Florence Smith Nicholls
@florencesn.bsky.social
Video game archaeologist + game dev//
PhD on archaeogaming as play preservation + procgen//
Prev: Story Tech @gutefabrik.bsky.social, Planning Archaeologist at Museum of London Archaeology
they/them
💾 florencesmithnicholls.com
PhD on archaeogaming as play preservation + procgen//
Prev: Story Tech @gutefabrik.bsky.social, Planning Archaeologist at Museum of London Archaeology
they/them
💾 florencesmithnicholls.com
Pinned
~Thread of my past publications~
"Virtual Dark Tourism in The Town of Light"
2018, Routledge
In this book chapter I argue that video games marketing a setting associated with historical suffering can be considered dark tourism experiences.
www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edi...
"Virtual Dark Tourism in The Town of Light"
2018, Routledge
In this book chapter I argue that video games marketing a setting associated with historical suffering can be considered dark tourism experiences.
www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edi...
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
pls bless my 2026.
December 29, 2025 at 8:58 PM
pls bless my 2026.
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
We're two weeks from the Anthem shutdown. If you're a fan playing until the end, one who dropped off, or a developer who worked on the game and want to talk (anonymously) about these final days, the shutdown, or the game broadly for a Kotaku story, hit me up here or at kshepard@kotaku.com! RTs plz.
a close up of a futuristic soldier 's helmet with a v on it
ALT: a close up of a futuristic soldier 's helmet with a v on it
media.tenor.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:56 PM
We're two weeks from the Anthem shutdown. If you're a fan playing until the end, one who dropped off, or a developer who worked on the game and want to talk (anonymously) about these final days, the shutdown, or the game broadly for a Kotaku story, hit me up here or at kshepard@kotaku.com! RTs plz.
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
December 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Comic about time
December 28, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Comic about time
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
I'm running a play test for my LARP, Ruin The Game, between 1-5pm at King's College London on January 2nd. Let me know if you're interested! No previous LARP experience needed.
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
Programme - The Smoke
thesmoke.org
December 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I'm running a play test for my LARP, Ruin The Game, between 1-5pm at King's College London on January 2nd. Let me know if you're interested! No previous LARP experience needed.
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
I'm running a play test for my LARP, Ruin The Game, between 1-5pm at King's College London on January 2nd. Let me know if you're interested! No previous LARP experience needed.
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
Programme - The Smoke
thesmoke.org
December 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I'm running a play test for my LARP, Ruin The Game, between 1-5pm at King's College London on January 2nd. Let me know if you're interested! No previous LARP experience needed.
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
You can find the blurb for the LARP in the Smoke's programme on pages 43-44:
thesmoke.org/programme/
Doing some research for my next LARP by visiting Sleaford Castle
December 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Doing some research for my next LARP by visiting Sleaford Castle
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
To this day, this is still one of my favorite game ads. It's clever and charming, without being, well... mean or flat-out creepy like so many of the ads from the turn of the millennium were.
📖 Bytes of Game Ads 📺
"Free demo."
Still one of my favourite game ads. xD A late release for the N64, with a Wii release I've still yet to dig into.
"Free demo."
Still one of my favourite game ads. xD A late release for the N64, with a Wii release I've still yet to dig into.
December 26, 2025 at 12:16 PM
To this day, this is still one of my favorite game ads. It's clever and charming, without being, well... mean or flat-out creepy like so many of the ads from the turn of the millennium were.
Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Merry Christmas!
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
The Ghost Story, Alfred Bestall, 1930
#Christmasghoststories
#Christmasghoststories
December 21, 2025 at 4:39 PM
The Ghost Story, Alfred Bestall, 1930
#Christmasghoststories
#Christmasghoststories
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
just a warning this holiday season if you're playing Caves of Qud and you got a fresh fir scent going and a blanket and a mug of hot cocoa or eggnog & maybe a little weed, it's POSSIBLE you will astral project. ie erase yourself from the physical realm and arrive at an Elsewhere. that's not on us
December 14, 2024 at 1:36 AM
just a warning this holiday season if you're playing Caves of Qud and you got a fresh fir scent going and a blanket and a mug of hot cocoa or eggnog & maybe a little weed, it's POSSIBLE you will astral project. ie erase yourself from the physical realm and arrive at an Elsewhere. that's not on us
You could use PCG for this and I imagine it would end up being a hell of a lot more interesting in terms of the apparent design goals, and also, crucially, not involve the use of LLMs
December 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
You could use PCG for this and I imagine it would end up being a hell of a lot more interesting in terms of the apparent design goals, and also, crucially, not involve the use of LLMs
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Mumbling “Hill House, NOT sane…” to myself in the same cadence and tone as Gonzo in A Muppet Christmas Carol says “And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die…”
March 12, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Mumbling “Hill House, NOT sane…” to myself in the same cadence and tone as Gonzo in A Muppet Christmas Carol says “And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die…”
I love LARP photography
(Photo by Chiara Cappiello)
(Photo by Chiara Cappiello)
December 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
I love LARP photography
(Photo by Chiara Cappiello)
(Photo by Chiara Cappiello)
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
I had five fascinating conversations for this RPS piece, gathering perspectives on genAI chatbots in games, as seen in Where Winds Meet. Thanks to @meghna.bsky.social, @pyrofoux.bsky.social, @maxkreminski.bsky.social, and @chrisgardiner.bsky.social www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-bor...
"Horrible", "boring", and "cheap": Experts pan new chatbot NPCs, but some leave room for optimism
We speak to a collection of developers and AI experts about the potential impact of LLM-powered NPCs in videogames.
www.rockpapershotgun.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
I had five fascinating conversations for this RPS piece, gathering perspectives on genAI chatbots in games, as seen in Where Winds Meet. Thanks to @meghna.bsky.social, @pyrofoux.bsky.social, @maxkreminski.bsky.social, and @chrisgardiner.bsky.social www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-bor...
"Horrible", "boring", and "cheap": Experts pan new chatbot NPCs, but some leave room for optimism
We speak to a collection of developers and AI experts about the potential impact of LLM-powered NPCs in videogames.
www.rockpapershotgun.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I had five fascinating conversations for this RPS piece, gathering perspectives on genAI chatbots in games, as seen in Where Winds Meet. Thanks to @meghna.bsky.social, @pyrofoux.bsky.social, @maxkreminski.bsky.social, and @chrisgardiner.bsky.social www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-bor...
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Playing Sorry We're Closed and it seems pretty cool. Lot of fun things going on. But also finding out that everyone in London is either a demon or in league with demons was just like "yeah I know already"
December 23, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Playing Sorry We're Closed and it seems pretty cool. Lot of fun things going on. But also finding out that everyone in London is either a demon or in league with demons was just like "yeah I know already"
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Parlour games were feminized, Freeform/Nordic/Parlour larp was feminized, Forge/Post-forge/Indie/Storygames were (and often still are) feminized... the list goes on. I contend that this feminization is the main cause for animosity from a camp of OSR-aligned peeps and "storygamers".
Indeed. The purchaseable *product* we call the TTRPG begins in the 1970s with Western Gunfight, Chainmail, and D&D.
Yet role-playing "parlor games," simulations, and similar are centuries old and draw from a well that resembles all the positive stuff about D&D.
Parlor games were feminized...
Yet role-playing "parlor games," simulations, and similar are centuries old and draw from a well that resembles all the positive stuff about D&D.
Parlor games were feminized...
December 23, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Parlour games were feminized, Freeform/Nordic/Parlour larp was feminized, Forge/Post-forge/Indie/Storygames were (and often still are) feminized... the list goes on. I contend that this feminization is the main cause for animosity from a camp of OSR-aligned peeps and "storygamers".
Is it game?
Probably not, but that won't stop me
Probably not, but that won't stop me
December 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Is it game?
Probably not, but that won't stop me
Probably not, but that won't stop me
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
hey! i'm doing a winter sale, though not of games - but of my packs of moody, atmospheric photos of Maine! A Place Without Bodies volumes 1&2! over *600* photos, *with* license for commercial use, at 2/3rds off - just $20! great for projects of all kinds! lasts till jan 5th! ko-fi.com/s/bc50ecb11f
December 20, 2025 at 8:38 PM
hey! i'm doing a winter sale, though not of games - but of my packs of moody, atmospheric photos of Maine! A Place Without Bodies volumes 1&2! over *600* photos, *with* license for commercial use, at 2/3rds off - just $20! great for projects of all kinds! lasts till jan 5th! ko-fi.com/s/bc50ecb11f
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
beware the jubjub bird
December 18, 2025 at 8:11 AM
beware the jubjub bird
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
Put this record on tonight, what a joy 💚
December 21, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Put this record on tonight, what a joy 💚
Reposted by Florence Smith Nicholls
24) The Apothecary of Trubiz is like if Strange Horticulture and Tunic had a baby. If that sentence made sense to you, you owe it to yourself to check it out. (It's very short.) store.steampowered.com/app/4083190/...
Save 20% on The Apothecary of Trubiz on Steam
A short puzzle game where you decipher a fictional language, mix potions, and treat patients. Enjoy the thrill of understanding and the small stories that unfold from each cure.
store.steampowered.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:06 PM
24) The Apothecary of Trubiz is like if Strange Horticulture and Tunic had a baby. If that sentence made sense to you, you owe it to yourself to check it out. (It's very short.) store.steampowered.com/app/4083190/...