His interests in fans, audiences, and consumption have led Garry Crawford to publish on a wide range of subjects including cultural studies, cosplay, gender, leisure, classical music, and, most notably, sports fans and video game culture.
He established and was the first Director of the University of Salford Digital Cluster, which the British governments’ Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) report Higher Ambitions described as "a forum and centre of excellence, which combines and leads on high quality research, academic enterprise and teaching in areas of informatics, digital media, and new and convergent technologies".
Following this, his doctoral research (at the University of Salford) and subsequent early publications focused on British ice hockey, its history, and supporters.
Another area where Garry Crawford has made significant and important contributions to is the study video game culture.
This book offers an introduction to cosplay as a subculture and community built around playful spaces and everyday practices of crafting costumes, identities, and performances.