Eastern European gaming cultures. Case studies: Romania and Bulgaria

Abstract

Digital games are a complex social and technological phenomenon that is situated in cultures and societies. Current academic efforts in the field of digital games analyze the realities of the Western countries, where the market on digital games is highly developed. This paper focuses on the specificities of the Eastern European gaming culture and examines the market of digital games in Romania and Bulgaria. An online survey is carried out and the results show that Romanian and Bulgarian players are mostly men, live in metropolis (over 100,000 inhabitants) and are mostly young people aged 21-25 or teenagers. National games are known and played in very low proportions, game-players from Romania and Bulgaria preferring imported games. The authors hope that this first initiative to study gaming habits and preferences of Romanian gamers will bring digital games to the attention of academic researchers in Romania.