Tom Boylston

Tom Boylston is a Lecturer in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on the intersection of play, technology, and religion, exploring how embodied practices shape meaningful lifeworlds. He is currently developing a project on games and mental health, examining debates around game addiction through the lens of immersion ethics and aesthetics.

His key research interests include:

• Media anthropology
• Game studies
• Anthropology of religion
• Anthropology of technology
• Anthropology of Ethiopia

Boylston maintains a long-standing interest in Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and its mediation practices. He leads the research group Games for Humans, collaborating with scholars in research-based game design. He supervises PhD students working on topics related to the anthropology of games and play, media and technology, Ethiopia, and religious studies.