Academic Sandbox Games: Game-Ful Interactions with Non-Human Epistemic Agents

In this position paper I present three work-in-progress interaction metaphors to further explore the engagement between different epistemic actors in knowledge production processes, especially considering AI-driven software used by researchers in their daily practices. By conceptualising technology-supported research as a game-ful process, agencies and decision spaces turn more visible. Building on game studies literature and science and technology studies, I propose these interaction metaphors as a first step towards a refractive (Barad 2007) lens for examining how AI-driven web-based software impacts and shapes research practices and knowledge production.