Espen Aarseth

Prof. Espen Aarseth is a Chair Professor and Dean of the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong. He holds membership in the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters and Academia Europaea. Previously, he was a professor and head of the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen, and co-founded the Department of Digital Culture at the University of Bergen. His research focuses on game studies, digital culture, and media history. He co-founded five conference series and edited the journal Game Studies. He directed the European Research Council’s MSG project (2016-22) and currently holds a visiting professorship at Beijing Normal University.

• Educations: Ph.D. in Literary Theory (not explicitly stated, inferred from roles)

Research interests include ludo-fictionalism critique, transmedia storytelling, and narrative gaming. His articles explore intersections of literature and digital media. Awards include being named among Stanford’s top 2% cited scientists in 2024.

• Awards: Stanford's top 2% most highly cited scientists (2024)

Advising and grants: accepting PhD students and led a €2.5M ERC Advanced Grant. Collaborations include global academic networks in game studies.

Labs/Teams: oversees the School of Creative Media’s research initiatives and collaborates with Beijing Normal University’s Digital Media Department.