Abstract

The essay provides a picture of videogames in the landscape of popular culture from a historical perspective, questioning historians on their role in relation to this new reality. It considers videogames as a form of democratization of digital culture and examines the development of the gaming industry from an economic and technological viewpoint. The article also focuses on both Serious Games and the different national/ transnational traditions that have shaped this world. The last part is dedicated to the active agency of consumers, capable of guiding the market with their choices and of negotiating forms and contents of the games.