New Books in Critical Theory

James Malazita, "Enacting Platforms: Feminist Technoscience and the Unreal Engine" (MIT Press, 2024)

Jan 12, 2025
James Malazita, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies and Game Design at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, delves into the cultural intersections of the Unreal game engine through feminist, race, and queer theories. He critiques the platform studies framework, exploring its sociocultural limits and the complex relationship between technology and identity. Malazita highlights issues of racial representation in game design and advocates for a more inclusive critical approach, urging scholars to examine gaming's broader social implications.
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INSIGHT

Malazita's Background and RPI's Game Design Program

  • James Malazita is an associate professor at RPI, researching game engines and sociocultural intersections in game development.
  • RPI offers degrees in game design and critical game design, combining critical theory with practical design.
INSIGHT

Critical Game Design at RPI

  • RPI's critical game design program blends humanities, arts, and technical disciplines.
  • The program emphasizes the recursive relationship between critical analysis and game production, enriching both.
INSIGHT

Unreal Engine and Intersections of Power

  • Game engines like Unreal Engine reflect and perpetuate power dynamics related to race, gender, and other social categories.
  • "White photorealism" in games, influenced by cinematic traditions, often privileges white representation and aesthetics.
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