Andrei Zanescu

Andrei Zanescu is a part-time assistant professor of communication studies, as well as a postdoctoral fellow in the department of sociology and anthropology at Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada.

His personal research focuses on two key areas at the intersection of games and film. First, he examines the cultural formation of blockbuster games, often called AAA or AAAA games in the American context, and how these games rely on resonance with audiences. Second, he covers the legitimation of games through the uses of “global” or American awards (The Game Awards / The Spike VGAs / VGX / Cybermania ‘94/DICE/BAFTA), festivals (SXSW/IGF) and trade shows (E3/Gamescom/Summer Game Fest). Both halves of this work are focused on the continuous invocation of American blockbuster cinema (from the 1950s to today), in particular where the overlap includes contemporary hit films, as well as Hollywood classics, popular auteur directors, as well as on-screen stars.