Stephan Pietsch

Stephan Pietsch is a Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL) in Leipzig, Germany, working within the Research Group "Geographies of Belonging and Difference" and the Department of "Theory, Methodology and History of Geography." He has maintained continuous affiliation with the IfL since 2014, with a brief period as a research assistant at the University of Leipzig's Institute of Geography from 2023-2024.

His academic background includes a Master of Arts in Human Geography from the University of Mainz (2010-2014), a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of Jena (2006-2010), and preliminary studies in early modern and modern history at TU Dresden (2004-2006). He also spent a semester abroad at Charles University in Prague (2011-2012).

Dr. Pietsch's research explores geographical imaginations, urban spaces, political geography, and particularly the geographies of film and video games, alongside the history of geography and cartography. His work investigates how digital location-based games serve as educational tools for transformative learning and spatial understanding, bridging theoretical concepts with practical applications in geography education.

His recent publications (2020-2024) reveal a strong emphasis on digital geography education, with numerous articles on location-based gaming, landscape representation in digital environments, and critical approaches to geoinformatics education. These works demonstrate his innovative methodology that combines geographical theory with educational practice through game-based learning.

Dr. Pietsch is actively involved in the project "Metropolitan regions as hybrid spaces" examining digitalization's impact on socio-spatial inequalities, and has completed significant work on the "SpielRäume" project focused on landscape as a space of discovery and experience. His contributions to the "Digital Atlas of Geopolitical Imaginaries of Eastern Central Europe" further showcase his expertise in digital geovisualization.