Stefan H. Simond

Learning Japanese with Video Games (with Matt/Game Gengo)

Learning any language is a lengthy and, at times, tedious endeavour. So why not make the process as fun as possible? – On his YouTube channel Game Gengo (ゲーム言語) our guest, Matt, does exactly that. Because how could learning Japanese be more fun than learning with video games? In our side quests we then review the language…

Read More

10 Tips to Nail Your Next Presentation

This is one of our monthly plus episodes. You can access it by subscribing to Studying Pixels Plus. You will then receive an individual plus feed that you can add to your favourite podcast app. If you only so much as look at a university building from afar you will probably be asked to do a…

Read More

Childhood Gaming Memories

It is time to reminisce! This week we are taking a brief breather to think back to our childhood. Join in as we get swept away by heartwarming and bittersweet tales of the past.

Read More

Christmas Special: Ten Predictions for 2022

It is the most wonderful time of the year, that is: time for our little Christmas special. So we look into our glass bowl with glee to tell you about how Bobby Kotick resigns from ActivisionBlizzard, all the details of Sony’s next PlayStation VR headset, and which game will win Game of the Year 2022….

Read More

The Swastika Taboo (with Eugen Pfister)

The swastika is certainly one of the most affective historical symbols. Under its banner, terror, hatred, racism, and profound crimes against humanity have been committed. In Germany, video games were not allowed to display the swastika for a long time at all, which has only changed in recent years. Together with the cultural historian Dr….

Read More

The Game Awards 2021

The annual Game Awards have become a staple of video game culture. Combining an award show with high-profile announcements, musical performances, and lots of advertisements, the event is a force to be reckoned with. Join us as we dissect this year’s Game Awards, including the way it engages with the problems of the industry. In…

Read More

Reading Gonzalo Frasca: Simulation vs Narrative

In the early days of video game studies, or so the story is told, there was a raging conflict between narratologists and ludologists. However much of an exaggeration this might be, Gonzalo Frasca’s Simulation vs Narrative is still an important contribution to this debate. That is why we revisit it—and you are invited to come…

Read More

How the ESRB works

This is one of our monthly plus episodes. You can access it by subscribing to Studying Pixels Plus. You will then receive an individual plus feed that you can add to your favourite podcast app. Age ratings – where do they come from? What are the good for? And how accurate are they? – Come along…

Read More

Games in the Box (with Claudius Clüver)

We might nostalgically look back at the beauty of game boxes and fail to realize how strongly they are linked to the economization of games. With our guest, game studies scholar Claudius Clüver, we trace how games got into the box and how, with the advent of digital distribution, they made their way back out….

Read More

PS5 Giveaway, Essential Tips and Settings

Indeed, it is true – we are giving away a brand new PS5! And for all of you who already have one or plan to get one soon we have collected some essential tips and settings. For example, did you know that the integrated microphone in the DualSense controller impacts the intensity of haptic feedback?…

Read More