ABSTRACT
In the volume’s introduction, Xenia Zeiler introduces and provides an overview of the study of video games, gaming, and religion; a contextualization of the volume’s approaches, namely methodical plurality and gamevironments; and an overview of the book’s structure and chapters. The introduction specifies that the volume collects, systematizes, and critically discusses the application of methods—including those established and widely used as well as innovative methods—and presents a broad range of influential methodological approaches, critically discussing their application (including advantages and limits). It clarifies the volume’s understanding of method as a systematic, clearly defined, step-by-step technique, practice, or approach applied to analyze a sample of data in the light of a specific research question, and explains that to allow for straightforward access (especially when interested in getting an overview of possible methods) and easy practical implementation (especially when interested in applying a specific method to your own case study), this volume presents each method in a standardized format. The introduction explains that the discussed methods are arranged in five parts, each consisting of one key theme complex of gamevironments: textual and audiovisual narratives, in-game performance, production and design, interactivity and the rule system, and gamer-generated content.
