...talking with Yannick Rochat (UNIL)
2026-03-11 46 min
In this second episode of the CH Ludens podcast, host Eugen Pfister talks with his colleague Prof. Yannick Rochat, who leads the project Team at UNIL. Together, they discuss the game studies scene in Switzerland and previous networking efforts, which ultimately led to ever closer cooperation in our Sinergia project. Yannick introduces us to his team – Pierre-Yves, Sophie and Johan – and talks about the countless interviews that have been conducted so far, as well as the Platform Studies, which in Lausanne focus primarily on the analysis of the Swiss computer ‘Smaky’. Finally, Yannick introduces us to the history of the Zeta Challenger from Biel/Bienne and the different initiatives of games history and games preservation in Switzerland.
What is Confoederatio Ludens?
First Insights into Swiss Game History
2026-02-11 34 min
In this premiere episode of the CH Ludens podcast, hosts Eugen Pfister and Arno Görgen present the project ‘Confederatio Ludens. Swiss History of Games, Play and Game Design 1968-2000’. They explain the interdisciplinary collaboration, the project's goals and the significance of digital gaming culture for the digitisation of (Swiss) society. They also discuss the transition from analogue to digital media and the transnational aspects of game development in the Alpine country. The hosts provide insight into initial research findings and future developments in the project.