Best Researcher Award

Marco De Mutiis
Affiliation	HTWG Konstanz – University of Applied Sciences
Country	Germany
Subject Area	Arts and Humanities
Event	World Science Awards
ORCID	0000-0002-9330-5078

Marco De Mutiis is a researcher, artist, curator, and academic whose work examines contemporary photography, digital image production, video games, and networked visual culture. He is associated with HTWG Konstanz – University of Applied Sciences, where he teaches and researches photography and evolving forms of image-making. His academic and creative work connects photography with game studies, media theory, digital culture, and computational approaches to visual production.[1] His professional and scholarly activities include research, teaching, curatorial projects, publications, and contributions to discussions surrounding in-game photography and digital visual practices.[2]

Abstract

Marco De Mutiis is an academic and creative practitioner working at the intersection of photography, digital culture, gaming, and contemporary image practices. His research addresses how photographic practices change when images are produced, experienced, and circulated within computational and game-based environments. His work includes scholarly publications, edited volumes, curatorial projects, and research on the relationship between photography and videogames.[2] His publication record includes contributions to the study of in-game photography, playable imaging, screenshots, digital image-making, and the cultural implications of game-based visual practices.[3]

Keywords

Keywords: Marco De Mutiis; Best Researcher Award; Arts and Humanities; photography; digital culture; in-game photography; videogames; visual culture; media art; computational photography; playable imaging; digital image production; research and curatorial practice.

Introduction

Marco De Mutiis’s academic profile reflects an interdisciplinary approach to photography and digital visual culture. His work considers photography not only as a conventional medium for recording or representing reality but also as a practice that can operate within interactive, computational, and game-based environments. This perspective places his research within a broader field encompassing media studies, photography theory, game studies, visual culture, and digital humanities.[2]

At HTWG Konstanz, De Mutiis teaches Evolving Imaging and Photography and contributes to research concerning transformations in photography and image production. The university describes his work as encompassing photography, videogame modding, experimental design, media art, and computational photography.[1] These areas demonstrate a research profile that combines academic inquiry with artistic and practice-based investigation.

Research Profile

The central themes of De Mutiis’s research include photography in videogames, playable imaging, digital image production, and the changing relationship between cameras, players, interfaces, and computational environments. His doctoral research at London South Bank University examined the relationship between computer games and photography, providing an academic foundation for his subsequent work on in-game photography and related visual practices.[4]

His research also engages with the cultural and aesthetic implications of screenshots, screen photography, screencasts, and game-generated imagery. The edited volume Screen Images: In-Game Photography, Screenshot, Screencast, co-edited by Winfried Gerling, Sebastian Möring, and Marco De Mutiis, investigates historical and contemporary image practices and positions screen-based imagery within wider discussions of media studies, image studies, photography theory, game studies, and media art.[5]

Research Contributions

A significant contribution of De Mutiis’s research is the investigation of photography as an activity that can occur inside interactive digital environments. His work considers how videogames can transform the photographic act by making the player simultaneously a participant, observer, image-maker, and operator of a virtual camera. This approach expands conventional discussions of photographic practice toward questions of interaction, simulation, interface design, and digital visuality.[3]

His 2023 article, “Photographing the Game Glitch: Between Ghost Photography and Immaterial Labour,” examines glitches in in-game photography and discusses how visual errors can expose the processes behind photorealistic digital environments. The article was published in Philosophy of Photography, volume 14, issue 2, pages 153–170, with DOI 10.1386/pop_00079_1.[6]

Another contribution is his chapter “How to Win at Photography – How Games Teach Us to See,” included in Screen Images. The chapter addresses the relationship between game mechanics and photographic ways of seeing, contributing to a wider scholarly discussion of how digital games can influence visual perception and image-making practices.[5]

Publications

De Mutiis has contributed to scholarly books, edited volumes, journal articles, and interdisciplinary publications addressing photography, videogames, digital images, and visual culture. His documented publications include contributions to Screen Images: In-Game Photography, Screenshot, Screencast, published by Kulturverlag Kadmos in 2023, and work concerning playable imaging and game-based photography.[5]

Research Impact

The impact of De Mutiis’s research can be considered in relation to its interdisciplinary contribution to photography studies, game studies, media art, and digital culture. His work addresses emerging forms of image-making that have become increasingly important as videogames, virtual environments, and computational systems develop as spaces for artistic and cultural production.[5]

His academic and curatorial activities also connect research with public-facing cultural practice. His work with Fotomuseum Winterthur included research and curatorial initiatives concerning algorithmic and networked forms of vision and image-making, while his teaching and academic activities extend these themes into higher education and professional creative contexts.[2]

Award Suitability

For a Best Researcher Award in the Arts and Humanities, De Mutiis presents a profile characterized by interdisciplinary research, scholarly publication, teaching, artistic practice, and curatorial engagement. His research connects established photographic theory with contemporary digital environments, creating a scholarly framework for examining how visual practices evolve alongside videogame technologies and computational image systems.

The documented publication record provides evidence of sustained engagement with specialist academic questions, including the nature of photography in videogames, playable imaging, digital visuality, and the cultural implications of game-based image production.[3] His contributions to edited academic volumes and peer-reviewed scholarship further support consideration under criteria emphasizing originality, interdisciplinary relevance, scholarly contribution, and research visibility.

A complete quantitative award assessment would require verified bibliometric information such as a Scopus author identifier, publication count, citation count, h-index, and other recognized research indicators. These metrics are not supplied in the available profile information and therefore are not independently assigned in this article.

Conclusion

Marco De Mutiis represents an interdisciplinary academic and creative profile within the Arts and Humanities, with particular relevance to photography, digital culture, videogames, visual studies, and contemporary image production. His publications and research activities demonstrate sustained engagement with the transformation of photography in computational and interactive environments.[1][6]

Based on the documented scholarly and professional record, his profile is relevant to recognition programs seeking researchers whose work contributes to emerging interdisciplinary fields. Final award decisions, however, should be based on the award’s official evaluation criteria and independently verified academic and bibliometric records.

External Links

• ORCID Profile

References

1. Hochschule Konstanz – HTWG. Professorinnen und Professoren: Prof. Dr. Marco De Mutiis. Information concerning teaching, research, photography, media art, computational photography, and academic affiliation.
   https://www.htwg-konstanz.de/master/kommunikationsdesign/ueber-uns/professorinnen-und-professoren
2. Intellect Books. About Marco De Mutiis. Biographical and professional information concerning his research, curatorial work, photography, videogames, and digital image culture.
   https://www.intellectbooks.com/marco-de-mutiis
3. Möring, Sebastian. Basic Readings on In-Game Photography. Bibliographic record listing publications by Marco De Mutiis concerning in-game photography and playable imaging.
   https://sebastianmoering.com/basic-readings-on-in-game-photography/
4. International Committee for Architecture and Museum Technology. ICAMT 50th Annual Conference in Taiwan 2024: Conference Manual. Profile information identifying Marco De Mutiis as Digital Curator at Fotomuseum Winterthur and describing his research on photography and computer games.
   https://icamt.mini.icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/09/Conference-Manual.pdf
5. Gerling, Winfried; Möring, Sebastian; De Mutiis, Marco, eds. (2023). Screen Images: In-Game Photography, Screenshot, Screencast. Berlin: Kulturverlag Kadmos. DOI: 10.55309/c3ie61k5.
   https://www.zem-brandenburg.de/en/publikationen/screen-images-2/