Andrei Zanescu
@andreizanescu.bsky.social
Postdoc Fellow in Communication Studies + Socio/Anthro @Concordia
Blockbuster Resonance & Prestige in AAA Games, Film & Awards Shows
Also Magic: The Gathering + Cultural Resonance
Streaming by the Rest of Us (2025, MIT Press)
www.andreizanescu.com
Blockbuster Resonance & Prestige in AAA Games, Film & Awards Shows
Also Magic: The Gathering + Cultural Resonance
Streaming by the Rest of Us (2025, MIT Press)
www.andreizanescu.com
Pinned
Andrei Zanescu
@andreizanescu.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Woke up to a ton of new followers, which is surreal. Welcome everyone!
I suppose this is a great time to do an intro to who I am and what I do, so buckle up.
tl;dr: I'm a media studies/coms assistant professor who works at the intersection of games and Hollywood.
Long version below, with photos!
I suppose this is a great time to do an intro to who I am and what I do, so buckle up.
tl;dr: I'm a media studies/coms assistant professor who works at the intersection of games and Hollywood.
Long version below, with photos!
Instant subscribe.
I am so proud to help announce a new video game website! In the year 2026!
@midimyers.com and @zoehhannah.com join Post Games to talk about mothership.blog. Plus, they share a history of women in games media!
You'll love this one! And so will your friends!
@midimyers.com and @zoehhannah.com join Post Games to talk about mothership.blog. Plus, they share a history of women in games media!
You'll love this one! And so will your friends!
Mothership and a History of Women in Games Media
A new gaming website?! In this economy?!
postgame.substack.com
January 11, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Instant subscribe.
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.
January 9, 2026 at 4:13 PM
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.
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
January 8, 2026 at 2:13 AM
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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...
Academic Work Tracker Template v2.3 (2026)
docs.google.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:24 AM
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...
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/...
Cybermania '94: Game awards before The Game Awards is now out through Convergence, fully open access.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
December 29, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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/...
Cybermania '94: Game awards before The Game Awards is now out through Convergence, fully open access.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
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...
Article is in French, but feel free tor each out if you want an English translation!
www.ledevoir.com/culture/ecra...
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.
www.ledevoir.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM
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...
Article is in French, but feel free tor each out if you want an English translation!
www.ledevoir.com/culture/ecra...
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...
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
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...
www.degruyterbrill.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:05 PM
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...
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
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.
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.
a man with blue paint on his face and a spear
ALT: a man with blue paint on his face and a spear
media.tenor.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM
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.
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.
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.
November 21, 2025 at 1:40 PM
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.
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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
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
CGSA/ACÉJ 2026
Fourwaves - CGSA/ACÉJ 2026
event.fourwaves.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:14 PM
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
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
Watched Weapons with my guinea pig. Neither of us will sleep well tonight.
November 3, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Watched Weapons with my guinea pig. Neither of us will sleep well tonight.
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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!
Updated/Final covers for a passion-project w/ @joshcall.bsky.social, @profmatthew.bsky.social, and @betsybrey.bsky.social
Out Jan 2026!
September 4, 2025 at 2:28 PM
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!
Updated/Final covers for a passion-project w/ @joshcall.bsky.social, @profmatthew.bsky.social, and @betsybrey.bsky.social
Out Jan 2026!
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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.
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!
Updated/Final covers for a passion-project w/ @joshcall.bsky.social, @profmatthew.bsky.social, and @betsybrey.bsky.social
Out Jan 2026!
September 5, 2025 at 2:52 AM
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.
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.
Really excited to finally be able to point to published work on blockbuster games, and my current thinking about AAA game aesthetics and discourses.
October 31, 2025 at 4:17 PM
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.
Really excited to finally be able to point to published work on blockbuster games, and my current thinking about AAA game aesthetics and discourses.
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?
Me to me: Why are you not writing more, it's only 9pm?
October 22, 2025 at 1:12 AM
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?
Me to me: Why are you not writing more, it's only 9pm?
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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
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...
z.umn.edu
October 2, 2025 at 4:05 PM
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
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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.
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
October 8, 2025 at 10:29 AM
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.
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.
Wild morning.
September 29, 2025 at 1:32 PM
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.
Wild morning.
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
this feels catastrophic in ways few other big industry deals have
EA goes private in $55 billion deal, Andrew Wilson to remain as CEO. https://bit.ly/3WaGqnc
September 29, 2025 at 12:33 PM
this feels catastrophic in ways few other big industry deals have
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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!
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!
DERIVATIVE MEDIA is out today with
@ucpress.bsky.social ! It's the first in-depth book on how Wall Street is harming film, television, and popular music. It's available in print or for free as an ebook. Please share!
www.ucpress.edu/books/derivative-media
bookshop.org/p/books/deri...
@ucpress.bsky.social ! It's the first in-depth book on how Wall Street is harming film, television, and popular music. It's available in print or for free as an ebook. Please share!
www.ucpress.edu/books/derivative-media
bookshop.org/p/books/deri...
August 7, 2025 at 10:10 PM
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!
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!
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
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...
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...
August 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM
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...
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...
My mom has truly tasked me with a herculean labour, she wants me to find her a Labubu in Canada, and a "reasonable" price.
August 1, 2025 at 6:38 PM
My mom has truly tasked me with a herculean labour, she wants me to find her a Labubu in Canada, and a "reasonable" price.
Reposted by Andrei Zanescu
Good morning! If the latest censorship chaos has been drifting across your feeds but you're still not clear what's going on, we made a podcast episode for you 👇
🎙️NEW EPISODE ALERT🎙️
Steam and itch pulled thousands of NSFW games 🔞 PLUS, find out how payment processors became censors 🤬 and how the UK’s Online Safety Act isn’t helping 🙅 Tune in here:
Steam and itch pulled thousands of NSFW games 🔞 PLUS, find out how payment processors became censors 🤬 and how the UK’s Online Safety Act isn’t helping 🙅 Tune in here:
UNBOXING Podcast
The UNBOXING podcast is a weekly dose of insight into play and profit for the gaming curious. Joost crunches data. Laine rummages in archives. Together these two NYU professors unlock the secrets of…
youtube.com
August 1, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Good morning! If the latest censorship chaos has been drifting across your feeds but you're still not clear what's going on, we made a podcast episode for you 👇