Dr Andra Ivanescu
Senior Lecturer in Games Studies

Research area(s)

• Game Studies
• Ludomusicology
• Cultural Studies
• Gender Studies
• Popular Music Studies

Research Interests

• Game Censorship and Regulation
• Video Game Music and Ludomusicology
• Gender and Representation in Games
• Genre Conventions in Video Games
• Popular Music and Nostalgia
• Policy and Public Engagement

Grants

Project details

Gaming Censorship: Videogame Content Regulation in the UK (BA/Leverhulme Small Grant)

Controversial aspects of videogames and their effects have been researched extensively, from the long-standing debate about videogame violence to contemporary discussions about addiction and gambling. At the same time, the complex and layered systems of censorship that form a large part of the solution to these perceived ‘problems’, including content rating systems and distribution platform regulations, remain under-researched. This project examines videogame censorship in the UK, looking at the development and evolution of content classification systems, as well as contemporary corporate censorship practices, and how they have both historically reflected and constructed cultural values in relation to ideas of societal risk on national as well as transnational levels. Furthermore, the project explores how gaming communities and independent developers transgressively work against censorship and the pressures of these ideological and institutional frameworks in medium-specific ways, posing questions and challenges that have profound implications for contemporary policy.