James Sweeting

Researcher and Lecturer in Game Studies

Bibliography

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Research and Public Engagement

Peer reviewer (2026) for Práticas da História. Journal on Theory, Historiography and Uses of the Past – ISSN: 2183-590X.

Peer reviewer (2026) for Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture – ISSN: 1866-6124.

Sweeting, J. (2025). Digital Resistance Against the Lasting Manipulation of Capitalism. DigitCult - Scientific Journal on Digital Cultures, 10(2), 95–109. Available at: https://researchportal.plymouth.ac.uk/en/publications/digital-resistance-against-the-lasting-manipulation-of-capitalism/.

External reviewer (2025) for University of Liverpool – MA Game Design.

Peer reviewer (2025) for Journal of Marketing Management – ISSN: 1472-1376.

Sweeting, J. (2024) ‘Hauntological Form: Where We Might Find the New in Contemporary Videogames’, Cinephile: The University of British Columbia’s Film Journal, 18(1), pp. 32–37. Available at: https://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/cinephile/article/view/199657

Sweeting, J. (2023) Hauntological videogame form: nostalgia and a ‘high technology’ medium. Thesis. University of Plymouth. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24382/5118.

Sweeting, J. (2023). ‘Hauntological Form: Inevitable Nostalgia in Contemporary Videogames.’, Video Games: Time & Nostalgia. University of Exeter.

Sweeting, J. (2022) ‘Can you Make Money from Nostalgia in a Galaxy Far Far Away? The difficulty of effectively utilising nostalgia to bring Star Wars to both a new and existing audience.’, in Transtechnology Research Reader 2019-21. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, pp. 63–81.

Sweeting, J. (2020) ‘Vicarious Nostalgia and Authentic Depictions of the Past in Historical Videogames.’, The Present and Future of History and Games. University of Warwick.

Sweeting, J. (2019) ‘Authenticity: Depicting the Past in Historical Videogames’, in Transtechnology Research Reader 2018. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, pp. 62–83.

Morcom, J. and Sweeting, J. (2019) ‘Video Game Nostalgia’, Think: Digital Futures – 2ser, 17 September. Available at: https://2ser.com/thinkdigitalfutures/.

Sweeting, J. (2019) Relative Nostalgia and the Revival of Past Aesthetics in Videogames – The Arts Institute, Arts Institute. Available at: http://blogs.plymouth.ac.uk/artsinstitute/2019/08/28/relative-nostalgia-and-the-revival-of-past-aesthetics-in-videogames/

Sweeting, J. (2018) ‘Illusions of Choice in Digital Narratives’, in Transtechnology Research Reader 2015-17. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, pp. 68–87.

Drayson, H. and Sweeting, J. (2017) ‘From digital to post-digital memory’, in Digital Memory Symposium. Plymouth. Available at: http://blogs.plymouth.ac.uk/artsinstitute/2017/03/10/feature-from-digital-to-post-digital-memory/

Sweeting, J. (2017) ‘Remediation of digital nostalgic myths’, in Digital Memory Symposium. Plymouth.

Book Reviews

Sweeting, J. (2021) [Book review] ‘Handmade Pixels: Independent Video Games and the Quest for Authenticity by Jesper Juul’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 54(2), pp. 257–259. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_02025.

Sweeting, J. (2020) [Book review] ‘How to Play Video Games edited by Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Huntemann’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 53(3), pp. 347–348. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01900.

Sweeting, J. (2020) [Book review] ‘Star Wars after Lucas: A Critical Guide to the Future of the Galaxy by Dan Golding’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 53(2), pp. 233–235. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01874.

Sweeting, J. (2019) [Book review] ‘Super Power, Spoony Bards, and Silverware by Dominic Arsenault’, Leonardo, 52(2), pp. 199–201. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01727.

Sweeting, J. (2018) [Book review] ‘Playback: A Genealogy of 1980s British Videogames Playback: A Genealogy of 1980s British Videogames by Alex Wade’, Leonardo. MIT Press – Journals, 51(2), pp. 201–203. doi: 10.1162/leon_r_01587.

Sweeting, J. (2017) [Book review] ‘Atari to Zelda: Japan’s Videogames in Global Contexts by Mia Consalvo.’, Leonardo. MIT Press, pp. 213–215. doi: 10.1162/LEON_r_01390.

Examples of Videogame Articles and Reviews

Sweeting, J. (2017) Assassin’s Creed: a global project, Thumbsticks. Available at: https://www.thumbsticks.com/assassins-creed-global-project/.

Sweeting, J. (2017) Spec Ops: The Line – an Apocalypse Now game in all but name, Thumbsticks. Available at: https://www.thumbsticks.com/spec-ops-the-line-the-apocalypse-now-adaptation-in-all-but-name/.

Sweeting, J. (2016) Pokémon Go – Nostalgia is all relative, Thumbsticks. Available at: http://www.thumbsticks.com/pokemon-go-nostalgia-is-all-relative/ .

Sweeting, J. (2016) The Silver Case Review, Thumbsticks. Available at: http://www.thumbsticks.com/silver-case-review/.

Sweeting, J. (2016) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice Review, Thumbsticks. Available at: http://www.thumbsticks.com/phoenix-wright-ace-attorney-spirit-of-justice-review/.

Sweeting, J. (2016) We need to talk about videogames, Thumbsticks. Thumbsticks. Available at: http://www.thumbsticks.com/we-need-to-talk-about-videogames/.

Sweeting, J. (2016) Isolation, handheld gaming escapism and Digimon story, Thumbsticks. Thumbsticks. Available at: http://www.thumbsticks.com/handheld-gaming-escapism-digimon-story/.

Sweeting, J. (2016) Are videogames too focused on the past?, Thumbsticks. Thumbsticks. Available at: http://www.thumbsticks.com/videogames-too-focused-on-past/.