iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

What an uninformed take. I'm kind of flabbergasted that Hawley would be this out of touch in 2026. It's one thing to say that gameplay offers unique agency parallel to narrative, but to say that players are uninterested in narrative is such a miss. Even Ebert knew better than this in the mid 00's.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I have procured G A M E R D R A N K

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

For my academic/industry friends, I'll be in Prague between October 6-12, so let me know if you'd like to catch up!

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

There's gonna be confusion about what "expand its remit" really means. The language being nebulous blunts industrial critique by playing the "but it's not layoffs" card. You can't expand remit in one place, without reducing it in another, making someone redundant. news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/0...

news.xbox.com

Continuing Our Reset

This message was just sent to Team XBOX employees globally. Team, I’m writing to share several updates as part of the XBOX reset outlined earlier this year. First, we are eliminating 268 roles across ...

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MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

We take video games seriously. From Tetris to PONG, to theories on rules, play, and game design, here's some of the best scholarship to read this #VideoGamesDay 🎮 : mitpress.mit.edu/national-vid... @flantz.bsky.social @jaakkostenros.bsky.social @montola.bsky.social

Six book covers on a light blue background. Books included: "Bounce" by Carlin Wing, "The Rule Book" by Jaakko Stenros and Markus Montola, "King PONG" by Raiford Guins, "The Beauty of Games" by Frank Lantz, "Soviet Blocks" by Julien Mailland, and "The Well-Played Game" by Bernard De Koven.

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Joost van Dreunen @superjoost.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Promoting the new is great, but what if people prefer to buy the old? In the first half of 2026, Steam generated $11.1 billion in revenue, up $1.41 billion from the previous year. Yet none of that growth came from new releases.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I've been taking some time off over the back half of the summer to recharge, but happy to announce that I'll be continuing on as the Postdoctoral Fellow on the Islam & Games Project based out of Concordia University, into 2027.

Andrei on stage at Games for Change, with title slide for the Islam and Games Project

Andrei presenting the valence of representations of Islam in the study, split into Positive, Negative, Neutral and Mixed representation.

Andrei presenting the project's 3D model: standing for Density, Diversity and Depth.

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Jessica Cogswell 🌸 @jessicogs.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Without good journalists, it’s alllll just PR—and I feel like that should terrify people SO much more than it does.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

The response to our work on Islam and Games has been, honestly, overwhelming. You always hope the work will resonate with people, but this was beyond any expectations. White paper coming soon! A special thank you to @gamesforchange.bsky.social and @dorisdukefdn.bsky.social for their support!

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Off to Games for Change's G4C Festival to present findings on the Islam & Games Project with Mia Consalvo. We'll be sharing early findings about representations of Muslim peoples and Islam in the top 50 games from 2004-2024 (along with how we arrived at that list).

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Rudolf Thomas INDERST (he|him) @gamestudies.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

It's a great pleasure to talk to games researcher and scholar STEFAN HÖLTGEN about his book "Commodore 64. Past, Present, and Future of a Home Computer" for my podcast #GameStudies. 🤩 newbooksnetwork.com/commodore-64... //cc @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social 🕹️

newbooksnetwork.com

Stefan Höltgen et al., "Commodore 64: Past, Present, and Future of a Home Computer" (Projekt Verlag, 2026) - New Books Network

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Edmond Chang @edmondchang.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

The ebook version of Video Games, Literature, and Close Playing is out! Also @routledgebooks.bsky.social is running a sale right now: tinyurl.com/closeplaying... #videogamestudies #gamestudies #closeplaying

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

A week out from Sony announcing the move to digital distribution in 2028, I spoke with Gabrielle Piché at the Winnipeg Free Press about the impact this is likely to have on retailers, as well as the likelihood of Sony reversing course. www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/202... #Sony #Playstation

winnipegfreepress.com

Disc drive: petition seeks to reverse Sony decision to stop producing physical discs

Atop a counter displaying vintage video games, a sign urges passersby to petition Sony Group Corp.

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Alex Donaldson @apzonerunner.com · 06/07/2026

The majority of chatter today will be about the fate of studios who build the games we love. But we cannot forget that these cuts will include hundreds of less visible folk w top expertise in a variety of supporting departments. No studios close today, but the loss personal & professional is immense

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Awful news for industry workers. Expected since MS's fiscal year ended on June 30th, but the scale is egregious. The Ninja Theory sale also makes the Senua footage shown at SGF look like a sales pamphlet for whichever institutional investor is being courted.

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tami lam @cuppy.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

I don’t want this point to be lost in the discourse. Going digital-only means inequity for people who cannot afford internet or constantly purchasing new games. Libraries provide opportunities for people to experience games they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford, and that will be lost.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Had a chat wirh Le Devoir’s @leomross.bsky.social about Playstation moving away from physical disks in 2028, and what that means for consumers. Article in French, but I’m happy to translate anything in here!

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Kate Gray @hownottodraw.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

in the credits AND credited properly. someone did not do "additional writing" if they did the plot design, character design, dialogue, quests, item descriptions, and scripts. can you imagine being credited as "additional actor" just because you didn't play the protagonist? come on.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

I guess it was time for my late 30s pivot. I have a substack now. I'll be chatting about the intersection of games and movies, once a week. Here we go! andreizanescu.substack.com/p/you-got-yo...

andreizanescu.substack.com

You Got Your Games in My Movies!

No You Got Your Movies in My Games!

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

This semester has been lighter in terms of my own writing, but I'm doing more one on one mentoring and helping the RAs I'm supervising. It's been some of the most rewarding and affirming work I've ever done. Students rock.

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Alanna Smith @alannamode.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

He's literally Canadian. Do you know how much like... tax incentive and arts/tech tax credit support our governments would probably be down for if they brought SGF here?

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Jesper Juul @jesperjuul.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Join our Visual Game & Media Design two-year master’s program at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. Deadline March 1st! Visual Game & Media Design is a cross-disciplinary program open to all creative BA students. Read more about the program here: royaldanishacademy.com/en/programme...

royaldanishacademy.com

Visual Game and Media Design | Royal Danish Academy

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

COME VISIT! I will show you around town and let you know about the hidden gems!

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Thinking about @jathansadowski.com’s The Internet of Landlords (2020) a lot these days. Landlords don’t always look like what we imagine them to be in everyday language. They’re actually much more pervasive.

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Michael Iantorno☔️🕹️ @michaeliantorno.com · 07/02/2026

"This will be great, if the funding comes through."

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

New book release! Absolutely massive double volume set on Game Genre edited by Gerald Voorhees, Joshua Call, Matthew Wysocki and Betsy Brey is out now from Bloomsbury.

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tctc @toastcrust.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Kyle MacLachlan makes a Twin Peaks themed Bento Box youtu.be/YmI5iG0qakU

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Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

The Academic Work Tracker spreadsheet is now updated with 2026 dates! If you don't already, 2026 is a great time to start treating your academic work like the wage job where you are paid to work a certain amount of hours that it actually is: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

Academic Work Tracker Template v2.3 (2026)

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Breaking my self-imposed holiday exile to shout out a new publication: mine! Cybermania '94: Game awards before The Game Awards is now out through Convergence, fully open access. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

And the news doesn't stop coming! I had the pleasure of interviewing with @ledevoir.com a few weeks ago about the winding down (or shift) of the Microsoft and Sony console wars. Article is in French, but feel free tor each out if you want an English translation! www.ledevoir.com/culture/ecra...

ledevoir.com

La guerre des consoles PlayStation et Xbox tire à sa fin

Pendant plus de 20 ans, Sony et Microsoft se sont livré une vive lutte commerciale. C’est désormais chose du passé.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

I was away from socials for a bit, and in the meantime, @andrei-nae.bsky.social's Video Games between Postcolonialism and Postcommunism dropped! I had the pleasure of writing a chapter, Anti-Balkanism in the Witcher, which I can't wait for folks to read. www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

degruyterbrill.com

Video Games between Postcolonialism and Postcommunism

This volume sets out to investigate video games’ complex entanglement with colonial legacies. By means of its methodological diversity, it offers a rich perspective on the ideological working of colon...

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

I'll see y'all in Chicago for SCMS 2026! This year, I'll be talking about the strange relationship between James Cameron's Avatar franchise, and Ubisoft's Avatar game adaptations, through the lens of Ubi's industry documentation of their Snowdrop engine.

media.tenor.com

a man with blue paint on his face and a spear

ALT: a man with blue paint on his face and a spear

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Anyone I know have experience with folks reaching out to translate content and repost it? I'm not knowledgeable about the pitfalls that might come out of this, but I would be interested in getting my content out to more people.

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CGSA/ACÉJ @cgsaacej.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Our brand-new and bilingual website for CGSA 2026 is now live (a whole day early, go us!): event.fourwaves.com/cgsa2026 We're officially ready receive your wonderful proposals (click the "Submissions" tab in the top-left). As always, email us if you encounter any issues or have any questions. <3

event.fourwaves.com

CGSA/ACÉJ 2026

Fourwaves - CGSA/ACÉJ 2026

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Watched Weapons with my guinea pig. Neither of us will sleep well tonight.

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Gerald Voorhees @gerald-voorhees.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Genre is inherently political. It captures the sensibilities of contemporary life and strategies for responding to the present that cultivate different futures Updated/Final covers for a passion-project w/ @joshcall.bsky.social, @profmatthew.bsky.social, and @betsybrey.bsky.social Out Jan 2026!

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Josh Call @joshcall.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

This has been a project long in the making, and evolving from several years of conversations with good friends and colleagues. I'm beyond proud to have worked with everyone to help bring these to life.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Incoming book chapter in Epistemic Genres: New Formations of Play (www.bloomsbury.com/ca/epistemic...) Really excited to finally be able to point to published work on blockbuster games, and my current thinking about AAA game aesthetics and discourses.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Me to my RAs: You need to protect your work/life balance as much as you can. Me to me: Why are you not writing more, it's only 9pm?

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cmrn knzlmn @ckunzelman.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

ALERT! ALERT! We're in the last days of being able to preorder my book EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED: ON ASSASSIN'S CREED, which is a book about the Assassin's Creed franchise and how games reflect and impact the real world! Click this link and use the code MN93450 for 30% off! z.umn.edu/14943

z.umn.edu

Everything Is Permitted

An entertaining deep dive into the world, gameplay, and evolution of the hugely successful Assassin’s Creed video game franchiseA hooded figure stands i...

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Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Waking up to news of the PIF EA buyout, on the one hand, and of the pro-EU win in the Moldovan election, on the other. Wild morning.

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Luke Plunkett @lukeplunkett.com · 29/09/2025

this feels catastrophic in ways few other big industry deals have

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Diving back into media industries work this month and I’m absolutely blown away by @adewaard.bsky.social’s Derivative Media (2024). His 2020 piece has been on my mind for years and the book is bigger, better and bolder. If you’re a media industries, cultural studies or coms reader, check it out!

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Video Game History Foundation @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

We've acquired the historic game magazine Computer Entertainer. As in, we got the rights. We own the magazine. And we're putting it into the Creative Commons for anyone to use for free. Learn more: gamehistory.org/computerente...

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Andrei Zanescu @andreizanescu.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

My mom has truly tasked me with a herculean labour, she wants me to find her a Labubu in Canada, and a "reasonable" price.

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