Book Presentation: The Laws of the Game: A Game Studies Book about Football

Do you want to learn to watch football? Do you want to impress your friends by elevating your understanding of the game? Do you think two game academics can help you with that?

If you think so, please come join us for the presentation of our book, The Laws of the Game. We have written a very particular love letter to football - one that is rooted on our academic understanding of games, while at the same time tries to make our love for the game contagious. If you want to know more about football as a game, if you want to understand its complicated history and politics, if you want to be challenged the effect of data-driven solutions and artificial intelligence in the most popular game, or if you want to discuss what makes a player a great one, then this book is for you. And if you want to know more, come and hear us talk about it at the book presentation.

At this presentation you will hear Bo explain the importance of history and the midfield in shaping the modern game. Miguel will discuss how football is being automated, and whether AI will ever be better than Messi (spoilers: LOL no). And we will together discuss this year’s Champions League trophy, with a exclusive preview of the final, which will be played on Saturday the 30th of May (yes, we timed the presentation with the final in mind).

So if you are curious about football, why it is the most popular sport in the world and how we can think about it, come join us for this book presentation!

About the book

This book applies theories, methods, and concepts from game studies to soccer. This is a game studies book about soccer that studies the rules and design of soccer and the impact that technology has on the game’s evolution.

The book comprises nine chapters that approach soccer from different game studies angles. The different chapters study the game off the pitch (the design), on the pitch (the gameplay), and around the pitch (the culture). The book establishes conversations with game studies, illuminating what we take for granted in the field and showing what is left to study. At the same time, it provides readers with a deep understanding of the importance of soccer, why we should pay attention to it, and how it reflects broader trends in culture, technology, politics, and play. Get the book