My academic work mostly consists in • thinking about virtual worlds (occasionally about fictional worlds too), and • building virtual worlds to explore and challenge how we think.
Given the interdisciplinary focus of my research – and depending on the topics and the resources at hand – my output takes the form of academic texts and/or of interactive digital experiences. Trained as an architect and a philosopher, I study virtual worlds in their role as mediators: as interactive, artificial contexts where ideas can be encountered, manipulated, and communicated experientially.
I also study (and create) virtual worlds and fictional worlds as tools to operate changes on ourselves and our society: as gateways to explore alternative possibilities for thinking and being.
Visit my website at https://gua-le-ni.com/
My monographic books: • Gualeni, S. (2023), The Clouds: An Experiment in Theory-Fiction. London, UK: Routledge.
• Gualeni, S. & Fassone, R. (2022), Fictional Games: A Philosophy of Worldbuilding and Imaginary Play. London, UK: Bloomsbury.
• Gualeni, S. & Vella, D. (2020), Virtual Existentialism: Meaning and Subjectivity in Virtual Worlds. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Pivot.
• Gualeni, S. (2015), Virtual Worlds as Philosophical Tools: How to Philosophize with a Digital Hammer. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
