Framing Uncertainty

“Rautzenberg considers games, play and gaming as core ingredients of Performance Philosophy today. The author deploys a large variety of perspectives in order to discover the types of knowledge encapsuled in games. Furthermore, Framing Uncertainty is an inventory of the confused state of actual discourse in game studies and unravels the intricate ramifications of these cultural objects. Any avid student of ludology benefits from the profound insights into the various fields of immersive worldbuilding the book offers.”


- Dr. Andreas Wolfsteiner, University of Hildesheim, Germany


"A philosopher by training, a gamer by passion and a media scholar and cultural scientist by intensive reading and writing, Markus Rautzenberg is one of the key figures of contemporary German academia. His work on the theory of signs, the non-visual impact of images, disruptions and disturbances, and his sharp analysis of specific games and game genres influenced a whole generation of scholars. Current discourse on presentism, the aesthetics of games, AI, automation of play and more general epistemological questions all draw from his oeuvre.“

- Prof. Dr. Mathias Fuchs, Leuphana University Germany, Artist, Computer Scientist, Media Studies

“Standing in a universalist tradition, Markus Rautzenberg bridges gaps of thought and juggles with ease between critical theory, postmodern philosophy, psychoanalysis, as well as game and media studies. His philosophical concepts connect usually separate disciplines, ranging from anthropology and psychology over media theory and far beyond. This collection of articles is a perfect guide through the all-encompassing postmodern uncertainty, leaving the reader with one certainty: That when it comes to games, markets, futures and the human condition, there is nothing to be certain about, and that this is a good thing.“

- Dr. Anne Dippel, University of Jena, Humboldt University Berlin, Anthropology, Literary Studies


The book provides (1) an introduction to a continental approach to game philosophy; (2) an aesthetic theory of computer games rooted in concepts of performativity and epistemology; and (3) an introduction to an interdisciplinary approach to game studies that is based on philosophical perspectives on the subject matter.


Markus Rautzenberg is Professor of Philosophy at Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, Germany.