Games and Democracy, a Psychgeist series, edited by Susan Haarman.
Democracy, as both a political structure and cultural ideal, is predicated on principles of participation, equity, and collective governance. These principles are not only enacted in political institutions but are also expressed, contested, and reimagined through cultural forms. Both digital analog games are emerging as a crucial cultural mirror of democratic systems and values. At this year’s Gamescom, the world’s largest gaming convention, a dedicated “Games for Democracy” initiative spotlighted titles that engage with democratic values and political education. Whether simulating political processes, allowing players to experiment with civic habits, or dramatizing the erosion of democratic values, games offer a unique window into the mechanics and psychology of governance.
Games and Democracy explores how interactive experiences reflect, reinforce, and challenge democratic ideals, and how they may shape future citizens’ understanding of collective agency, authority, and dissent. As political polarization, algorithmic influence, and civic disengagement reshape democratic practice, games present an opportunity to reimagine participatory structures. Interactive experiences are uniquely positioned to foster the qualities essential for navigating contemporary democratic challenges. This volume situates games within a broader intellectual tradition that considers media not only as vessels of narrative, but as active participants in the formation of political consciousness and civic identity.
Aims & Scope
This volume brings together interdisciplinary scholars and researchers to examine the nuanced ways in which games engage with themes of and can even help create democracy. Topics may include:
- Voting mechanics, consensus-building, and civic simulation in games
- Activist play, antifascist gaming, and protest
- Deliberation, debate, and group ethics in social deduction games
- The psychological experience of agency, deliberation, and trust in gameplay
- Gameplay’s formation of civic habits
- The psychological dimensions of agency, trust, and deliberation in gameplay
- Simulating democracy (and its failure) in political simulations and city-builders
- From guilds to governments: lessons in collective organization from MMOs
- Dungeons & Dragons & Democracy: tabletop RPGs and civic habits
- “For Managed Democracy!” Games as tools of political education or propaganda
In doing so, Games and Democracy will offer a deeply relevant, theory-informed perspective on how games reflect the values and vulnerabilities of democratic life and how they can invite us to strengthen it.
Timeline
Abstracts are due June 30th
Acceptances will release July 15th
Chapters are due October 15th
Reviews sent back by Dec 1
Second drafts due Feb 1
Submission to publisher: Feb 15
Publication Spring 2027
Submissions
Please submit a 200 word abstract of your proposed chapter to Susan Haarman at shaarman@luc.edu
Structure
The book will contain approximately 12–16 chapters, grouped into 3–4 thematic sections, and will include an introduction to frame the broader themes. The text will be 60,000–80,000 words in length, formatted in APA style.
It is part of the “Games And” Series, a newly launched book series from Psychgeist. The “Games And” series bridges examines the profound intersections between games and fundamental aspects of human life—nostalgia, love, identity, and beyond. Each volume brings together rigorous academic inquiry with accessible insights, exploring how games shape and are shaped by our most essential experiences. Through interdisciplinary perspectives and evidence-based analysis, this series establishes games as a vital lens for understanding contemporary culture, psychology, and society.
Readership
This book is intended for scholars in game studies, political science, psychology, philosophy, media studies, and digital culture, as well as educators and designers interested in the intersection of play and politics. It will also appeal to engaged readers and academics seeking a deeper understanding of how games shape and are shaped by democratic thought and habits.