What brought you to URI?
I was looking for a research university where I could join a communication school and, more specifically, an environment where I could engage with students about the growing interdisciplinary field of game studies. The Harrington School’s search for an assistant professor specializing in video games was one of those special job openings that checked both of these boxes. As an added bonus, URI’s location in the Northeastern U.S. is letting me experience a part of the country quite far from home (I’m from Los Angeles). I’m grateful to be joining the URI community and very much look forward to exploring New England!
How did you become interested in your field?
I learned about social media studies in an undergraduate seminar called “Communication in the Digital Age.” Its catalog description caught my attention because it was one of the first courses I took that strictly focused on digital media and online communication. In that class, there was a module on how scholars across disciplines (not just communication and media studies, but also sociology, digital humanities, gender studies, and more) were studying video games’ impacts on society and culture. That hooked me; it might sound corny, but I had a lightbulb moment and realized I wanted to keep studying communication and media, specifically as applied to games. That followed me into my MA and PhD studies. It’s also worth noting that my undergraduate alma mater, the University of San Francisco, integrates social justice across its curriculum, and that absolutely influenced the questions I wanted to ask of games: how and why have privilege and marginalization unfolded in gaming spaces, both historically and contemporarily, and how can we make gaming safer and more accessible to players of all backgrounds?
What are you most excited about in your new role?
I’m most excited about getting to interact with students in the context of a communication school. While I specialize in game studies, I’m also interested in, and have lectured about, areas including Internet memetics, livestreaming, fandoms, mass communication history, and communication research methods.
What are you currently researching?
My research focuses on political extremism and radicalization in online gaming communities and game-adjacent spaces (think livestreaming communities, imageboards, fan wikis, subreddits). More specifically, I study how political discourse unfolds in these arenas via memetic communication—Internet memes, copypastas, GIFs—and paratextual content like game/product reviews.
I’m currently working on a collaborative project that examines these topics through player responses to political messaging in Helldivers 2. I’ve also recently published an article on how contemporary far-right politics and historical revisionism collide in Steam reviews of War of Rights, a historical first-person shooter set during the American Civil War.
Beyond my main research area, I’m also working alongside colleagues in the multi-institution Esports and Games Research (EGR) Lab. We broadly focus on the institutionalization of collegiate esports; my work with EGR tends to focus on diversity and inclusion issues in U.S. collegiate esports. More to share soon!
Is there a particular project you’re especially excited about right now?
I’m working on a multi-institution project with scholars at the University of Oregon, New York University, and the Wake Forest University School of Medicine on augmented reality (AR)-based interventions in game-adjacent spaces. More specifically, we’re investigating whether AR can be used to help players recognize (and call out) identity-based exclusion, and how specific case examples of harassment in streaming communities are connected. This project differs significantly from my typical approach to research, but it’s been very illuminating to see students engage with the study’s AR experience (one of our team members built it from scratch!) and to learn more about their perspectives. I don’t want this to read as a formal recruitment, but if anyone reading this is interested in trying the AR experience, email me (see below), and we’ll see how we can get you involved.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
Students today are immersed in all kinds of media, so we always have something interesting to discuss. Whether we’re thinking about the discursive functions of brainrot memes, current events in the game industry, or how hype cycles function on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll or Hulu, I find students always bring something fresh to class. I’ll also add that I love thoughtful tangents that might deviate from the day’s focus. I truly believe these moments are some of the most memorable, and when these tangents connect back to whatever our module or unit is covering, that’s when I can see some of those (metaphorical, of course) light bulb moments happening—connecting lived experiences to course content!
Are there faculty or departments you’d especially like to collaborate with?
Besides my excellent colleagues in the Harrington School, I’m interested in collaborating with faculty in departments including Sociology, Gender & Women’s Studies, and Political Science.
How can students best approach you if they’re interested in your research?
Students are very welcome to email me (andrew.wilson@uri.edu) with questions about my work, game studies, or communication and media studies more broadly. I’m also happy to schedule a Zoom chat or in-person meeting, depending on the complexity of the question(s) and my general availability.
What do you enjoy doing outside of academia?
Although I study games, I enjoy playing them, too! I’ve been a longtime World of Warcraft player, and beyond gameplay, it’s helped me stay in touch with friends across the United States. Besides games, though, I’ve been doing aquatics (club swimming) since childhood. Thank goodness that Rhode Island has so many indoor pools!