ABSTRACT
This chapter uses data and theory from psychological and sociological sources in order to examine computer gamers’ engagement with computer games. The chapter employs data from studies of gender difference in computer game interactions in order to open up theoretically the rich diversity of gamers’ interactions with games. The theoretical discussion employs a mix of psychological ideas, especially those of affor-dances, effectivities and attunement, with ideas from cultural studies, especially those of subject positions and preferred readings. The chapter argues that gaming needs to be viewed as an activity taking place in cultural niches that arise in the complex interaction between games, gamers and gaming cultures.
