The Game Studies Watchlist newsletter, curated by Prof. Dr. Rudolf Inderst, is published weekly on GamesMarkt. This week's topics include the forsaken world of N64, a mapping of game mechanics and new YouTube research channels.
AHOI there, game studies operators!
What always strikes me as rather strange is Jeremy Parish's subscriber count; given the ridiculously high numbers of other channels that make no sense whatsoever, it always seems like a slap in the face to me that he doesn't even have 83k subscribers. But oh well. The world is full of ... Stranger Things, as we should have learned by now. The N64 was only a very marginal part of my media and hardware socialization; we would occasionally play Golden Eye or a round of Mario Party at friends' houses. And I was never really in love with it. But it's never too late to recognize your own ignorance and stupidity and catch up on things. Let's hear then, what Jeremy has to tell us about this console.
From my perspective now, the Nintendo 64 is compelling since it represents a pivotal technological and design transition: the moment when mainstream console gaming shifted decisively from 2D to fully realized 3D spaces. This shift was not merely a technical upgrade but a profound transformation of how games encode spatiality, embodiment, and player agency. The N64’s analogue stick, for example, fundamentally altered how players controlled avatars within three-dimensional environments, introducing degrees of movement and precision that reshaped design paradigms; titles such as Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time became canonical case studies because they did not simply adopt new technology, but actively invented the grammar of 3D play, including camera systems, lock-on mechanics, spatial puzzles, and environmental storytelling that remain influential today.
At the same time, the N64 is fascinating as a cultural and economic object. It demonstrates the tensions between technological ambition and market reality: the decision to retain cartridges over optical media shaped not only production pipelines but also the aesthetic, narrative, and structural qualities of its game library. Its multiplayer focus anticipated later trends in social and communal play, making the console an important site for examining gaming as a social practice within domestic spaces. Moreover, the N64’s role in the global expansion of gaming culture, and the nostalgic afterlife it sustains today, provides rich material for studying memory, fandom, platform identity, and the long-term cultural circulation of games.
I was pointed by Hartmut Koenitz to a very interesting study written by Pakezea Anwar that looks at how culturally sensitive interactive digital narratives (IDNs) can help Afghan women improve body awareness and emotional well-being in environments where cultural norms are highly restrictive.
Rafael Marques de Albuquerque gave a Lunchtime Talk on "A Framework for Mapping Digital Game Mechanics” at Oasis, Tampere University. In his talk, he presents an ongoing research project focused on developing a comprehensive framework of game mechanics. The goal is to create a structured tool that supports multiple contexts: guiding designers during the game design process, offering educators a clear way to teach and discuss mechanics, and enabling researchers and students to analyse games.
Game lecturer Andrea Andiloro is, and I may quote, "very excited" to share his latest article, “Premiers to Pixels: The Discourse of Cinema Envy in 1990s Videogame Magazines” with us. It has been published in the Hollywood and Games special issue of Convergence, edited by Helen Stuckey and Angela Ndalianis. Best thing, it is Open Access, people.
Shout out to Nico Nolden! His YT channel introduces viewers to the formats, themes, and perspectives that shape his work on history and memory in and through digital games. A historian specializing in Public History, Nico focuses a significant part of his research and professional practice on games—not only as scholarly objects but also as tools for historical-political education. He additionally advises game developers on how to engage with historical topics responsibly and effectively. He has just released a brand new channel trailer.
Well, if you're reading this, you already know whether the upcoming James Bond game has surpassed GTA VI. I couldn't care less. And no ... you’re not getting any kind of personal pseudo-Spotify-Wrapped nonsense from me this year either. No “Your most-clicked link was…,” no “You spent X minutes with my content…”. This newsletter remains untouched by artificially generated vanity metrics. If you really need that year-end wrapped feeling, feel free to invent your own stats. They’ll be about as meaningful as the brightly flashing marketing charts out there anyway.
... haha, you really DID think that my pick for this week had to be this one, right?
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Cheers and stay healthy,
Rudolf
