Do Video Games Matter? Examining Video Games’ Pathways to Legitimacy and Cultural Value Through Cultural Intermediaries

Abstract

After years on the fringe of our cultural and social life, video games are becoming more recognized as legitimate and culturally valuable. This paper examines the process of their legitimation through the role of ‘cultural intermediaries’, who frame video games as meaningful cultural artifacts. Drawing on Bourdieu's theories, this paper explores how external cultural institutions legitimize video games and how cross-media pollination further reinforces their cultural status. By analysing how broader industries have integrated and contextualized video games within their own domains, this paper highlights how video games contribute to cultural production and are gradually being positioned within established cultural hierarchies.