Kelly Bergstrom
Department of Communication & Media Studies
Associate Professor
on sabbatical July 2025-June 2026
Office: Victor Phillip Dahdaleh (DB) Building, 2010
Phone: 416-736-2100 Ext: 77849
Email: kmb@yorku.ca
Please note: While I am always happy to talk to potential graduate students, I will be on sabbatical from July 2025 to June 2026. My capacity for supervision and committees will be limited until I return.
Kelly Bergstrom is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at York University. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in the School of Communications at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a Postdoctoral Fellow at York University’s Institute for Research on Digital Learning and a MITACS Postdoctoral Researcher at Big Viking Games.
Bergstrom’s research examines drop out and disengagement from digital cultures, with a focus on digital games and social media. She is co-editor of Internet Spaceships are Serious Business: An EVE Online Reader (University of Minnesota Press, 2016) and her work has been published in journals such as Feminist Media Studies, Critical Studies in Media Communication, and Social Media + Society.
Degrees
PhD, York UniversityMA, University of Calgary
BA (Honours), Simon Fraser University
BFA, Simon Fraser University
Research Interests
Bergstrom, K., & Poor, N. (2023). We have always been social: Comparing social expressiveness between single-player and multiplayer gamers. Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds, 15(3), 247-266.
Bergstrom, K. (2022). Ignoring the blood on the tracks: exits and departures from game studies. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 39(3), 173-180
Bergstrom, K. and Poor, N. (2022). Signaling the Intent to Change Online Communities: A Case from a Reddit Gaming Community. Social Media + Society, 8(2), 1-10.
Bergstrom, K. (2022). When a door becomes a window: Using Glassdoor to examine game industry work cultures. Information, Communication & Society, 25(6), 835-850.
Bergstrom, K. (2021). Anti-social social gaming: community conflict in a Facebook game. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 38(1), 61-74.
Bergstrom, K., & Poor, N. (2021). Reddit Gaming Communities During Times of Transition. Social Media+ Society, 7(2). DOI: 20563051211010167
Bergstrom, K. (2021). What if we were all novices? Making room for inexperience in a game studies classroom. Digital Culture & Education, 13(2).
Bergstrom, K. (2021). Who is playing Pokémon GO? An observational activity. Communication Teacher, 35(2), 93-97.
Bergstrom, K. (2020). Destruction as Deviant Leisure in EVE Online. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 13(1).
Bergstrom, K., & Neo, R. (2020). Searching for the stairway to heaven: information seeking about an illegal hiking trail in Hawaii. Leisure Studies, 39(5), 751-764.
Bergstrom, K. (2019). Barriers to play: Accounting for non-participation in digital game play. Feminist Media Studies, 19(6), 841-857.
Bergstrom, K. (2019). EVE Online is not for everyone: Exceptionalism in online gaming cultures. Human Technology, 15(3).
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | AP/CMDS1630 3.0 | B | Video Gaming and Society | LECT |
| Fall 2024 | AP/CMDS1630 3.0 | A | Video Gaming and Society | LECT |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | AP/CMDS2150 3.0 | M | Intro. to Communication/Media Research | LECT |
| Winter 2025 | GS/STS5010 3.0 | M | Thesis Research and Writing Lab | SEMR |
Please note: While I am always happy to talk to potential graduate students, I will be on sabbatical from July 2025 to June 2026. My capacity for supervision and committees will be limited until I return.
Kelly Bergstrom is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at York University. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in the School of Communications at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a Postdoctoral Fellow at York University’s Institute for Research on Digital Learning and a MITACS Postdoctoral Researcher at Big Viking Games.
Bergstrom’s research examines drop out and disengagement from digital cultures, with a focus on digital games and social media. She is co-editor of Internet Spaceships are Serious Business: An EVE Online Reader (University of Minnesota Press, 2016) and her work has been published in journals such as Feminist Media Studies, Critical Studies in Media Communication, and Social Media + Society.
Degrees
PhD, York UniversityMA, University of Calgary
BA (Honours), Simon Fraser University
BFA, Simon Fraser University
Research Interests
All Publications
Bergstrom, K., & Poor, N. (2023). We have always been social: Comparing social expressiveness between single-player and multiplayer gamers. Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds, 15(3), 247-266.
Bergstrom, K. (2022). Ignoring the blood on the tracks: exits and departures from game studies. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 39(3), 173-180
Bergstrom, K. and Poor, N. (2022). Signaling the Intent to Change Online Communities: A Case from a Reddit Gaming Community. Social Media + Society, 8(2), 1-10.
Bergstrom, K. (2022). When a door becomes a window: Using Glassdoor to examine game industry work cultures. Information, Communication & Society, 25(6), 835-850.
Bergstrom, K. (2021). Anti-social social gaming: community conflict in a Facebook game. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 38(1), 61-74.
Bergstrom, K., & Poor, N. (2021). Reddit Gaming Communities During Times of Transition. Social Media+ Society, 7(2). DOI: 20563051211010167
Bergstrom, K. (2021). What if we were all novices? Making room for inexperience in a game studies classroom. Digital Culture & Education, 13(2).
Bergstrom, K. (2021). Who is playing Pokémon GO? An observational activity. Communication Teacher, 35(2), 93-97.
Bergstrom, K. (2020). Destruction as Deviant Leisure in EVE Online. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 13(1).
Bergstrom, K., & Neo, R. (2020). Searching for the stairway to heaven: information seeking about an illegal hiking trail in Hawaii. Leisure Studies, 39(5), 751-764.
Bergstrom, K. (2019). Barriers to play: Accounting for non-participation in digital game play. Feminist Media Studies, 19(6), 841-857.
Bergstrom, K. (2019). EVE Online is not for everyone: Exceptionalism in online gaming cultures. Human Technology, 15(3).
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | AP/CMDS1630 3.0 | B | Video Gaming and Society | LECT |
| Fall 2024 | AP/CMDS1630 3.0 | A | Video Gaming and Society | LECT |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | AP/CMDS2150 3.0 | M | Intro. to Communication/Media Research | LECT |
| Winter 2025 | GS/STS5010 3.0 | M | Thesis Research and Writing Lab | SEMR |
