iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

A student just described my office as "a combination of a medieval monastery and a gay bar" and quite frankly, that is the most accurate description I've ever heard

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Getting ready to run the first session of the 'A Crisis of Faith: Byzantine Iconoclasm and the Search for Holiness in the Medieval World' Reacting to the Past game--put together this sick spotify playlist to set the mood: open.spotify.com/playlist/1LW...

open.spotify.com

The Isaurian Court

The Byzantine ruling family held court (ca. 717-802) in Constantinople and was composed of: Leo III (r. 717-741); Constantine V (r. 741-775); Leo IV (r. 775-780); Constantine VI (r. 780-797); Irene (r...

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Anyone submitting for @sewaneemedieval.bsky.social ? I wanna get some papers together on games but don't have anything in mind. If you're interested, lmk!

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I'm so excited--I've finally found a place to submit an abstract on Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. I've been writing this paper/presentation in my head for YEARS.

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

If you've not yet sent in an abstract for IMC 2027, consider submitting one with us!

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Hi all! We're closing in on the submission deadline, so I wanted to just post this again for any interested parties. I think this year's IMC topic is a really interesting & fruitful one so I'm excited to see how people might approach it.

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Dr. Emily Price @emilyprice.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

My planned columns about women and the games industry return; this time I’d like to talk to women who review video games about their experiences landing and writing reviews, especially recently. If this is you, reach out via DM or eaprice.work@gmail.com

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

One of my fave visual gags I've seen in a medieval manuscript. The devil, so frighened by the sudden appearance of an angel, is about to Wile E. Coyote himself off the ledge. This is M.492 (The Matilda Gospels) @ the Morgan Library & Museum.

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

First time at Princeton's Firestone Library--it's so quiet and they've got so many good books. I would like to live here, thanks.

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Hi all! Just a reminder the CFP deadline for MAMG's annual asynchronous conference is approaching (3 Aug)! Our theme this year is 'Possible Worlds’ and ‘Possible Pasts’. The link below has the full CFP #MAMG #medieval #gamestudies @midagesmodgames.bsky.social tinyurl.com/MAMG2026

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New-Cleckit Dominie @ncdominie.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

This is just to say I have OCRed the text thet was in tne arch:ve and whicb yov were prabaldy seamhing for "breahtast" Fargme ms fheg mem debo:w5 sb ?mccf mmb 5c oc1b

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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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The Middle Ages in Modern Games @midagesmodgames.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

We're heading back to @imc-leeds.bsky.social in July next year for a strand on 'Communities' or any other aspect of the medieval and medievalism in modern games - organised by @blairapgar.bsky.social with @tesswatty.bsky.social. Get your abstracts to us by 13 September!

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

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

I know I've not posted in a minute, but I *am* at #IMC2026! If we know each other from the internet, say hi, and then we can know each other in real life! (I'm currently rocking a blond buzz cut and yes, I always look angry when I walk, that's just my face.)

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Mariana J López @marianajlopez.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Spotted at the Routledge stand at #IMC2026 if anyone is interested 😊 If not interested you can still take a photo and post it to create the illusion of high demand 🤣

Book Sonic Pasts: acoustical heritage and historical soundscapes by Mariana J Lopez

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Mariana J López @marianajlopez.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Now on, @blairapgar.bsky.social asking the important questions 🤣

Power point slide: 'is that a tentacle in your pants, or are you just happy to see me? Queer chronologies and alternative timelines in Balfour's Gate 3'

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Disappointed to hear Roland Betancourt has accepted the Dan David prize from Tel Aviv University. What are the ethics of accepting this prize amidst a genocide? Very disappointing, to say the least. Read more about the prize here: www.criticalethnicstudiesjournal.org/blog/2025/10...

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I wanted to put some language to the ways in which the arts are being deployed by the current administration, and how these processes have appeared in fascistic/authoritarian governments before (namely, the Nazi regime). So, I made a zine about it! (get it here: drive.google.com/file/d/1bGxT... )

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Almost 5 whole years after finishing my phd, I've finally purchased my regalia (I did not get to walk due to covid rescheduling and being unable to afford a return flight!)

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

I had my Iconoclasm class do broadly conceived definitional zines--here are a few. I'm going to rotate the topic every semester, but I hope after a few we'll have a nice little reference zine library!

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Matt Gabriele @profgabriele.com · 22/04/2026

this was a great episode! you should listen to it. trust us, me and @blairapgar.bsky.social are doctors... #medievalsky

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Very serious doctors indeed--seriously so much fun talking about video games and the middle ages, what even is my life???

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ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 08/04/2026

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8

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Kathleen E. Kennedy @themedievaldrk.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Anyone have access to “A note on the history of MS D'Orville 78,” Bodleian Library Record, 11(1984): 253–58? It's proving tricky to turn up in my various options.

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

howdy all--just put out a new zine on the concept of inalienability (re: cultural patrimony). It's an exemplar for my iconoclasm class (they're making their own zines soon) but if you're interested, you can download a copy here: drive.google.com/file/d/12StU...

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

A student sent me this yesterday evening: they nailed their work to my door following a week about the Iconoclasm of the Reformation and Dissolution of the Monasteries. Honestly, 10/10 for committing to the bit.

A student took a picture of nailing their work to my office door

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

My article in Speculum went live today! Thrilled to be thinking about where/how VR might be used next in medieval studies! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

journals.uchicago.edu

Thinking (and Feeling) in Virtual Reality: Prospective Uses in Medieval Studies | Speculum: Vol 101, No 1

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Today's the last day I have access to my Elon account--idk why but it's making me all teary!

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Cole Wehrle @colewehrle.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Even if you have a tangential interest in game studies, this review is well-worth your time. Any emerging field is going to have some sloppy scholarship (that's certainly true of game studies). But, what makes this review worthwhile is how it reckons with the costs of that behavior.

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Mariana J López @marianajlopez.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

A twist on the 'Sonic Pasts' book in the wild 😜 If anyone is interested in sound heritage work including sound in museums, the book is currently at a reduced rate www.routledge.com/Sonic-Pasts-...

routledge.com

Sonic Pasts: Acoustical Heritage and Historical Soundscapes

Sonic Pasts explores the fields of acoustical heritage and historical soundscapes through an interdisciplinary perspective. Reflecting on different methods of research and dissemination, it critiques ...

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Seems fitting that I crack @robehoughton.bsky.social's 'The Middle Ages in Compiter Games' on the train to the airport from @imc-leeds.bsky.social

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Here you go @marianajlopez.bsky.social -- not as good as a picture with your actual book but still pretty cool!

Mariana Lopez posing with an image of her book 'Sonic Pasts: Accoustical Heritage and Historical Landscapes'

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Antonia diNardo (UNC Chapel Hill) is killing this presentation tbh

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

The two genders: Gandaolf or Gandalf

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Wonderful turnout for our Middle Ages in Modern Games strand! We'll be in Maurice Keyworth 1.09 all day and tomorrow @imc-leeds.bsky.social

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Rare Matilda sighting!! So excited to meet Francesca Guerri (I'm a fan, obvi)

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

@charlottebowyer.bsky.social is starting off where @aspencerhall.bsky.social left off re: #medievaltwitter to #medievalbluesky -- sad realities of being unable to recreate the apex of #medievaltwitter post Elon takeover

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

@aspencerhall.bsky.social is giving such a wonderfully incisive look at the way #medievaltwitter has largely replicated the ills of the academy it largely purports to subvert

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Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

I feel like @aspencerhall.bsky.social is directly calling me out re: #medievaltwitter being dominated by phd candidates...

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