iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

📚BOOK NEWS📚 The website for my forthcoming book has been updated with some wonderful praise from two very cool and intelligent scholars (that have absolutely made my week 🥹 ✨ ). The book's out April 13th! Can't wait for all of you to see it. dukeupress.edu/gaming-exhau...

dukeupress.edu

Gaming Exhaustion: Reclaiming Play from Late Capitalism

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

✨BOOK UPDATE✨ "Gaming Exhaustion: Reclaiming Play from Late Capitalism" officially has a webpage: dukeupress.edu/gaming-exhau... Release Date is April 13, 2027!!! 📆 More details to come, but getting to see it on the site with its pricing and publishing details is so, so gratifying 🥲

dukeupress.edu

Gaming Exhaustion: Reclaiming Play from Late Capitalism

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

📯NEW JOB ALERT📯 I'm proud to announce that, come July, I will be an Assistant Teaching Professor in Digital Media at Northeastern University Vancouver. I feel extremely fortunate (and elated!) to have found position that enables me to keep teaching and doing research in the field I love <3

Northeastern University's Downtown Vancouver Campus

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Joleen Blom @jjol33n.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Now that the Finnish public research database has been updated with the complete information, I can announce that I won the 2026 Academy Research Fellowship for the 4-year GenGam: Gendered Gam(bl)ing project.

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

My June marathon is finally winding down. It was a long trip with not one, but TWO conferences in the mix and a grand total of FOUR papers I was either presenting or co-authoring. The jetlag was real, but realer still were the friends I made along the way A mini-thread:

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

📝Publication day! My piece "Unpacking Unpacking" is out in the latest issue of Well Played works.hcommons.org/records/gnzf... This was a bit of a "fun one" for me - thinking through my fraught feelings about playing this game that I hadn't been able to write about until now!

Screenshot from the game Unpacking that features a bedroom filled with carefully placed furnishings and decorations,

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Kate Galloway @kategalloway.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Michael Austin @michaelaustin.bsky.social & I are working on a new collection Resonant Worlds: Sound, Matter, and Environmental Design in Games. Here’s the CFP.

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CGSA/ACÉJ @cgsaacej.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Registration for CGSA 2026 is officially OPEN!!! Les inscriptions pour l’ACÉJ 2026 sont officiellement OUVERTES!!! event.fourwaves.com/cgsa2026/reg...

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Just received word my forthcoming book about how games are exhausting (but don't have to be) has now passed the FINAL step in the review process - board approval, baybee!! Just a few formatting things to finish off and then the book enters production, which is surreal to be able to write out 😵

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

One more week to submit to this wonderful event - gogogogogogogo!

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CGSA/ACÉJ @cgsaacej.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

🚨ANNONCE !🚨 Nous avons décidé d’offrir une petite extension pour la remise des soumissions jusqu’au mercredi 14 janvier à 23 h 59 (HP). Veuillez noter que ce sera la date limite finale! event.fourwaves.com/cgsa2026

event.fourwaves.com

CGSA/ACÉJ 2026

Join CGSA/ACÉJ 2026, June 11-14, 2026. Learn more on Fourwaves.

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Game Research Lab @gameresearchlab.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

The Spring Seminar 2026 CfP is out now! This time, the theme is “Events and Communities”. Please have a look at the full CfP on the Spring Seminar website: springseminar.org/2026-call-fo... ⏰Abstract submission deadline is 14 January 2026. 📍The seminar is organised on 5-6 May 2026 in Tampere.

springseminar.org

2026 | Call for Papers

Events are at the heart of game and play cultures. They are organized for many reasons and purposes, bringing people together to play, socialize, compete, learn and teach, network, sell, perform, c…

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

I am once again reminding you that this conference is great and that you should submit work here - we have some of the most robust hybrid support in the biz, so that anyone, anywhere can join in the festivities! #gamestudies #cfp

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

Nous venons de lancer notre site web bilingue pour l'ACÉJ 2026 (un jour plus tôt!): event.fourwaves.com/cgsa2026 Nous sommes officiellement prêts à recevoir vos excellentes propositions (l'onglet "Soumissions" est en haut à gauche). N'hésitez pas à nous contacter si vous avez des questions. <3

event.fourwaves.com

CGSA/ACÉJ 2026

Fourwaves - CGSA/ACÉJ 2026

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

🚚🚚🚚New article alert! Part of a special issue on games + container technologies, it’s about truckers who play Truck Simulator in their trucks, but also simulation, battlestations, and the logistics of work and play. It's open access, so please take a look 🚚🚚🚚 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Truck simulator, trucker-simulators, and the containment of neoliberal capitalism

This paper discusses truckers who play games (including Truck Simulator) while on the road. Inspired by the concept of “container technologies” and more recent work which distinguishes between cont...

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Maybe biased since I'm helping to organize this, but this is such a wonderful event for anyone doing work in and around games - we welcome submission formats of all sorts and the event is fully hybrid! Please consider submitting something #gamestudies

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CGSA/ACÉJ @cgsaacej.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

📣✨Appel à communications !📣✨ L’ACÉJ 2026 aura lieu du 11 au 14 juin 2026, à Montréal (l'Université Concordia). Le thème pour cette année est « La Répétition ». La date limite pour soumission est le 7 janvier 2026 à 23 h 59 HNP. Appel complet ici: gamestudies.ca/conference-c...

gamestudies.ca

Conference // Conférence

Version française ci-dessous The 2026 CGSA/ACÉJ annual conference will be a hybrid event co-hosted by the Technoculture, Art and Games Lab (TAG) at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec&nbs…

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Richy Srirachanikorn @srirachanikorn.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

#Cfp: Call for Book Chapters - #videogames, #gamedesign, game communities, & playthings that trouble what we mean by #nostalgia “ #Games and its Nostalgia for the Future” is edited by yours truly and likely published with Play Story Press. Abstracts due Nov 3, 2025 Full CfP: shorturl.at/NCkzU

shorturl.at

CfP: Nostalgia for the Future Book

Nostalgia for the Future? Any books on this? No? Let's write one, together.

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Ready for Part 2? After much writing and re-writing, I'm thrilled to announce that my first book, "Gaming Exhaustion" (working title) is now under contract with Duke University Press. There are too many people to thank for this in 140 characters or less, but know that you're all so appreciated <3

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Ok here's Part 1: My Finnish postdoc is now my finished postdoc, but I'm thrilled to announce what's next: I'm now a Research Associate at the U of Michigan's School of Information, where I'm proudly working with the Intersectional Tech Lab! ✨🖥️ www.kishonnagray.com/lab-staff Part 2 coming soon!

Screenshot of my bio from the Intersectional Tech Lab website. It reads:

Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) is a Research Affiliate in the Intersectional Tech Lab. He earned his PhD in Informatics from UC Irvine in 2022. He has since worked as a Lecturer in Game Design at Uppsala University and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies at Tampere University.

His research concerns critical approaches to the study of games and those who play them, and he is interested in exploring how play can both uphold and dismantle hegemony. His current book project is about exhaustion as a systemic feature of neoliberal capitalism and how video games enable and may yet work against the exhausting status quo.

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

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Dan Hassler-Forest @danhf.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

An open letter of resignation from myself and many other book series editors at Amsterdam University Press, following its recent acquisition by the notoriously exploitative academic publishing conglomerate Taylor & Francis.

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

July and August were full of Life Stuff™ and meeting some writing deadlines, but it's looking like I'll have some exciting news to share pretty soon 👀

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Florence Chee @cheeflo.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Happy to share that my book, Digital Game Culture in Korea: The Social at Play, is now available on the Bloomsbury U.S. site! Thank you again to those who took the time to review and engage with the work! 🙏🏼 #syllabus #gamestudies #communication www.bloomsbury.com/us/digital-g...

Cover thumbnail and quotes for the book Digital Game Culture in Korea: The Social at Play by Florence M. Chee

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Aasa T 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇵🇸 @rosgakori.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Warhammer Conference 2 is coming in September! Catch me on Friday talking about Age of Sigmar, polycrisis, and Stormcast Eternals. Once again, I'll be attending remotely, and these videos will be uploaded to YouTube after the conference. warhammer-conference.com #gamestudies #warhammer #aos

Remade, Reforged, Reborn: Stormcast Eternals as the simulacra of humanity in polycrisis

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

I now have a website! It's pretty bare-bones, but at least it rhymes! I'm hoping to get more stuff on there in the next month. Give it a look if you're so inclined - www.rainforestsb.me

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Cody Mejeur @cmejeur.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Historiographies of Game Studies is now published open access with @punctumbooks.bsky.social ! This massive collection examines why game studies is the way it is, and how it might change and grow in the future. Congrats to all contributors, and please share! punctumbooks.com/titles/histo...

punctumbooks.com

Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be – punctum books

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

It WAS a good one, as predicted - thanks for the writeup Tom!

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Been too busy running around to do any shoutouts to all the amazing talks, but I've been helping to run a conference! @cgsaacej.bsky.social 2025 is (almost) over and every year it's a reminder of how cool and supportive a scholarly community can be <3 My title slide (cute mode): #gamestudies

Games Capitalism and Fear by Rainforest Scully-Blaker, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tampere University

The background image is a spooky yawning face with some pink flowers crudely pasted around it to cute effect.

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Alison Harvey @digitalpromises.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

As the CGSA/ACÉJ annual conference approaches, so too does our election season, and we are seeking nominations for new officers and representatives. Anyone interested in serving the Canadian game studies community, please check out our bylaws for info gamestudies.ca/governance/ @cgsaacej.bsky.social

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Daniel Vella @danielvella.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

"I miss the good old days when games weren't political"

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Rolling in to sunny Turku 🌞 for Nordic Digra 2025! Really excited for our talk exploring what we mean when we say "critical" game studies 🔥 #gamestudies #nordicdigra25

Title slide from the talk titled "Critical Game Studies" and the Politics of Hope? by me and Sabine Harrer

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Sarah Christina Ganzon @otomedoctor.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

To folks who want to help after the horrifying event at the lapulapu festival, here's a form: vanfilemergency.my.canva.site

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

📯PUBLICATION NEWS📯 Very stoked to share this special issue that I co-edited with the world, full of great reflections on the theme of 'Meta' applied to various #GameStudies contexts. A link to the full issue is here, but let's dig in to each of the pieces, shall we? dl.acm.org/toc/games/20...

dl.acm.org

GAMES: Vol 3, No 2

This is the introduction to a special issue based on papers presented at the 20th Annual Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar in Tampere, Finland. The theme for this iteration of the seminar was Meta. After a brief discussion on the ...

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

dl.acm.org

GAMES: Vol 3, No 2

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Hey #SCMS2025 friends, let's end this out in style 💅. I know many folks have headed home, but I'll be around in some panels today so please flag me down or DM me if you want to chat - I don't make it stateside much these days so it'd be great to connect/catch up ✨!

media.tenor.com

homer simpson from the simpsons is standing in front of a green hedge .

ALT: homer simpson from the simpsons is standing in front of a green hedge .

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

📣Gooooood Morning #SCMS2025 ! 📣 I hope to see some of you at today's panel on cozy games featuring work from cool people that I am so excited to listen to and speak alongside! Catch us at session K2 🦋 #GameStudies

K2 The Comforts of Play: Cozy Games and Gaming

FAIRMONT Royal B2 LEVEL

CHAIR Andrea Braithwaite • Ontario Tech University

TALKS

Andrea Braithwaite • Ontario Tech University •
“Supercute Crimes and Cozy Mystery Games”

Adrianna Burton • University of California, Irvine •
“Reimagining Typical Adventures: Narratives and
Aesthetics in Popular ‘Cozy’ TRPGs”

Christina Fawcett • University ofWinnipeg • “Death’s
Cozy Embrace: Death and the Afterlife in Cozy
Gaming”

Rainforest Scully-Blaker • Tampere University •
“Happiness is a Warm Mug? Coziness as Late
Capitalist Power Fantasy”

sponsored by Video Game Studies Scholarly Interest Group

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Day 1 of #SCMS2025 ! Taking the 9-hour flight from Helsinki on Tuesday didn't exactly *feel* lucky, but it turns out that I just missed the super-storm - looking forward to catching the day's talks #gamestudies

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

This year's conference is already looking awesome - come through!!

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CGSA/ACÉJ @cgsaacej.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

📯L'inscription au l'ACÉJ 2025 est OUVERTE!📯 Rejoignez-nous en ligne ou à Montréal pour des discussions enrichissantes, du réseautage et tout ce qui concerne les études des jeux. Le prix des billets est flexible. Ne manquez pas cette occasion! www.eventbrite.com/e/1216997013...

media.tenor.com

sonic the hedgehog singing into a microphone with his hand outstretched

ALT: sonic the hedgehog singing into a microphone with his hand outstretched

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Let's goooooo! Get those abstracts in 🔥🔥🔥

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Feels like we're hitting a ceiling here? With Elder Scrolls and now this, bloated games made over almost a decade are apparently a thing. Star Citizen was ahead of its time lol Contrasting this with FromSoft saying they won't do another big game like Elden Ring is interesting too #gamestudies

thegamer.com

The Witcher 4 Will Be "Better, Bigger, Greater" Than Witcher 3, Says CDPR

CDPR is setting expectations for The Witcher 4, promising that it'll be "bigger" and "greater" than The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.

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Rainforest Scully-Blaker (he/him) @rainforestsb.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

As a long-time attendee and less-long-time organizer, I honestly can't recommend this conference enough. Please consider submitting and feel free to shoot me any questions! #gamestudies

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