales latinoamericanas en los videojuegos, examinando detalladamente algunos ejemplos de caracterizaciones ya existentes y también preparando el terreno para exploraciones más profundas dentro de este creciente campo de estudio.

Type
Research Reports and Notes
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , 2013 , pp. 174 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by the Latin American Studies Association

Footnotes

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the readers and interlocutors who assisted me in the development of this research report. I am particularly grateful for the fundamental influence of my friend and one of my earliest gaming collaborators, Matt Harrington, as well as the keen critical advice of my colleagues Carlos J. Alonso, Rachael Hutchinson, Samuel Steinberg, and Dierdra Reber, along with three generous and insightful anonymous LARR reviewers. This work also could not have come about without the expertise and enthusiasm of gamers, archivists, and media experts Thomas Pulhamus, Philip Swift, and Josh Finnell.

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