ABSTRACT
The field of software studies seeks to lift the theoretical haze surrounding software. This chapter begins with an overview of the key concepts in software studies and traces the critical origins of the field, as well as related paths of inquiry including video game studies and platform studies. It discusses the historical connections between media and computing technologies and considers the critical and practical intersections between software and everyday life. The chapter emphasizes the importance of understanding programming and code, and developing computational literacy. It summarizes the most influential approaches to software studies, considering software as an object of analysis but also framing software studies as a discipline—a critical lens for analyzing contemporary digital culture. The describes those critical models that understand coding as a transformative practice, forging new social, economic, and industrial relations, and opening up new modes of play and expression.
