In this paper, notions of game studies, games research, game design, and design research are examined. As a most popular keyword on game research papers 'game design' connects the interdiscipline of game studies. However, it is typical that notions of 'design' and 'design research' are not explicitly reflected on the research papers within the academic field of game research. The lack of onversation between game studies and general design research is visible, yet historically explainable. However, considering the maturity of the field, the presence of the theoretical frameworks of design research should be improved. Understanding game studies as design research potentially improves our understanding on game design and alleviates the bridging of the epistemic gap between the practice and academia.