Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that isn't addressed here, please contact us!

ACCP Logo

FAQs

Why video games?

Video games offer interdisciplinary pathways to generative thinking, critical thinking, and knowledge production. They involve user actions and apply consequences, prompting moral and philosophical questions about who we are and what motivates us.

What is Critical Play?

Critical play is a method, an action that tests systems, reveals systematic limits, and encourages change. Engaging and learning with video games through critical play in an Arts and Humanities context creates interactive opportunities to develop systems literacy and cultural understanding.

cui ludis? (What are you playing for?)

Who can access this space?

The ACCP is available for use (under supervision) by all members of the Acadia University community who wish to engage critically with video games. The ACCP will also serve as a regional hub for academic game studies in Atlantic Canada.

Will the ACCP support game-related pedagogy?

Yes! We hope that faculty across the Arts & Humanities will use our resources in teaching & assignments, and that the presence of the ACCP at Acadia will encourage a broader consideration of interactive media and narrative in faculty of Arts classes. We will work with you to help you & your students learn with our resources.

I don't know much about gaming. Will you help?

Yes! We intend to hold regular sessions aimed at people who are gaming-curious; stay tuned!

When is the ACCP open and how do we get in touch?

We are available for consultation and collaboration starting in January 2026. Use one of the Google forms (linked through our "About and Access" page) to introduce yourself and your ideas, or check out the "Contact Us" page!

Pixel art portrait of Mike Beazley

Mike Beazley

Mike (he/him) is a librarian at Acadia's Vaughan Memorial Library and am interested in video game preservation and metadata, as well as game-based storytelling and fantasy worlds.

Pixel art portrait of Jon Saklofske

Jon Saklofske

Jon (he/him)is a professor in Acadia's English and Theatre department, and interested in the ways that video games embody performative values and systems literacy, raise questions about agency and consequence, and can facilitate critical thinking through play.

Pixel art portrait of Natalie Swain

Natalie J. Swain

Natalie (she/her) is a scholar of Latin literature, narratology, and the reception of the ancient Mediterranean world in comics and video games. In video games, she is particularly interested in player agency, representations of gender, and intermedial narratology.