This introductory article frames the notion of noise as a research problem from the standpoint of game studies. It contextualizes the intellectual foundations on which the contributions of this 18th issue of Sciences du jeu dedicated to the poetry and politics of videoludic noise. The first part refers to the fields of media studies, communication sciences and sound studies to retrace the semantic history of noise. This operation highlights the major units of meaning that structure the epistemology of the concept, notably its relationship to the logic of chaos, entropy, and interference. In the second section, this previous genealogy informs the examination of three major conceptualizations of noise (ontological, communicational, and ludogenic) used in game studies to reflect on games. The last segment presents the five articles contained in this issue and situates their endeavour in the broader collective reflection about the noisy characteristic of gaming experiences.