DiGRA 2025 – Early Career and Precarious Positions Showcase

Friday, July 4th, 2025


9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

15 minutes per presentation

BLOCK 1: Institutions, Policy, and Precarity

9:00 – 9:55 AM


9:00–9:15 | Chaitanya Solanki (Mahindra University, India)

An Assistant Professor navigating India’s hyper-competitive higher ed system, Chaitanya reflects on the systemic pressures shaping academic labor in the Global South. His work explores how games foster empathy in increasingly disconnected societies and how scholars in precarious contexts can reclaim purpose through transformative design.

9:15–9:30 | Andrei Zanescu (Concordia University, Canada)

Currently teaching part-time at Concordia, Andrei investigates power, prestige, and cultural capital in gaming’s awards ecosystem. His current book project traces the genealogy of U.S. game award shows and critiques how prestige economies reinforce imperial dynamics and marginalize developers and global constituencies.

9:30–9:45 | Elena Petrovskaya & Leon Xiao (University of Lincoln, UK & Independent, Asia)

This duo specializes in video game regulation and consumer protection. Drawing on legal, psychological, and HCI methods, they study compliance around loot boxes and microtransactions, with direct policy impact across Europe and the Americas. Their session shares case studies of research-driven industry change and strategic policymaker engagement.

9:45–10:00 | Q&A

BLOCK 2: Emotion, Intimacy, and Representation in Game Worlds

10:00 – 11:00 AM


10:00–10:15 | Koike Mayu (Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan)

A psychologist by training, Koike explores how romantic video games (RVGs) reshape emotional connection and reduce loneliness. Her research examines why players—single or partnered—form meaningful relationships with virtual agents, expanding how we understand love, authenticity, and emotional well-being in digital environments.

10:15–10:30 | Kübra Aksay (University of Freiburg, Germany)

Kübra’s interdisciplinary research bridges literature, media, and game studies, focusing on the remediation of analog media like books and journals within digital games. Her dissertation challenges hypermasculine and colonialist structures by analyzing how in-game documents reshape player perspective and narrative agency.

10:30–10:45 | Camila Freitas (Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil)

Camila is a postdoctoral fellow investigating Brazilian gambling cultures, indie games, and VR-based imaginary play. Her doctoral research centered on Tetris Effect: Connected and the aesthetics of immersion, while her broader work supports innovation in Latin American game studies and indie game communication strategies.

10:45–11:00 | Q&A

CONTACT US - soha.naveed@um.edu.mt