
Voyeur gaming is the phenomenon of watching, reading, or listening to others play (video) games. It has been around for as long as games have. Many of us have fond memories of sitting on the couch with friends or siblings, being wowed by someone else’s (lack of) skill. But the internet turned voyeur gaming into a proper phenomenon. From humble beginnings as a thread in the Something Awful forums, voyeur gaming is now a full blown industry, with millions upon millions of people eagerly awaiting the next video from their favorite YouTuber or Twitch streamer, some of whom earn over $18 million a year. Meanwhile, game companies are paying streamers to play (and build hype for) new releases, and are specifically designing their games with voyeur gaming content creation in mind.
With the rise of Twitch and esports, it is fair to say that voyeur gaming has become a significant part of our culture.
But, for all that, little has been written about the aesthetic aspects of voyeur gaming. The following collection of posts set out to partially address this lacuna.
Our Contributors:
- Nathan Wildman, Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Tilburg University
- Javier Gomez-Lavin, Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Purdue University
- Brandon Polite, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Knox College
- Shelby Moser, Senior Adjunct Professor of Games and Interactive Media at Azusa Pacific University and Part-Time Assistant Professor at Rio Hondo College
- Rissa Willis, PhD student at the University of Georgia
- Nele Van de Mosselaer, Postdoctoral researcher in Philosophy at the University of Antwerp
- Anthony Cross, Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Texas State University