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GamingGuru // character sheet

Research // 04 research codex

I study digital games as cultural, educational and design systems. I am interested in how rules produce meaning, how game forms change over time, and how games and AI can be used in education meaningfully and responsibly. I connect the research with game design, university teaching and artistic practice.

Silvester Buček, ArtD.
an atlas of open questions and verifiable findings

01Game studies and the history of digital games

Question

How do game cultures, markets and professional communities emerge, and how are they shaped by technology, economics and local context?

Approach

I combine media history, interviews with the people involved, analysis of period sources and long-term participation in the Czech–Slovak and Central European game studies community.

Evidence and outputs

Research on the emergence of the digital games market in Slovakia; the text Prvé herné komerčné subjekty na Slovensku; MU Game Studies; CEEGS/DiGRA CEE; teaching game history.

Selected publications and professional outputs

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  1. 2026presented FilmEU/AGORA (2026). Mapping the Narrative of STEAM. Position paper skupiny FilmEU/AGORA, prezentovaný na FilmEU Summit 25. júna 2026. ↗ FilmEU Summit 2026 programme
  2. 2025published Gerner, A. M., Saunier, A., Trencheva, E., Sigijane, K., Cherbatji, M., Bucek, S., Bjornsten, T. B., & Puronas, V. (2025). FilmEU AGORA: AI and the Future of Film Education: shaping the future of IA in film and media. Universidade Lusófona. 31 strán. ↗ DOI 10.5281/zenodo.16993198↗ research output record
  3. 2024artistic research Buček, S. (2024). Velvet Choices. Doktorandský umelecký a výskumný projekt, VŠMU, ArtD. Interaktívna vzdelávacia hra o rokoch 1988–1989. ↗ VŠMU catalogue record
  4. 2020published Buček, S., & Kobetičová, M. (2020). Establishing New Genres in Digital Games: The Auto Battler Case Study. Acta Ludologica, 3(1), 46–66. ↗ record and full text in Acta Ludologica
  5. 2020published Buček, S. (2020). Do Digital Games Promote Capitalism? Interview with Alfie Bown. Acta Ludologica, 3(2), 72–82. ↗ interview PDF in Acta Ludologica
  6. 2016published Buček, S. (2016). Prvé herné komerčné subjekty na Slovensku. In Marketing Identity 2016: Značky, ktoré milujeme, s. 194–208. ↗ text on Academia.edu
  7. 2014published Buček, S. (2014). Caillois Vs Gamification. Gamestudies.cz.
  8. 2013published Buček, S. (2013). Typológie hier nezaložené na herných mechanikách. Mediální studia, 6(3), 323–336. ↗ Mediální studia issue 3/2013↗ article PDF
  9. 2013published Buček, S. (2013). Rozprava o nosiči. Gamestudies.cz.

Academic qualifications and supervised theses

  • ArtD. · 2024 · VŠMU — Velvet Choices, doctoral artistic and research project, an interactive educational game about 1988–1989. ↗ VŠMU catalogue record
  • Mgr. · 2015 · Fakulta sociálnych štúdií Masarykovej univerzity — Capitalism: The Trial Version. Vznikanie trhu s digitálnymi hrami na Slovensku v období transformácie, master's thesis. ↗ record in IS MUNI
  • Bc. · 2012 · Fakulta sociálnych štúdií Masarykovej univerzity — Typológie počítačových hier a ich kritika, bachelor's thesis. ↗ record in IS MUNI

Academic community and service

  • co-founder of MU Game Studies since 2010
  • CEEGS/DiGRA CEE: organisation, coordination, programme and peer review since 2014; steering committee until 2022; continued involvement until 2025
  • peer reviewing for Acta Ludologica
  • service on VŠMU committees
  • roughly 100 supervised and reviewed bachelor's and master's theses
  • co-organising CEEGS in Brno (2014), Kraków (2015) and Trnava (2017)
  • twice elected to the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University

Conferences and professional talks

50+ distinct academic, educational and public talks in Slovak, Czech and English. Selected: CEEGS, Marketing Identity, Quo Vadis, Megatrendy a médiá, Gamer Pie, Game Expo, academic workshops in Kraków.

  1. 2026conference paper Multiplayer Isn’t a Genre: A Structural Typology of Participation, Interaction, and Composition — Olomouc Games Conference, Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci
  2. 2025conference paper Reframing Game Space: From Technical to Symbolic Spectacle in Digital Game Marketing — CEEGS 2025, University of Wrocław — panel Spaces in Development ↗ CEEGS 2025
  3. 2025conference paper Redefining the Boundaries of Games: A New Classification for Interactive Experiences — Marketing & Media Identity — ďalšie uvedenie príspevku z CEEGS 2024
  4. 2024paper / workshop Redefining the Boundaries of Games: A New Classification for Interactive Experiences — Workshop Art Games and Game-Based Art, CEEGS 2024, Nafplio ↗ CEEGS 2024 paper page↗ CEEGS 2024
  5. 2023conference paper Vzdelávací potenciál digitálnych hier — Bezpečnosť detí v digitálnom priestore, Bratislava — text aj v zborníku, s. 141–148
  6. 2023professional talk Najčastejšie mýty o hraní videohier — Učitelia a pracovníci knižníc ako offline influenceri dnešnej doby, Prešov — panelová diskusia
  7. 2023professional talk Hranica medzi hrou a vzdelávaním — digiSAPIENS — konferencia o živote v online svete, Aurelium, Bratislava ↗ digiSAPIENS on the Aurelium website
  8. 2021professional talk Ludonaratívne hry: Medzi hrou a príbehom — International VFX and HD Conference Bratislava ↗ VFX conference 2021 programme, day 2
  9. 2017professional workshop Cultural Imperialism in Digital Games — 11th International Conference on the Philosophy of Computer Games, Krakov — vedenie workshopu
  10. 2017conference paper Beginning of the Digital Games Market in Slovakia: Influences, First Subjects and Heritages of Socialism — Megatrends and Media: Media Future, Smolenice — konferenčný text, s. 38–48
  11. 2015professional workshop Post-socialist Digital Game Markets — CEEGS, Jagiellonian University, Krakov — vedenie workshopu
  12. 2014conference paper Half of Monthly Wage for a Videogame? — CEEGS 2014, Masarykova univerzita, Brno
  13. 2013professional talk Tetris: From Russia with Love — uvedenie filmu a odborná diskusia — Academia Film Olomouc 48
PUBLIC DISPATCHES

In the media and public debate

Interviews, podcasts and popular articles on digital games, gamification, education and artificial intelligence.

Interviews, video and podcasts

INDIAN2021
V pandemii mohou hry zachránit sociální kontakt interview

Games as a way of keeping social contact during the pandemic.

↗ interview on INDIAN
vyCHILLenie2021
vyCHILLenie #8 — projekt písania o detských videohrách video / interview

Writing about video games for children and parents.

↗ episode on YouTube
Videoherná výchova2022
Ako vplýva Roblox na detskú psychiku podcast

Roblox, children and parental decisions.

Kombo2020
Silvester Buček: Hľadám spôsob… interview

A personal interview about games, work and interests.

↗ interview on Kombo.sk

Articles and expert commentary

Eduworld
Počítačové hry nemusia byť strašiakom popular article / video

Computer games and children from the perspective of parents and teachers.

↗ article on Eduworld
Bez nástrah
Počítačové hry môžu byť pre deti prospešné expert article

The benefits of games for children and how to prevent the risks.

↗ article on Bez nástrah
NDS2020
Hry pre deti a nedeti expert commentary

Games as a medium for children and adults alike.

↗ article on NDS
Zoznam / Kariéra2018
Objavitelia a zabijaci: Typológia hráčov a jej využitie v HR authored expert article

Player typology applied to human resources.

↗ article on Kariéra.sk