Introduction to Party Studies

This introduction to a special issue of Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture (Volume 17, No. 1, 2026) by Leland Masek and Jaakko Stenros, both of Tampere University, Finland, proposes 'party studies' as a subfield of game studies. The issue comprises six articles. The authors trace the idea to a Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar on 'Party', which featured 19 presentations and two keynotes, and to a 2024 article in Eludamos arguing that parties are understudied. The authors argue that parties and games share structural similarities, such as liminoid spaces where normal societal rules are paused. They note that parties have received scarce academic attention outside contexts of risky behaviour. The introduction reviews related fields, including festive studies, event management, artistic research and sexuality studies, and identifies three ways party studies in game studies can contribute: games hosting parties, parties in game creation and industry, and parties as playful structures. The authors state that the special issue's articles show how the subfield's frame opened up in varied ways, while noting that its eventual form remains unclear.