Framing Uncertainty - (Performance Philosophy) by Markus Rautzenberg (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book presents a compilation of articles on the subject of game studies written over the last ten years. These texts reflect a decade of research in European computer game studies from a theoretical perspective that combines philosophy, cultural studies, visual studies, and media studies in a way that is unique to a specific type of media theory developed in Germany over the last thirty years. This theory differs quite significantly from media studies as usually conceived in Anglo-American academia, providing new perspectives that are rooted in continental philosophical traditions ranging from phenomenology to post-structuralism and newer forms of "presence studies" in aesthetic theory.

The book provides (1) an introduction to a continental approach to game philosophy; (2) an aesthetic theory of computer games rooted in concepts of performativity and epistemology; and (3) an introduction to an interdisciplinary approach to game studies that is based on philosophical perspectives on the subject matter.

From the Back Cover

"Rautzenberg considers games, play and gaming as core ingredients of Performance Philosophy today. The author deploys a large variety of perspectives in order to discover the types of knowledge encapsuled in games. Furthermore, Framing Uncertainty is an inventory of the confused state of actual discourse in game studies and unravels the intricate ramifications of these cultural objects. Any avid student of ludology benefits from the profound insights into the various fields of immersive worldbuilding the book offers."

- Dr. Andreas Wolfsteiner, University of Hildesheim, Germany

"A philosopher by training, a gamer by passion and a media scholar and cultural scientist by intensive reading and writing, Markus Rautzenberg is one of the key figures of contemporary German academia. His work on the theory of signs, the non-visual impact of images, disruptions and disturbances, and his sharp analysis of specific games and game genres influenced a whole generation of scholars. Current discourse on presentism, the aesthetics of games, AI, automation of play and more general epistemological questions all draw from his oeuvre."

- Prof. Dr. Mathias Fuchs, Leuphana University Germany, Artist, Computer Scientist, Media Studies

"Standing in a universalist tradition, Markus Rautzenberg bridges gaps of thought and juggles with ease between critical theory, postmodern philosophy, psychoanalysis, as well as game and media studies. His philosophical concepts connect usually separate disciplines, ranging from anthropology and psychology over media theory and far beyond. This collection of articles is a perfect guide through the all-encompassing postmodern uncertainty, leaving the reader with one certainty: That when it comes to games, markets, futures and the human condition, there is nothing to be certain about, and that this is a good thing."

- Dr. Anne Dippel, University of Jena, Humboldt University Berlin, Anthropology, Literary Studies

The book provides (1) an introduction to a continental approach to game philosophy; (2) an aesthetic theory of computer games rooted in concepts of performativity and epistemology; and (3) an introduction to an interdisciplinary approach to game studies that is based on philosophical perspectives on the subject matter.

Markus Rautzenberg is Professor of Philosophy at Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, Germany.

About the Author

Markus Rautzenberg is Professor of Philosophy at Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, Germany. Scholarships include a DFG doctoral scholarship at the graduate school "Körper-Inszenierungen" ("The Staging of the Body"), DFG postdoctoral scholarship at the International Graduate School "InterArt," and a research fellowship at Leuphana University Lueneburg. From 2009 to 2014, he served on the research staff at the Institute for Philosophy at the Freie Universität Berlin, where he headed a DFG research project on "Evocation. Non-Visual Aspects of Iconicity." His main fields of research include media theory, picture theory, theory and aesthetics of digital media, and epistemology. Recent publications include "Blendungen. Fotografische Selbstvergewisserung im Film," in: Sybille Krämer, Sibylle Schmidt (Eds.): Zeugen in der Kunst, Paderborn 2016, (edited together with Juliane Schiffers) and Ungründe. Perspektiven prekärer Fundierung, Paderborn 2016.