The Critical Game Studies Lab (CGSL)

The Critical Game Studies Lab (CGSL) is a new collaborative initiative between the English Department and Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA). Founded by Austin Anderson and Mark Algee-Hewitt in Spring 2026, the CGSL brings game studies into Stanford’s existing digital humanities infrastructure by combining computational methods with humanistic inquiry to analyze games as both formal systems and cultural texts. Sitting at the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford has always been enmeshed in the history of video games; for example, Galaxy Game, the first publicly available coin-operated video game, was installed at Stanford’s Tresidder Union Coffee House in September 1971. The game lab leverages Stanford’s unique position and substantive video game archives (the Stephen M. Cabrinety Collection, David Wolinsky Papers, and the Silicon Valley Archives) to encourage the study of games. The CGSL operates through three interconnected pillars: rigorous scholarly research on games as cultural projects and texts; a space for gaming pedagogy where students can gain hands-on experiences with video games; and robust public engagement through workshops and programming that introduce community members to game studies while creating sustained dialogue with game industry professionals about inclusive and justice-oriented design practices. The Critical Game Studies Lab serves as a collaborative space where faculty, graduate students, undergraduates, game designers, and community members engage in the critical study and practice of games. 

Lab Members

Director: 

Austin Anderson, Provostial Fellow, Stanford University

Founders: 

Austin Anderson, Provostial Fellow, Stanford University 

Mark Algee-Hewitt, Associate Professor of English and Director of the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA), Stanford University 

Current Lab Members: 

Alexia Mandla Ainsworth, Ph.D Candidate English, Stanford University

Lukas Angelus, Ph.D Student English, Stanford University

Mallen Clifton, Ph.D Student English, Stanford University

Luca Messarra, Ph.D Candidate English, Stanford University

Anne Ladyem McDivitt, Academic Technology Specialist for the Department of History, Stanford University

Henry Lowood, Harold C. Hohbach Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections and the Curator for Film & Media Collections in the Stanford University Libraries, Stanford University

Curtis Kai-tao Sun, Ph.D Student English, Stanford University

Shuyi Wei, Visiting Scholar in East Asian Studies, Stanford University

Mayshu (Meixu) Zhan, Ph.D Candidate MTL, Stanford University

Richard Coulter, Teaching Associate in Philosophy, The Ohio State University

DA Hall, Assistant Director of the Critical Game Studies Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mark Hines, Ph.D Candidate English, University of Kentucky

Current Research Assistants: 

Sam O'Neill, Undergraduate History and Theater and Performance Studies Major, Stanford University

Jacob Parker Bowers, Undergraduate Computer Science Major, Stanford University

Jake Matlof, Undergraduate Student English, Stanford University 

Core People