Mary Flanagan has a research based practice that investigates the seams between technology and human considerations. Her works exhibited at museums and galleries around the world such as The Whitney Museum, The Guggenheim, Tate Britain, and institutions in Spain, New Zealand, South Korea, Germany, China and Australia.

In 2018, Flanagan won the Award of Distinction at Prix Ars Electronica in the Interactive art+. Flanagan was awarded an honorary PhD in Design by Illinois Tech, has held numerous honorary fellowships, has published 6 books on critical game studies including Critical Play (MIT Press), and holds a distinguished professorship at Dartmouth College, USA.

Flanagan is also author and co-editor of numerous books, such as Critical Play and Reload: Rethinking Women in Cyberculture.