Raiford Guins

Raiford Guins is Professor and Director of Cinema and Media Studies at Indiana University's Media School, with an additional appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. His interdisciplinary scholarship bridges design history, game studies, and material culture studies.

His research interests include:

• Design History & Culture
• Industrial Design & Graphic Design
• Game History & Preservation
• Life Histories of Objects & Material Culture
• History & Philosophy of Technology
• Cultural History & Museums

Guins approaches technological artifacts through multiple disciplinary lenses, examining their material lives and cultural significance. His work demonstrates a consistent trajectory from early explorations of media control to contemporary investigations of game history and material culture. His publications reveal deep engagement with how objects circulate through culture and acquire meaning over time.

Notable achievements:

• Named IU Presidential Arts and Humanities Fellow
• Co-editor of the MIT Press Game Histories Book Series with Henry Lowood

Guins maintains an active research agenda with several current projects including 'King PONG: How Atari Bounced Across Markets to Make Millions' (expected Spring 2026) and 'Museum Games: Journeys Across the Globe in Search of Playable Media.' His writings appear in journals including American Journal of Play, Cabinet, Design Issues, Game Studies, and Journal of Design History.