Thomas Gordon-Colebrooke

DPhil Social Anthropology
2020

I am an anthropologist specialising in video game addiction and deeply interested in the anthropology of play, games, the digital and addiction. My DPhil thesis will focus on creating the first ethnography of video game addicts in both physical and virtual settings, considering how sometimes enthusiastically adopted identities of illness and the ‘structural characteristics’ of particular game titles are contributing to our shared conception of what ‘video game addiction’ is. Making use of a mixed-methods approach greatly informed by my experience as a game designer, I will investigate this emerging pathology from institutional, community, and clinical perspectives.

My other interests include demonology and exorcisms, particularly Sinhalese exorcisms. I am also the reviews editor for the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford.

Contact: thomas.gordon-colebrooke@gtc.ox.ac.uk