iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Also, huge thanks again to the guest-editors and the editorial team of Eludamos, making the publication process an absolute pleasure!

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

You can find the full paper as part of the SI "Party Studies in Game Studies' (edited by Leland Masek and @jaakkostenros.bsky.social) among an amazing selection of studies, from parties in digital games to safety at industry events and playful experiences. septentrio.uit.no/index.php/el...

septentrio.uit.no

Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): Party Studies in Games Studies | Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Based on a dynamic model of expectation types (Business Studies meets Somaesthetics meets Kink Studies) this paper introduces the ways organizers try to manage and guide expectation development in practice: from social practices to spatial and temporal design.

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Our guiding question: How are the expectations of attendees for such events created, how do they change, and how are they managed? Or, in other words: How to expect transformation?

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Here, we worked with organizers and participants of playful transformative events: Festivals, retreats, and parties aimed at creating intense, joyful, and transforming experiences - emotionally, somatically, mentally and between self-actualization, collective support, and practice development.

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Just out in Eludamos, the study I was probably most excited about during the last year (and still am!): "'We poke the body and see what happens…' How do people manage expectations in transformative parties, festivals, and retreats?" septentrio.uit.no/index.php/el...

septentrio.uit.no

“We poke the body and see what happens…”: How do people manage expectations in transformative parties, festivals, and retreats? | Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture

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Dom Ford @domford.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Next, @tainam.bsky.social looks at the sense of safety, particularly of women and LGBTQIA+ people, at Finnish game industry events. Last but not least, @amayer.bsky.social, Velvet Spors and J. Tuomas Harviainen explore how the organisers of playful transformative experiences manage expectations.

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Dom Ford @domford.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Thrilled to see this latest special issue of Eludamos out now! Pop open some champagne and read about Party Studies in Game Studies, guest edited and introduced by Leland Masek and @jaakkostenros.bsky.social!

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Arno Görgen @pachuki.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

wir suchen Tagungsvorträge, bei denen es um Darstellungen des Körperinneren (in Games, Filmen, Comics, Literatur, Kunst, etc) geht! networks.h-net.org/group/announ...

networks.h-net.org

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Jean Ketterling @jeanketterling.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Also (and relatedly) I am hiring another RA for the Pornography, Platforms and Play Project whose work will focus on the preservation of adult games. Deadline is Sept 20. Applicants must be Canadian university students. Full details here: www.pppproject.com/research-ass...

pppproject.com

Research Assistantships — Pornography, Platforms & Play Project

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Dr Naomi Jacobs @ladylark.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

As promised/threatened, I'm doing the self promotion thing describing the chapters in my new book, Bridging Design and Fandom! I'll start with my introduction - it explains the fields of design research and fan studies, and how they come together as a whole new thing. doi.org/10.1108/978-...

doi.org

Introduction: Bridging Design and Fandom

Abstract. In this introduction, the author introduces the fields of design research and fan studies and discusses how they have prior under-explored synerg

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LudoBande @ludobande.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Wir gehen in die Verlängerung! Es gibt jetzt noch 2 Wochen zusätzlich Zeit, um Abstracts für die Ludobandentagung „Spielerfahrung“ einzureichen. Die neue Deadline ist der 15. September 26. Wir freuen uns auf eure Einreichungen! Den vollständigen Call findet ihr hier: www.uibk.ac.at/de/projects/...

uibk.ac.at

Call for Papers - Spielerfahrung

Call for Papers – Spielerfahrung Einreichung bis zum 01.09.2026 Studierendentagung der Ludobande vom 11. bis 14. März 2027 in Innsbruck

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Phillip Brandes @litgamestudies.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

#gamestudies is calling again We're ( @floriankluge.bsky.social and me) looking for more chapters for our upcoming volume on Nintendo. Abstracts are due to 16 September, first chapter drafts on 24 February '27. More details here: phillipbrandes.de/call-for-cha...

phillipbrandes.de

Call for Chapters – Nintendo: Geschichte, Medialität, Poetik

The aim of this volume is to discuss phenomena which are characteristic of Nintendo and how they are always linked to other games, players and developers, influencing

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Center for Digital Narrative @cdn-bergen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

#PhD fellowship at the Center for Digital Narrative in Bergen: three years studying how players and player communities turn games into stories. 🎮 Starts February 2027, deadline 15 October. Bring a project proposal! www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

jobbnorge.no

PhD Research Fellowship in Games and Interactive Digital Narratives, Center for Digital Narrative (307441) | University of Bergen

Job title: PhD Research Fellowship in Games and Interactive Digital Narratives, Center for Digital Narrative (307441), Employer: University of Bergen, Deadline: Thursday, October 15, 2026

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A. Cathy Nguyen @anhthu.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

my PhD thesis "Ludic Tourism: Video Games, Travel, and Mediation of Place" is now available as open access via Ritsumeikan's databank: doi.org/10.34382/000... an analysis about touristic practices in play, games, design, and marketing with titles such as Ghost of Tsushima and Cyberpunk 2077📖

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Joschka Meier @josserme.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Have a small thread about historical champs of passive-aggressivenes from villages in the Alps - take a look and let the power of putdowns & pettyness invigorate you #medievalsky #earlymodern #skystorians

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

CFP now open! The Middle Ages in Modern Games returns to Leeds IMC 2027. We're inviting papers on medievalism in digital and tabletop games, especially those engaging the congress theme of Communities. Abstracts due 13 Sept. Visit middleagesinmoderngames.net/announcement... for more information.

CALL FOR PAPERS post image #1:

The Middle Ages in Modern Games invites submissions for its strand at Leeds IMC (5–8 July 2027), sponsored by the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Research at the University of Winchester.

This year's strand explores the congress theme of Communities, examining how medievalist games imagine, construct, and negotiate social groups. Papers may consider communities as systems of governance, identity, cooperation, conflict, trade, religion, reputation, or belonging, as well as the ways players form communities around games. We are particularly interested in how games shape understandings of medieval communities through mechanics, narratives, and audiovisual representation.

We welcome papers and sessions (3–4 papers) addressing any aspect of the medieval period or medievalism in digital or tabletop games, across any region and within a broad definition of ‘medieval’—including fantasy.
We particularly welcome submissions engaging with Communities broadly defined.

Abstracts due 13 Sept. All inquiries to midagesmodgames@gmail.com. For more info, visit: https://middleagesinmoderngames.net

CFP image #2 -

Topics might include (but are not restricted to):

Teaching Medieval Communities through Games
Membership and inclusion within communities; “the Other”
Religious groups within medievalist games
Migration and mobile communities
Race, ethnicity, and cultural identity-based communities
Gender, sexuality, and queer communities
Chosen families and alternative kinship structures
Colonialism, indigeneity, and community representation
Assimilation, hybridity, and multicultural communities
Community lines along social class and/or castes
Enclaves, splinter cells, and secession
Communities of violence and disruptive communities
Cooperation and obligation within medievalist games
Relationship and favorability mechanics in medievalist games
Guild systems in massive multiplayer online games (MMOs)
Language and visual signifiers of communities
Player communities of medievalist games
Positive and negative community exchanges

Abstracts due 13 Sept. All inquiries to midagesmodgames@gmail.com. For more info, visit: https://middleagesinmoderngames.net

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Phillip Brandes @litgamestudies.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

oki doki – wir gehen rein. der spiegel verkündet großen games-kanon und wir fragen mal ›Wie hältst du’s mit der Kanonizität?‹ disclaimer 1: das wird ein thread auf social media, ich werde verkürzen und überspitzen und granteln 2: jaja not all spielejournos undso

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Frans Mäyrä @fransmayra.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

It is great to hold our new book - Cultural Game Studies - on one’s hands, even if the Open Access pdf version will most likely be the most used edition. - Link to the Open Access book page below: www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...

A pile of paperback and hardback copies of “Cultural Game Studies” book.

Photo of the opened book, showing some black and white reproductions of games as art / art related to games.

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Dr Rebecca Williams @augustaquarius.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

New special issue of Mechademia: An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga and the Fan Arts. NEW APPROACHES TO STUDIO GHIBLI Edited by Jacqueline Ristola and Rayna Denison muse.jhu.edu/issue/57374

muse.jhu.edu

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Renata Ntelia (she/her) @renatadrlove.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

💘 CFP open: Love in Games workshop! Two venues, pick yours: 🇵🇱 CEEGS26 (Warsaw, Nov 20) ceegs.fsv.cuni.cz/ceegs-2026/#workshop26 🇬🇧 CHI PLAY26 (York, Nov 2) renatantelia.dfs.gr/wip/ Abstracts (150-200 words) due Aug 31 AoE → loveingames26@gmail.com @chiplay.bsky.social @jjol33n.bsky.social

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Joleen Blom @jjol33n.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

@renatadrlove.bsky.social, Magda Bednorz, and I are organising the workshop "Love in games" at CHI PLAY'26 on Nov. 2. Please find the CFP here: renatantelia.dfs.gr/wip/

renatantelia.dfs.gr

CFP – Renata Ntelia

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Game Research Lab @gameresearchlab.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

We are thrilled to announce that the collection Cultural game studies: Critical approaches, edited by Frans Mäyrä (@fransmayra.bsky.social) and Raine Koskimaa is now published and openly available: doi.org/10.4324/9781... #GameStudies #GameResearch 1/6

doi.org

Cultural Game Studies | Critical Approaches | Frans Mäyrä, Raine Koski

Cultural Game Studies provides a comprehensive framework for understanding games and play as interconnected cultural phenomena, examining their roles as art,

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Elina Koskinen @elinako.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

If you have played Pokémon Pokopia, we would be grateful if you could fill out our survey on player experiences (especially in relation to the characters)! Find our short survey at: link.webropolsurveys.com/S/C0B1AB08C2... Feel free to share with other Pokopia players :)

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Frans Mäyrä @fransmayra.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Here is the download page to the chapter ”Introduction to Cultural Game Studies: The Emergence of the Research Field” by myself and Raine Koskimaa. The entire book has now been made freely available, Open Access, with support of the Tampere University Library. www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-...

taylorfrancis.com

Introduction to Cultural Game Studies | 1 | The Emergence of the Resea

The book opens with a chapter of Introduction by the editors Frans Mäyrä and Raine Koskimaa, providing an overall framing and presenting both the aims and the

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Carolin Puckhaber @caroleinx.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Verlängert bis zum 03.08!

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Carolin Puckhaber @caroleinx.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Die Deadline rückt immer näher, also schickt uns eure Abstracts, damit eure favorisierte Methoden nicht uneingereicht bleiben!

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Dr. Aurélie Petit 👩🏻‍💻✨ @aurelievpetit.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

✨🎀 NEW CFP: The Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures symposium (supported by the University of Tokyo, Media, Gender, and Sexualities Study Group) is coming back for its third edition!!!✨🎀 📩 Send us your abstract by August 15 at popculturesjapan@gmail.com✨ Share widely!

events.humanitix.com

Call for Papers: Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium 2026

A platform for critical discussions about gender and Japanese animation, fashion, video games, literature and digital cultures

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Phillip Brandes @litgamestudies.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Gern RT fellow #gamestudies bubble: @caroleinx.bsky.social, @anjalovescats.bsky.social und ich geben einen Methoden-Band zur Erforschung digitaler Spiele und Spielkulturen, hier exemplarisch aufgezeigt an #TheLegendofZelda, heraus. Abstracts bis 03. August 26, mehr hier: takethismethod.de

takethismethod.de

CfP – »It’s Dangerous to go alone! Take this [method].«

Methoden zur Analyse von digitalen Spielen am Beispiel der ›The Legend of Zelda‹-Reihe

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Jérémie Pelletier-Gagnon @jeremiepgagnon.net · 02/07/2026

The latest issue of the Journal of Replaying Japan is now accessible through the Ritsumeikan Research Depository and the replaying.jp webpages. Many thanks to all contributors, reviewers, staff and editorial board members for their contributions. #gamestudies #japanesestudies

replaying.jp

Replaying Japan – Website of the Replaying Japan Conference and the Journal of Replaying Japan

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Jérémie Pelletier-Gagnon @jeremiepgagnon.net · 21/05/2026

Space and Play in Japanese Videogame Arcades is now available in paperback at @routledgebooks.bsky.social ! Follow the link below to order a copy 👇️ buff.ly/QJRn4LB #gamestudies #japanesegames #arcades

Paperback version of Space and Play in Japanese Videogame Arcades

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J.D. Sargan @jdsargan.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

If you're someone who like a hard copy, but you've been holding off because of the price, I'm happy to say that my book is being paperbacked at the end of the month and it's available to preorder now!

arc-humanities.org

Trans Histories of the Medieval Book - Arc Humanities Press

Archival collections are political spaces: the decisions that govern whose histories are preserved, when, and by whom are not neutral. They reflect the commu...

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LudoBande @ludobande.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Call for Papers – Spielerfahrung Studierendentagung der Ludobande vom 11. bis 14. März 2027 in Innsbruck gerne fleißig verbreiten www.uibk.ac.at/de/projects/...

uibk.ac.at

Call for Papers - Spielerfahrung

Call for Papers – Spielerfahrung Einreichung bis zum 01.09.2026 Studierendentagung der Ludobande vom 11. bis 14. März 2027 in Innsbruck

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Emily van der Nagel @emvdn.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Digital Intimacies 12 is at the University of Sydney this year from 4-5 Dec! Submit your abstracts on the (broad) theme of Intimately Disconnected by 28 Aug. Digital Intimacies is such a wonderful and generous gathering of scholars - get along if you can 👩‍💻✨💕🖱️💌 digitalintimacies12.wordpress.com

digitalintimacies12.wordpress.com

digitalintimacies12

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Joschka Meier @josserme.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

If you'd like to start off thursday cozy at #IMC2026 check out panel 1505, which is all about protecting animals. If you prefer a high-energy start, well, I'll talk not only about cute stuff, but also about animal (medical) murder-mysteries! #medievalsky #EarlyModern #envhist

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Second on the docket was my joint with @t0mm7.bsky.social called "Douchebag Games," a piece about post-9/11, pre-Gamergate masculinities and what happens when being a "loser" is made mainstream. Abstract here: dl.digra.org/index.php/dl...

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

First was @cgsaacej.bsky.social 's 2026 instalment. My talk explored the social politics of boredom and tried to argue that our field should invoke the concept more often to discuss how oppression persists and how we can (and should!) get fed up with that and devise new ways forward.

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

And finally, @matildastahl.bsky.social and @amayer.bsky.social presented "More Man vs Nature Mechanics": a project with @nickttaylor.bsky.social and Robyn Hope where survival games, survivalism, and contemporary masculinities meet. Abstract here: dl.digra.org/index.php/dl...

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Next was DiGRA 2026! First, I gave @jjol33n.bsky.social and I's paper, "The Husbando Super-App" on Love and Deepspace as a one-stop shop for gamers to pour their time, money, and energy into. Abstract here: dl.digra.org/index.php/dl...

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Interrupted the dissertation wrap-up for a small sidequest: Had the pleasure of spending the last week at DiGRA for co-presenting some of our initial findings of SURVIVE! While waiting for the upcoming publications, in the meantime you can find a brief write-up here: dl.digra.org/index.php/dl...

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Amazing call by some dear colleagues for an edited anthology (in German/English) on methodologies & methods for game cultural studies, exemplified through the use for 'The Legend of Zelda' series. There is also an English CfP linked on the website! Abstract Deadline: August 03, 2026

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Dr Florence Smith Nicholls @florencesn.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

My thesis “Archaeological Game Design: Video Game Archaeology as Interpretive Play and Play Preservation” is now online and open access! You can access the official version here, however this has some figures redacted: qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle...

Archaeological Game Design: Video Game Archaeology as Interpretive Play and Play Preservation

Abstract: Video game archaeology is a relatively new field. This can involve studying players through the traces they leave in digital game worlds, though only limited work of this kind exists. Furthermore, the potential of these methods to record ephemeral play experiences for preservation purposes has not been widely explored. The first part of the thesis establishes the background literature on games archaeology and play preservation. The second part reports on the development of novel archaeological methodologies for preserving play. This includes three case studies; a go-along study in the massively multiplayer online game Wurm Online, an archaeological survey in Elden Ring, and a collaborative autoethnography in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. The third part of this thesis reports on the results of a player study investigating how participants interpret environmental storytelling. We report on a study in which participants (N=202) played a game about exploring a procedurally generated ruined village and were then surveyed on their interpretations. We draw on methods and theory from archaeology, a field that specialises in the interpretation of material remains, to support a grounded theory analysis of the survey responses, from which we form the theory of an archaeological gameworld mental model. Finally, the fourth part of the thesis synthesises these case studies to argue that archaeological game design brings together both the archaeological recording of player traces, as well as player interpretations of a fictional gameworld that should also be preserved. This work contributes both novel methodologies for play preservation and a new theory for how players interpret gameworlds. This work has narrative design applications, and interdisciplinary contributions to game AI, games studies and HCI.

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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Just because a piece of technology is being rolled out in a not-for-profit or public-service context, it doesn't mean it's "tech for good" or "responsible technology". It can still be extractive, janky as hell, and basically no good at all.

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Frans Mäyrä @fransmayra.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Routledge has now confirmed that the volume we have been working on for some time, Cultural Game Studies: Critical Approaches,will be out on 10 July 2026 and is available for preorder from 19 June 2026. There is a 20 % discount code attached, and there are also review copies (links in comments).

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matildastahl.bsky.social @matildastahl.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

In addition to our book being OA, the teacher association SMLF (Swedish as L1 and Literature Education in Finland), gave us the opportunity to discuss our findings in their member magazine ARENA. I am so happy that we were able to make our research accessible this way! www.smlf.fi/arena/#flipb...

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amayer.bsky.social @amayer.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Still some time to go, but really looking forward to the publication of this, edited by @chriskempshall.bsky.social, @katexe.bsky.social and @robehoughton.bsky.social! Got the chance to contribute a chapter on medieval hagiographies, saintly bodies, and how they connect to medievalist RPGs... 👀

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