Gamestudies.org https://gamestudies.org The international journal of computer game research Danielle Burrell-Kim “Stuttering Matt”: Linguistic ableism and the mockery of speech impediments in video games https://gamestudies.org/2302/articles/burrellkim This article is an exploratory study on the representation of speech impediments in the Dragon Age series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077. This study emphasizes patterns of linguistic ableism as well as potential approaches to the normalization of characters with speech differences. Kimberly Dennin,Adrianna Burton Experiential Play as an Analytical Framework: Empathetic and Grating Queerness in <em>The Last of Us Part II</em> https://gamestudies.org/2302/articles/denninburton Despite being an explicit endeavor in queer representation, we argue that The Last of Us Part II does not offer a resistive experience of play for its queer players. Our conclusion is grounded in a formalization and use of experiential play as an analytic tool--a framework that centers diversity by studying players' individual embodied experiences. Jacqueline Moran Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Hero\'s Journeys in Zelda: Opportunities & Issues for Games Studies https://gamestudies.org/2302/articles/moran This article provides an overview of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), including theoretical foundations and method through its application to a case study. Considering its roots in hermeneutic phenomenology and emphasis on lived experience, IPA is ideal for investigating personal experiences and situated meanings in games. Peter Nelson Claustrophobia, Repetition and Redundancy: The Economy and Aesthetics of User-Generated Content in Sandbox Computer Games https://gamestudies.org/2302/articles/nelson This article offers an aesthetic analysis of user-generated content in game sandbox platforms, with a focus on the consolidation of 3D creative tools, game engines and game sharing platforms into single software environments. Jesper Verhoef Let’s not be Cultural Pessimists: The Social Construction of Nintendo’s Game Boy and the Need for Console-Specific Game Studies https://gamestudies.org/2302/articles/verhoef This article proposes to expand research into gaming discourse. An analysis of popular discourses on handheld game consoles suggests that a focus on consoles rather than games/gaming might challenge the prevailing view that gaming caused moral panic. A comparison with the response to other contemporary media foregrounds this divergent portrayal.