Andy Wilson
Biography
Andy is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Journalism and Communication who works at the intersection of game studies and critical/cultural studies. Broadly, Andy's work focuses on the memetic discourses and paratexts generated by online gaming communities. His dissertation examines the influence of the online far-right in gaming culture, especially its potential for shaping attitudes and expectations about games and gaming.
Andy has published original research in New Media & Society, First Monday, and the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports. His writing also appears in Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies and Popular Music and Society. His work has been presented at the annual conferences of the International Communication Association, Digital Games Research Association, Society for Cinema and Media Studies, Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, Western States Communication Association, Southwest Popular Culture Association, Esports Research Network, and Meaningful Play.
Before attending the SOJC, Andy was an adjunct communication studies lecturer in the School of Language Arts and Communication at Long Beach City College and Humanities Division at Fullerton College.
Education
- Ph.D. in Communication and Media Studies (ABD)
- M.A. in Communication Studies, San Francisco State University, 2018
- B.A. in Communication Studies, University of San Francisco, 2016
Publications
Wilson, A. & Burrell, S. (2025). Committed to Play: Revisualizing Video Game Uses and Gratifications During COVID-19. First Monday. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v30i3.13598
Wilson, A., Cote, A., Foxman, M., Harris, B., Hansen, J. Can, O., & Rahman, M. (2024). In/Visible Hurdles: U.S. Collegiate Esports Participants' Perceived Barriers to Play and Involvement. New Media & Society, 0(0). OnlineFirst. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241252919
Cote, A., Rahman, W., Foxman, M., Wilson, A., Harris, B. C., Can, O., & Hansen, J. (2024). Esports Buffs: The Role of Fans and Fandoms in U.S. Collegiate Programs. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1410929
Cote, A., Wilson, A., Hansen. J., Harris, B., Rahman, M., Can, O., Fickle, T., and Foxman, M. (2023). Taking Care of Toxicity: Challenges and Strategies for Inclusion in U.S. Collegiate Esports Programs. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1123/jege.2022-0031
Burrell, S. & Wilson, A. (In revision). Born Again: Understanding En-Roling and De-Roling in Virtual Reality Through the Affect Lens. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.
Reviews
Wilson, A. (2024). Book review: The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Games. H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences.
Wilson, A. (2024). Book review: Defiant Sounds: Heavy Metal Music in the Global South. Popular Music and Society, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2024.2355727
Wilson, A. (2023). Book review: Understanding Collegiate Esports: A Practitioner’s Guide to Developing Community and Competition. Convergence, 29(5), 1409-1411. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565231184706
Refereed Conference Proceedings
Arangelov, V., Wilson, A., Cote, A., & Foxman, M. (2024, November). From Consoles to Campuses: Understanding Intergenerational Perceptions of Collegiate Esports. Paper presented at the Esports Research Network Conference. London, United Kingdom. https://esportsresearch.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ERNC24-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf
Foxman, M., Harris, B. C., Wilson, A., & Cote, A. (2024, November). An Even Playing Field: Retheorizing the Collision of Esports and Universities. Paper presented at the Esports Research Network Conference. London, United Kingdom. https://esportsresearch.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ERNC24-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf
Foxman, M., Can, O., Wilson, A., Cote, A., Harris, B. C., Rahman, M. W. U., Hansen, J. & Fickle T. (2023, June). Facilitating Collegiate Esports: Limiting and Legitimizing Competitive Gaming. DiGRA ’23 – Proceedings of the 2023 DiGRA International Conference: Limits and Margins of Games. http://dl.digra.org/index.php/dl/article/view/1993
Can, O., Foxman, M., Wilson, A., Cote, A., Rahman, W., Burrell, S, Harris, B. C., Hansen, J., & Fickle T. (2023, June). The Limits of Influence: Negotiating the Hegemony of Game Companies in Collegiate Esports in the US. DiGRA ’23 – Proceedings of the 2023 DiGRA International Conference: Limits and Margins of Games. http://dl.digra.org/index.php/dl/article/view/1974
Cote, A., Rahman, M. W. U., Foxman, M., Wilson, A., Burrell, S. L., Harris, B.C., Can, O., Hansen, J. C., & Fickle T. (2023, June). The Fandom Frontier: Understanding the Limitless(?) Potential of Collegiate Esports Fans. DiGRA ’23 – Proceedings of the 2023 DiGRA International Conference: Limits and Margins of Games. http://dl.digra.org/index.php/dl/article/view/2010
Foxman, M., Cote, A. C., Wilson, A., Can, O., Hansen, J. C., Harris, B. C., Rahman, M. W. U., Fickle, T. (2022, November). Sustainable Grassroots: Tensions, Expectations and Recommendations in Formalizing Collegiate Esports. Esports Research Network Conference. 25–28 https://esportsresearch.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01
Recent Refereed Conference Presentations
Wilson, A. & Lorenzo, S. (2025, June). It Only Gets Worse: Visualizing the Toxic Connections Between Video Game Streamers and Online Radicalization. Paper Accepted to the Draining the Swamp: Toxic Masculinity as a Threat to the Media Industries and Beyond Preconference, affiliated with the 75th International Communication Association Annual Conference. Denver, CO, USA.
Harris, B. C., Wilson, A., & Flonk, D. (2025, June). Altchans, Imageboards, & Hate Creators: A Green Text to Alt-Right Pipeline? Paper accepted to the Debating Creator Culture Preconference, affiliated with the 75th International Communication Association Annual Conference. Denver, CO, USA.
Lorenzo, S. & Wilson, A. (2025, June). Scandal: How Games Journalism and Mainstream Media Cover Sexual Misconduct. Paper accepted to the 75th International Communication Association Annual Conference. Denver, CO, USA.
Harris, B. C., Wilson, A., & Flonk, D. (2024, November). Don’t Crash the Party: Analyzing Altchans, Shitposts, and Hate Raids. Paper presented at the (Re)Valuing the Creator Economy: Platforming Conversations in/across Communication Studies Preconference, affiliated with the 110th National Communication Association Annual Conference. New Orleans, Louisiana.
Foxman, M., Cole, C., Fairchild, T., Cote, A., & Wilson, A. (2024, June). The Collegiate Census: Mapping U.S. Esports. Paper presented at the 74th International Communication Association Annual Conference. Gold Coast, Australia.
Abdenour, J., Wilson, A., Hedding, K., & Dahmen, N. (2024, June). Woman vs. Woman vs. Woman: Gender, Media Attention, and Voting Impact in an All-Female Election. Paper presented at the 74th International Communication Association Conference. Gold Coast, Australia.
Wilson, A. & Burrell, S. (2024, June). Committed to Play: Revisualizing Video Game Uses and Gratifications During COVID-19. Paper presented at the 74th International Communication Association Annual Conference. Gold Coast, Australia.
Cote, A. & Wilson, A. (2024, June). #whatagamedevlookslike: Marginalized Gameworkers and Oscillating Public Spheres. Paper presented at the 74th International Communication Association Annual Conference. Gold Coast, Australia.
Wilson, A. (2024, March). God Bless the South, Brother: A Paratextual Analysis of War of Rights Steam Reviews. Paper presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference’s Video Game Studies SIG. Boston, Massachusetts.