My name is Matteo Bittanti and I am a scholar, artist, writer, curator, publisher, and translator.
As an academic researcher, I concentrate on the cultural, social, and theoretical impacts of emerging technologies. My work examines how these advancements influence communication, visual culture, and the arts, with a particular focus on new media art and video game-based art. Additionally, I study the intersections of politics, ideology, and video games, adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates media studies, game studies, visual studies, and art history.
My areas of active investigation are contemporary art, game studies, digital humanities, visual studies, cultural studies, art criticism, media studies, and philosophy. My artistic, curatorial and academic work has been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, Fast Company, Motherboard/Vice, BBC, The Bold Italic, Polygon, The San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco Examiner, Flash Art, KQED, Hyperallergic, The Atlantic, BusinessWeek, Il Sole 24 Ore, La Repubblica, Il Corriere della Sera, L'Espresso, Rivista Studio, LINK, Business Insider, Artribune, Radio Popolare, Courier International, Arte Magazine, DDAY.it, Swiss Radio Two and TAR.
Currently, I am an Associate Professor at IULM University where I teach courses on media studies and game studies. I am also part of the Faculty of the Master of Arts in Algorithmic and Networked Photography at ELISAVA, in Barcelona.
From 2017 to 2021, I served as the Program Manager for the M.A. program in Game Design at IULM University. Between 2019 and 2024, I was a board member of the Doctorate program in Visual and Media Studies at the same institution. From 2007 to 2014, I taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Visual Studies and Visual and Critical Studies as an Adjunct Professor at California College of the Arts in San Francisco and Oakland. Prior to that, I was an Associate Researcher at Stanford University and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. Before relocating to the United States in 2005, I lectured on New Media, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Film Studies, and Game Studies at several Milanese institutions, including the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the European Institute of Design (IED), the New Academy of Art (NABA), and IULM University
Among my recent academic publications are Videoarte Ludica. Videogames, Cinema, Machinima (2025), Fotoludica. Videogames and photograpy between art and documentation (2025, with Marco De Mutiis), The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos (2024, with Marco De Mutiis), VRAL. Season 3 (2023), RESET. Politics and Video Games (2023), VRAL. Season Two (2022), VRAL. Season One (2021), Game Over. Critique of video game rationality (2020), Phenomenology of Grand Theft Auto (2019), Travelogue (2019), Game videos. Performance, Spectacle, Streaming (2018), Machinima. From video game to video art (2017), Machinima. 32 Conversations on the Art of Video games (2017), and How to get rid of homeless (2015), which examines the notion of homelessness in (and beyond) SimCity. For more information, please click here. Some of my editorial projects include LUDOLOGICA, GameScenes, and Concrete Press (with Random Parts, in Oakland, California). My non-academic contributions include articles and essays for publications such as Rolling Stone, WIRED, Flash Art, EDGE, LINK, Duellanti, PLAYERS, Cineforum, 8 1/2, ZZAP!, Game Power, ZETA, KAPPA, PC Gamer, and more.
In addition to my academic work, I am also an artist, curator, and translator. My artistic practice lies at the intersection of video games, toys, cinema, and online culture. My work has been exhibited in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, France, Cuba, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, and Italy. Since 2012, I have been collaborating with fellow artist Colleen Flaherty. Together we have developed several projects under the aegis of COLL.EO. As a curator, I have organized solo and group art exhibitions in various European countries including Switzerland and the UK (The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos, 2024, How to Win at Photography, 2021 and 2022, all with Marco De Mutiis), Italy (MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL 2018-ongoing), and Hype, 2017; Travelogue, 2016; GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY with Vincenzo Trione, 2016; Teh Italians Do It Better!! at the 52nd Venice Biennale, with Domenico Quaranta, 2011), the United States (RE/PLAY, 2017), and Belgium. Additionally, I have been curating the website GameScenes since 2006, an unofficial companion to the eponymous book. In 2020, I launched VRAL, an online curated platform dedicated to avant-garde machinima.
I have translated into Italian several academic and non-academic books, essays, and articles by Jeffrey T. Schnapp, Johanna Drucker, Todd Presner, Peter Lunenfeld, Slavoj Žižek, J.G. Ballard, Paul Krugman, Alfie Bown, David Bordwell, Neil Gaiman, William Gibson, Richard Grusin, Mark J.P. Wolf, Barry Atkins, Dave Myers, Bernard Perron, Peter Frase, and Gianni Canova for publishers such as Mondadori, Mimesis Edizioni, NERO, Condé Nast, costa & nolan, and Edizioni Unicopli.
I live in the United States.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (ACADEMIC)
2024-ongoing ELISAVA, Faculty of Design and Engineering, UVic-UCC, Barcelona, Spain
Associate Faculty, Master’s Degree in Algorithmic and Networked Photography
2020-ongoing International University of Languages and Media (IULM), Milan, Italy
Associate Professor, B.A. in Communication, Media, and Advertising
Associate Professor, B.A. in Corporate Communication and Public Relations
Associate Professor, M.A in Television, Cinema, and New Media
Program Manager, Master of Arts in Game Design (2017-2021)
Member of the Board, Doctorate Program in Visual and Media Studies (2019-2024)
2019: International University of Languages and Media (IULM), Milan, Italy
Associate Professor, B.A. in Communication, Media, and Advertising
Associate Professor, M.A in Television, Cinema, and New Media
Program Manager, Master of Arts in Game Design
Member of the Board, Doctorate Program in Visual and Media Studies
2018: International University of Languages and Media (IULM), Milan, Italy
Assistant Professor, B.A. in Communication, Media, and Advertising
Assistant Professor, M.A in Television, Cinema, and New Media
Program Manager, Master of Arts in Game Design
2017: International University of Languages and Media (IULM), Milan, Italy
Assistant Professor, B.A. in Media, Communication, and Advertising
Program Manager, Master of Arts in Game Design
2014-2016: International University of Languages and Media (IULM), Milan, Italy
Adjunct Professor, Media Studies, B.A. in Media, Communication, and Advertising
2007-2014: California College of the Arts (CCA), San Francisco & Oakland, California
Adjunct Professor, M.A. in Visual and Critical Studies Program
Adjunct Professor, B.A. Visual Studies Program
2011-2012: International University of Languages and Media (IULM), Milan, Italy
Visiting Professor, Master in Digital Entertainment & Start-up Design
2008-2011: Stanford University, Stanford, California
Social Science Research Associate
2006-2008: University of California at Berkeley, School of Information
Postdoctoral Researcher
2005-2006: Stanford University, Stanford, California
Visiting Scholar
2005-2001: European Institute of Design (IED), Milan, Italy
Instructor, Film Studies
2004-2003: European Institute of Design (IED), Milan, Italy
Program Director, Game Design & Culture Program
2005-2004: Arti Grafiche Rizzoli, Milan, Italy
Lecturer, New Media Studies
2002-2004: International University of Languages and Media (IULM), Milan, Italy
Lecturer, Film Studies
2001-2002: University of the Sacred Heart, Milan
Lecturer, Social Communication
2001-2002: New Academy of Arts (NABA), Milan, Italy
Lecturer, Film Studies
EDUCATION
Ph.D., New Technologies of Communication, 2007
International University of Languages and Media, Milan, Italy
M.S., Mass Communications, 2001
San Jose State University, San Jose, California
B.A., Philosophy, 1999
Minor in Media Studies
University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy