Games cannot be reduced to abstract rulesets or narrative structures. They exist in and emerge from distinct material cultures of play. They are designed and produced using resources and labor; they require boards, dice or electronic interfaces; and they interact with the player’s bodies and the spaces around them.

The first thematic special issue of Spiel|Formen investigates ludomaterialities, that is, the materiality of games and play from an interdisciplinary perspective. It is a contribution to the growing field of Material Game Studies which encompasses research on themes of corporeality and materiality in relation to games.

Combining English translations of already published articles with new contributions, the issue links up German Game Studies’ discourse with the 'material turn' as proclaimed in the Anglo-American world, while explicitly addressing analogue game equipment at the same time. With the collected contributions, the volume focuses on the areas of design and fan production, interface research, exploitation of devices and data, media education and art history. The tensions between material, form and rules as well as between work and play are central themes that permeate the issue.