a flyer depicting an illustration of the parthenon with an image of an eye overlaid on top. the center of the eye contains a QR code. the text on the poster reads "Is your vision less 20/20 and more 438 BC? The Playful Time Machines project at Leiden University is looking for players of historical videogames who are interested in volunteering for an eye-tracking experiment about how videogames can shape perceptions of the past. Are you a player of historical grand strategy, adventure, or shooter games? We'd like to watch you play! Scan the QR code above or go to edu.nl/cd849"

it's that time of year again...are you a historical videogame player living in the Netherlands? do you want to contribute to player-focused research on past-play? come sign up for a gameplay session so i can watch you 👀 for science! check out edu.nl/cd849 to learn more 🏛️🎮⚔️🎲

a cartoon pikachu with a surprised look on his face . Alt: a cartoon pikachu with a surprised look on his face .

Hi! I'm a scientist studying artificial stuff in animal nests, and I'm looking for a #Pokémon expert. 🌍 Yup, I found some Pokémon in a nest!! 😲

Specifically, the question concerns dating pieces of packaging, which might be tricky. Who knows EVERYTHING about Pokémon? Who can I send a DM to? 😅

Manly Men With Uzis: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and American Cold War Masculinity | Historical Games Network In 1980s American popular culture, men with Uzis were everywhere. In The Terminator (1984), the titular killer cyborg played by Arnold Schwarzenegger demanded an “Uzi 9mm” from a gun store owner prior...

The first post for our Analogue theme is up! @malcolmcraig.bsky.social explores depictions of armed American masculinity in a Cold War context across Tabletop Role-Playing Games like Delta Force: America strikes back!, Twilight: 2000, & The Price of Freedom:

www.historicalgames.net/manly-men-wi...

An Island That Will Not Load: Fictional Worlds and the Labours of Historical Play | Historical Games Network Hashima Island is now better known through its fictional avatars than through its archival record. James Bond fans recognise it as Raoul Silva’s lair in Skyfall (2012). Survival-horror players know it...

New post on the HGN blog: for “Fictions,” Christopher Gerteis discusses HashimaXR, an immersive heritage project that grapples with the blurring of historical fact and fiction, contested historical and political memory & the meaning of “historical play”

www.historicalgames.net/island-that-...

Rafael Bienia wrote his PhD on ‘Role Playing Materials’, and talks about the table a bit in there (pp. 138-141). It’s on his site if of interest bienia.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...

New FUNDED PhD opportunity with me, @doktornick.bsky.social, and @bomlab.bsky.social on 'Playing in Public: Game-Based Interventions for Sustainability, Community and Environmental Engagement' as part of the CreaTech Frontiers CDA scheme!
Deadline: 10 April
Details: www.bcu.ac.uk/research/our...

History and more-than-human agency in videogames This article highlights how digital games and digital game scholarship can contribute to ongoing theoretical debates about more-than-human agency in history. Inspired by ecological theory, the more...

🚨NEW ARTICLE OUT🚨

My most recent paper on historical agency & games is available in open access!

It deals with environmental studies, posthumanism, fantasy, the 'ontological turn' in the philosophy of history & my upcoming video-game, Galar.

Quick thread on the contents 🧵1/6

#gamestudies #gtp

Optical illusion of a woman bent over some papers. Her sunglasses are pushed up and she is wearing a hair band so the top of her head looks exactly like a Muppet face

Sorry I know the world is in a terrible fix but I've been laughing at this for ten minutes now

Call for Contributions - Analogue | Historical Games Network Introduction Over the past two decades, scholarship on historical games has tended to privilege digital forms, whether that is strategy games, simulations, role-playing games, or those with distinct h...

We're announcing our new theme: Analogue. It's an open call, and full details are available on the HGN blog here: www.historicalgames.net/call-for-con...

Okay, this is quite outstanding from Bedford Council.

If you need evidence that the HGN blog is the place to go for quality #historygames writing, look no further than this piece.

Absolutely fantastic dive on the complexities of video game time - even in historical games that may look very simple on the outset.

We Didn’t Lose, the War Ended: Temporal Fictions in Raid on Taihoku | Historical Games Network We usually expect the fiction in historical games to appear in obvious places: invented characters, simplified battles, alternative endings where “history” might have gone another way. Raid on Taihoku...

New on the HGN blog, the next post in our Fictions theme. Sara Morini explores how Raid on Taihoku reworks time to create narrative fiction and rewrite history. Enjoy! www.historicalgames.net/raid-on-taih...

#gamestudies #gamingthepast #skystorians

A meme from the format of several armored warriors putting their swords into the center of a table, with the three visible figures labeled "tollund man," "me," and "the picts." In the center of the table is the label "yum oatmeal."

A bit of weekend listening/watching to brighten your Sunday!

Interview: Witches of Islandmagee Project | Historical Games Network This interview features Dr Victoria McCollum and Dr Andrew Sneddon (Ulster University) in conversation with Kirstin Mitchell (PhD student with Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru/Research Assistant...

On the HGN blog: an interview with @drandrewsneddon.bsky.social & Dr Victoria McCollum @ulsteruni.bsky.social on the amazing Witches of Islandmagee project. Huge thanks to Kirstin Mitchell (HGN Research Assistant Extraordinaire) for leading this conversation! www.historicalgames.net/interview-wi...

a woman wearing a wig is singing holla ! Alt: a woman wearing a wig is singing holla !

Do I know any South Asian game writers/narrative designers looking for a full-time contract?

Confusion in gaming disorder measurement Abstract. Measurement is important for the scientific programmes of addictive behaviours. In the present study, we investigated the measurement of gaming d

First post of the year, new paper out today: we present possibly the biggest case of systematic Measurement Schmeasurement in tech use. It seems that most studies on gaming (videogame) addiction/disorder haven't measured gaming after all. This research took years, so long 🧵 doi.org/10.1098/rsos...

Fiction as Historiographic Method: Ethical Mediation and the Politics of Representation in USAWA | Historical Games Network USAWA is an Afrofuturist impact game I co-created with the Kenya-based game studio Jiwe in collaboration with the Malian NGO Donkosira and communities in southern Mali. Set in a speculative future sha...

New HGN blog for our “Fictions” theme: Marie Rodet writes about USAWA - an Afrofuturist game co-created with Kenya-based game studio Jiwe. The post explores the use of fiction as historiographical method, the “problem of representation”& ethical game design:

www.historicalgames.net/fiction-as-h...

A much-liked post by Germany’s satirical newspaper @der-postillon.com with the titles “Vienna Academy of the Arts offers Trump admission as a student” and the caption “They don’t want to get blamed again“

A joke for the history buffs:

Germany’s satirical newspaper @der-postillon.com titles: “Vienna Academy of the Arts offers Trump admission as a student — They don’t want to get blamed again“

Can I submit this impact narrative to REF 2029?

MICROSOFT TEAMS: hey, something just happened in the Department channel.
ME: is it that message I saw before?
TEAMS: no.
ME: because I read that message when it popped up.
TEAMS: it's not that.
ME: *(opens the Department channel)*
TEAMS: ...
ME: ...
TEAMS: okay don't get mad.

NESSA CANNON Experienced game writer and narrative designer available for commissions, assignments, and contract work.

hi everybody! I'm urgently looking for full-time game writing/narrative design work.

I'm a 6-year industry pro working with both AAA and indie studios on titles like Borderlands 4, Endoparasitic, and [REDACTED]. I also edit and consult!

Updated portfolio is live on my new site:
www.nessacannon.com

A scene from the High Heresy cinematic in Destiny 2: Heresy (2025)

A scene from the Safiyah cinematic from Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted (2022)

A scene from the final mission in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (2017)

A cutscene featuring the Outsider from Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (2017)

Heading into 2026, I'm still looking for fulltime or contract work as a senior writer or narrative designer. If you need someone who can write sharp characters, poetic prose, and emotional stories, I'm available! You can find my portfolio here: www.hazelmonforton.com

Grimm news.

this stupid menu does absolutely fuck all. useless.

14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.

In addition to being a stunningly beautiful cover, choosing an image from a video game that remediates classical board game aesthetics illustrates the balance the volume tried to achieve between digital and analogue approaches.

I'm super eager to put my hands on this book!

And now, Writing Game Histories (2026) with cover art (courtesy of @murthynikhil.bsky.social’s Syphilisation)

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...