Dr James Sweeting
Profiles

Dr James Sweeting

Lecturer in Game Studies

School of Art, Design and Architecture (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business)

Biography

Biography

James Sweeting is the Leader of Transnational Education for i-DAT and a lecturer in Game Studies at the University of Plymouth. Also teaches on MA Game Design, BA Game Arts and Design, and BA Digital Media Design (Games Design) in partnership with Nanjing University of the Arts.
He has completed a PhD with Transtechnology Research (University of Plymouth) investigating the hauntological form of videogames. This is supported via an understanding of nostalgia present across the medium itself and the relationship it has with the past.
In addition, he is an Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy, having attained recognition for meeting the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in higher education.

Qualifications

PhD in Transtechnology Research (Hauntological Videogame Form: nostalgia and a “high technology” medium). University of Plymouth: 2023
Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy: 2019
MA in War Studies. King’s College London: 2013
BSc (Hons) in International Politics. City, University of London: 2012
Teaching

Teaching

Teaching interests

Leader:
  • Transnational Education (TNE) for Digital Design / Digital Media Design (Games Design). 
As Module Leader: Undergraduate:
  • Strategies for Digital Design (Game Design) [Nanjing University of the Arts]
  • Game Development
  • Gameplay
Postgraduate:
  • Game Studies
Supervisor:
  • Final Year Project (Digital Media Design - Game Design)
  • Dissertation (Digital Media Design - Game Design) 
  • Final Project (Game Arts and Design)
Research

Research

Research interests

Focusing on the implications of nostalgia upon the videogames medium and industry. With research interests including videogame industrial form, hauntology, historical game studies, and temporal cultural transferability. 

Other research

Sweeting, J. (2023) Hauntological videogame form: nostalgia and a ‘high technology’ medium. Thesis. University of Plymouth. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24382/5118.
Sweeting, J. (2022) ‘Can you Make Money from Nostalgia in a Galaxy Far Far Away? The difficulty of effectively utilising nostalgia to bring Star Wars to both a new and existing audience.’, in Transtechnology Research Reader 2019-21. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, pp. 63–81.
Sweeting, J. (2019) ‘Authenticity: Depicting the Past in Historical Videogames’, in Transtechnology Research Reader 2018. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, pp. 62–83.
Sweeting, J. (2018) ‘Illusions of Choice in Digital Narratives’, in Transtechnology Research Reader 2015-17. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, pp. 68–87.
Book Reviews
Sweeting, J. (2021) [Book review] ‘Handmade Pixels: Independent Video Games and the Quest for Authenticity’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 54(2), pp. 257–259. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_02025.
Sweeting, J. (2020) [Book review] ‘How to Play Video Games edited by Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Huntemann’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 53(3), pp. 347–348. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01900.
Sweeting, J. (2020) [Book review] ‘Star Wars after Lucas: A Critical Guide to the Future of the Galaxy by Dan Golding’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 53(2), pp. 233–235. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01874.
Sweeting, J. (2019) [Book review] ‘Super Power, Spoony Bards, and Silverware by Dominic Arsenault’, Leonardo, 52(2), pp. 199–201. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01727.
Sweeting, J. (2018) [Book review] ‘Playback: A Genealogy of 1980s British Videogames Playback: A Genealogy of 1980s British Videogames by Alex Wade’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 51(2), pp. 201–203. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01587.
Sweeting, J. (2017) [Book review] ‘Atari to Zelda: Japan’s Videogames in Global Contexts by Mia Consalvo.’, Leonardo. MIT Press, pp. 213–215. doi: 10.1162/LEON_r_01390.
Publications

Publications

Key publications

Key publications are highlighted

Journals
Articles
Sweeting J (2021) 'Handmade Pixels: Independent Video Games and the Quest for Authenticity' Leonardo 54, (2) 257-259 Publisher Site , DOI
Sweeting J (2020) '<i>How to Play Video Games</i> edited by Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Huntemann. New York University Press, New York, NY, U.S.A., 2019. 400 pp., illus. Trade, paper. ISBN: 978-1479802142; ISBN: 978-1479827985' Leonardo 53, (3) 347-348 Publisher Site , DOI
Sweeting J (2020) '<i>Star Wars after Lucas: A Critical Guide to the Future of the Galaxy</i> by Dan Golding. University of Minnesota Press, 2019. 264 pp., illus. Trade. ISBN: 978-1517905422' Leonardo 53, (2) 233-235 Publisher Site , DOI
Sweeting J (2019) '<i>Super Power, Spoony Bards, and Silverware</i>' Leonardo 52, (2) 199-201 Publisher Site , DOI
Sweeting J (2018) 'Playback: A Genealogy of 1980s British Videogames' Leonardo 51, (2) 201-203 Publisher Site , DOI
Sweeting J (2017) 'Atari to Zelda: Japan’s Videogames in Global Contexts' Leonardo 50, (2) 213-215 Publisher Site , DOI
Chapters
Sweeting J (2020) 'Can you Make Money from Nostalgia in a Galaxy Far Far Away? The difficulty of effectively utilising nostalgia to bring Star Wars to both a new and existing audience' Transtechnology Research Reader 2019-21 Plymouth TT OA Papers 63-81
Sweeting J (2019) 'Authenticity: Depicting the Past in Historical Videogames' Transtechnology Research Reader 2018 Plymouth TT OA Papers 62-83
Sweeting J (2018) 'Illusions of Choice in Digital Narratives' Transtechnology Reader 2015-17 Plymouth TT OA Papers 70-89
Other Publications
Sweeting J (2023) Hauntological Videogame Form: Nostalgia and a "High Technology" Medium. , DOI
Sweeting J Video Game Nostalgia. Sydney, Australia 2SER
Personal

Personal

Reports & invited lectures

Sweeting, J. (2023). ‘Hauntological Form: Inevitable Nostalgia in Contemporary Videogames.’, Video Games: Time & Nostalgia. University of Exeter.
Sweeting, J. (2020) ‘Vicarious Nostalgia and Authentic Depictions of the Past in Historical Videogames.’, The Present and Future of History and Games. University of Warwick.
Morcom, J. and Sweeting, J. (2019) ‘Video Game Nostalgia’, Think: Digital Futures – 2ser, 17 September. Available at: https://2ser.com/thinkdigitalfutures/.
Sweeting, J. (2019) Relative Nostalgia and the Revival of Past Aesthetics in Videogames – The Arts Institute, Arts Institute. Available at: http://blogs.plymouth.ac.uk/artsinstitute/2019/08/28/relative-nostalgia-and-the-revival-of-past-aesthetics-in-videogames/
Drayson, H. and Sweeting, J. (2017) ‘From digital to post-digital memory’, in Digital Memory Symposium. Plymouth. Available at: http://blogs.plymouth.ac.uk/artsinstitute/2017/03/10/feature-from-digital-to-post-digital-memory/
Sweeting, J. (2017) ‘Remediation of digital nostalgic myths’, in Digital Memory Symposium. Plymouth. 

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