Category: Presentation

  • Trading Card Games and the Neoliberal Self: Power, Play, and Resistance Summary



    In this presentation i will explore how trading card games like Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh! reflect and reproduce neoliberal ideologies, transforming leisure into arenas of self-discipline, optimization, and internalized control. Drawing on Foucault’s governmentality, Deleuze’s control society, and Bröckling’s entrepreneurial self, i argue that players govern and market themselves within systems of constant performance, efficiency, and visibility. However, it also highlights the potential for resistance through rhizomatic play, community-driven formats, and subversive interpretations. Trading card games thus become not only mirrors of neoliberal subjectivation but also possible spaces for cultural counterpower and creative reimagination.

    a presentation by Thomas Neumann


  • Cards and Community: Social Connection in (the) Flesh and Blood



    This presentation explores how local card game communities create spaces for structured social engagement and interpersonal connection. Drawing on survey responses (N=33) from players of Flesh and Blood, a collectible card game that emphasizes local, offline play, this presentation highlights how in-person formats can encourage community building,  friendship, and travel, even for those who may otherwise find social interaction challenging, such as neurodivergent or socially anxious individuals. By looking at the history of competitive trading card game communities and how they have evolved over time, alongside recent shifts in post-pandemic design and increasing online play, this study highlights how in-person formats can offer structure, safety, and meaningful connection, especially for those often excluded from traditional social spaces.

    a presentation by Kseniia Harshina and Tom Tucek


  • Plain Walking? Representations of Space in (Trading) Card Games



    Games typically aim to induce a state of immersion – but what about card games, bound to two dimensions as they are? This workshop explores how card games enable us to enter fantastic worlds while following abstract, rule-bound functions. Share your experiences, play games that take unique approaches to the matter, and discuss your playtest results.

    a presentation by Felix Schniz