J. Rey Lee
@jreylee.bsky.social
Boardgamer, writer, teacher, girl dad, recovering academic.
Unsettling Catan: lookingglance.com/unsettling-catan/
The Looking Glance: lookingglance.com
Unsettling Catan: lookingglance.com/unsettling-catan/
The Looking Glance: lookingglance.com
While I don’t condone bullying, research suggests the “other reindeer” have a reasonable case for not wanting to expand their "reindeer games."
Data pulled from the boardgamegeek.com database using bgbester.netlify.app
#boardgames #xmas
Data pulled from the boardgamegeek.com database using bgbester.netlify.app
#boardgames #xmas
December 22, 2025 at 7:57 PM
While I don’t condone bullying, research suggests the “other reindeer” have a reasonable case for not wanting to expand their "reindeer games."
Data pulled from the boardgamegeek.com database using bgbester.netlify.app
#boardgames #xmas
Data pulled from the boardgamegeek.com database using bgbester.netlify.app
#boardgames #xmas
It's not as sexy as a fiery screed against #AI use in #boardgames, but my latest post does critique how calling digital adaptations “implementations” plays into the sloppy thinking that makes AI seem inevitable.
#digitalimplementations (ft. Tsuro)
Here’s how I know I’m getting old: I can’t stop ranting about newfangled technologies and the whippersnappers who use them. But you won’t find me yelling to get apps out of my boardgames. As…
lookingglance.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:54 PM
It's not as sexy as a fiery screed against #AI use in #boardgames, but my latest post does critique how calling digital adaptations “implementations” plays into the sloppy thinking that makes AI seem inevitable.
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
Fantastic video by Pam Walls on the increasing use of AI in board games, and the need (more than ever) to support artists, illustrators and graphic designers in the industry.
youtu.be/Ci5pOjyJknI?...
youtu.be/Ci5pOjyJknI?...
We need to talk about AI slop in board games
YouTube video by Pam Walls Game Design
youtu.be
December 15, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Fantastic video by Pam Walls on the increasing use of AI in board games, and the need (more than ever) to support artists, illustrators and graphic designers in the industry.
youtu.be/Ci5pOjyJknI?...
youtu.be/Ci5pOjyJknI?...
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
This is an excellent piece about the perils of AI art broadly, and within our hobby more specifically. If we reach the point where AI art is found in every board game, I will stop playing and writing about board games. Simple as that.
Over the last month, I've been working on this essay about the use of AI art in board games, "Is This Really What We Want?" Though it is contextually specific, it is also a reflection of my wider thoughts on the use of AI art and writing in creative contexts.
www.meeplemountain.com/articles/is-...
www.meeplemountain.com/articles/is-...
Is This Really What We Want? – AI Art in Board Games – Meeple...
AI generated imagery and text are a threat to what makes board games worthwhile. In this piece, Andrew explains Meeple Mountain’s policy.
www.meeplemountain.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:08 PM
This is an excellent piece about the perils of AI art broadly, and within our hobby more specifically. If we reach the point where AI art is found in every board game, I will stop playing and writing about board games. Simple as that.
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
The Hidden History of Women Game Designers daily.jstor.org/the-hidden-h...
The Hidden History of Women Game Designers - JSTOR Daily
Nineteenth-century women turned music lessons into interactive entertainment, complete with spinning wheels and ivory counters.
daily.jstor.org
November 26, 2025 at 6:42 PM
The Hidden History of Women Game Designers daily.jstor.org/the-hidden-h...
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
Unsettling Catan by J. Rey Lee isn't a book just about Catan, but about eurogames and their characteristic features.
This is me trying to talk about its most pertinent arguments.
#boardgames
This is me trying to talk about its most pertinent arguments.
#boardgames
“Unsettling Catan: Detached Design in Eurogames” by J. Rey Lee
There are more than a few books about Catan out there. You can even find a couple of novels in the endless catalogue of ISBN lists. But in “Unsettling Catan” author J. Rey Lee doesn’t simply retrace his personal journey into the many-coloured world of modern board games. He also doesn’t give us a history of Catan’s development and success story, which – as some would argue – was the launch of the eurogame genre.
lestmyopinions.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Unsettling Catan by J. Rey Lee isn't a book just about Catan, but about eurogames and their characteristic features.
This is me trying to talk about its most pertinent arguments.
#boardgames
This is me trying to talk about its most pertinent arguments.
#boardgames
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
I've only just started reading Unsettling Catan by @jreylee.bsky.social but the introduction already includes bangers like this one.
While also bringing up player *complicity*. I can't wait to get through more of its pages.
While also bringing up player *complicity*. I can't wait to get through more of its pages.
November 15, 2025 at 12:14 PM
I've only just started reading Unsettling Catan by @jreylee.bsky.social but the introduction already includes bangers like this one.
While also bringing up player *complicity*. I can't wait to get through more of its pages.
While also bringing up player *complicity*. I can't wait to get through more of its pages.
I just launched an AMA for Unsettling Catan over on boardgamegeek. Please drop by and ask me anything!
Link: boardgamegeek.com/thread/36112...
#boardgames #bgg
Link: boardgamegeek.com/thread/36112...
#boardgames #bgg
November 14, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I just launched an AMA for Unsettling Catan over on boardgamegeek. Please drop by and ask me anything!
Link: boardgamegeek.com/thread/36112...
#boardgames #bgg
Link: boardgamegeek.com/thread/36112...
#boardgames #bgg
NPI does fantastic work! They were a major influence on Unsettling Catan, as I talk about in my latest design diary.
#boardgames
#boardgames
November 5, 2025 at 3:56 PM
NPI does fantastic work! They were a major influence on Unsettling Catan, as I talk about in my latest design diary.
#boardgames
#boardgames
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
The first book in the Tabletop Games series is now available! Start reading "Unsettling Catan" by J. Rey Lee at doi.org/10.3998/mpub...
November 3, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The first book in the Tabletop Games series is now available! Start reading "Unsettling Catan" by J. Rey Lee at doi.org/10.3998/mpub...
Hey all, you can read Unsettling Catan: Detached Design in Eurogames free online right now!
Stay tuned because instead of my typical monthly blog post, I'll be doing an AMA on BGG in a week or two.
#boardgames #NewBook @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social
Stay tuned because instead of my typical monthly blog post, I'll be doing an AMA on BGG in a week or two.
#boardgames #NewBook @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social
Unsettling Catan
Read Online Buy Paperback* Buy Audiobook Description Coverage *30% off with code UMWEB30 Audiobook Preview Description Most revolutions don’t start with nineteen cardboard hexagons, but Klaus Teube…
lookingglance.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Hey all, you can read Unsettling Catan: Detached Design in Eurogames free online right now!
Stay tuned because instead of my typical monthly blog post, I'll be doing an AMA on BGG in a week or two.
#boardgames #NewBook @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social
Stay tuned because instead of my typical monthly blog post, I'll be doing an AMA on BGG in a week or two.
#boardgames #NewBook @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social
Unsettling Catan releases on Monday, so I sat down with Danielle from @uofmpress.bsky.social to do a Q&A on the book.
(the interview was written, but I was sitting down at the time)
#boardgames #catan
@pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social
(the interview was written, but I was sitting down at the time)
#boardgames #catan
@pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social
Q&A with Author J. Rey Lee
press.umich.edu
October 31, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Unsettling Catan releases on Monday, so I sat down with Danielle from @uofmpress.bsky.social to do a Q&A on the book.
(the interview was written, but I was sitting down at the time)
#boardgames #catan
@pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social
(the interview was written, but I was sitting down at the time)
#boardgames #catan
@pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social
Happy Essen Spiel to those who celebrate! 🎉
I won't be there but I love seeing all the posts.
I won't be there but I love seeing all the posts.
October 22, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Happy Essen Spiel to those who celebrate! 🎉
I won't be there but I love seeing all the posts.
I won't be there but I love seeing all the posts.
Disappointed but not surprised academia.edu wants to peddle AI slop reviews of my book.
Disappointed and very surprised they generated an AI review of a book that’s not out anywhere. The publishers and I have no idea what they based it on.
#AcademicSky #AI #writingcommunity
(1/5)
Disappointed and very surprised they generated an AI review of a book that’s not out anywhere. The publishers and I have no idea what they based it on.
#AcademicSky #AI #writingcommunity
(1/5)
October 21, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Disappointed but not surprised academia.edu wants to peddle AI slop reviews of my book.
Disappointed and very surprised they generated an AI review of a book that’s not out anywhere. The publishers and I have no idea what they based it on.
#AcademicSky #AI #writingcommunity
(1/5)
Disappointed and very surprised they generated an AI review of a book that’s not out anywhere. The publishers and I have no idea what they based it on.
#AcademicSky #AI #writingcommunity
(1/5)
So proud of @uofmichigan.bsky.social for investing in Open Access publishing!
In a world where "you get what you pay for," we're used to free meaning cheap. But UMP lays out over $27,000* to make a book available to the public. That's putting ideas over profit.
You can support their work here:
In a world where "you get what you pay for," we're used to free meaning cheap. But UMP lays out over $27,000* to make a book available to the public. That's putting ideas over profit.
You can support their work here:
Support OA
Support OA
press.umich.edu
October 21, 2025 at 6:36 AM
So proud of @uofmichigan.bsky.social for investing in Open Access publishing!
In a world where "you get what you pay for," we're used to free meaning cheap. But UMP lays out over $27,000* to make a book available to the public. That's putting ideas over profit.
You can support their work here:
In a world where "you get what you pay for," we're used to free meaning cheap. But UMP lays out over $27,000* to make a book available to the public. That's putting ideas over profit.
You can support their work here:
This is why Dan is good at what he does: when he says "Writing is thinking for me," he means it. Instead of churning out content to fit a formula, he just engages with games and sees where it goes.
I tell my students this over and over, so I'm always happy to see someone say it so clearly.
I tell my students this over and over, so I'm always happy to see someone say it so clearly.
I had an utterly lovely time chatting with Alex of Talking Shelf Space about... well, a bunch of stuff. My origins in the hobby, how I started writing my site, how I got to be such a nerd. Give it a look! talkingshelfspace.com/origin-story...
Origin Story: Space Biff – An Interview With Board Game Critic Dan Thurot - Talking Shelf Space
When I started writing about board games, it was in part because of my dissatisfaction of the review landscape at the time. There were on one side a whole lot of YouTubers hyping up crowd-funding proj...
talkingshelfspace.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:28 AM
This is why Dan is good at what he does: when he says "Writing is thinking for me," he means it. Instead of churning out content to fit a formula, he just engages with games and sees where it goes.
I tell my students this over and over, so I'm always happy to see someone say it so clearly.
I tell my students this over and over, so I'm always happy to see someone say it so clearly.
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
Glad to see the Tabletop Games series at @uofmpress.bsky.social take off with @jreylee.bsky.social's book on Catan.
Clear, unambiguous writing on abstraction and gaming with regard to colonial themes.
Clear, unambiguous writing on abstraction and gaming with regard to colonial themes.
October 11, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Glad to see the Tabletop Games series at @uofmpress.bsky.social take off with @jreylee.bsky.social's book on Catan.
Clear, unambiguous writing on abstraction and gaming with regard to colonial themes.
Clear, unambiguous writing on abstraction and gaming with regard to colonial themes.
Took a minute, but I finally cracked triple digits!
#boardgames #railroadink @horribleguild.bsky.social
#boardgames #railroadink @horribleguild.bsky.social
October 9, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Took a minute, but I finally cracked triple digits!
#boardgames #railroadink @horribleguild.bsky.social
#boardgames #railroadink @horribleguild.bsky.social
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
these thoughts have been rattling around in my brain for about a year and i finally had some time to scribble them down. some thoughts on how games might emulate the act of 'doing' history
jenyth.com/2025/01/03/h...
jenyth.com/2025/01/03/h...
Historical interpretation as non-linear narrative
How games can reflect history as a discipline, not just historical facts.
jenyth.com
January 4, 2025 at 12:17 PM
these thoughts have been rattling around in my brain for about a year and i finally had some time to scribble them down. some thoughts on how games might emulate the act of 'doing' history
jenyth.com/2025/01/03/h...
jenyth.com/2025/01/03/h...
Can cultural criticism convince cardboard consumers to challenge colonialism and capitalism in Catan?
Find out in my newest design diary. CU there!
#boardgames @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social @nopunincluded.com @stonemaiergames.com
Find out in my newest design diary. CU there!
#boardgames @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social @nopunincluded.com @stonemaiergames.com
Design Diary 3: The ‘C’ Words
Controversy. Love it or hate it, it’s become inescapable. These days, it’s not just a handful of hot-button issues—almost any topic can become polarizing in a heartbeat. Clearly, …
lookingglance.com
October 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Can cultural criticism convince cardboard consumers to challenge colonialism and capitalism in Catan?
Find out in my newest design diary. CU there!
#boardgames @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social @nopunincluded.com @stonemaiergames.com
Find out in my newest design diary. CU there!
#boardgames @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social @nopunincluded.com @stonemaiergames.com
Preorders for the Unsettling Catan audiobook are now live!
My narration honestly isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but at least it's human. 🚫🤖🚫
You can listen to the preview for a sneak peek and the rest will release alongside the print and ebook versions in November.
#boardgames #catan
My narration honestly isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but at least it's human. 🚫🤖🚫
You can listen to the preview for a sneak peek and the rest will release alongside the print and ebook versions in November.
#boardgames #catan
Unsettling Catan Audiobook (PREORDER)
NOTE: This is a PREORDER so the download link will only provide the preview audio until the book officially releases in November 2025. After that, the full audiobook will be available.This audiobook v...
payhip.com
October 2, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Preorders for the Unsettling Catan audiobook are now live!
My narration honestly isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but at least it's human. 🚫🤖🚫
You can listen to the preview for a sneak peek and the rest will release alongside the print and ebook versions in November.
#boardgames #catan
My narration honestly isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but at least it's human. 🚫🤖🚫
You can listen to the preview for a sneak peek and the rest will release alongside the print and ebook versions in November.
#boardgames #catan
Deconstructing the language of boardgaming? The very definition of fun!
For today's article, I'm just griping about why "fun" is a bad word for critics. spacebiff.com/2025/09/30/a...
Anti-Fun
There’s one word I try to never use when writing about board games. The F-word. No, not that one. “Fun.” There it is. My critical curse word. Today I want to talk about why “fun” isn’t an especiall…
spacebiff.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Deconstructing the language of boardgaming? The very definition of fun!
Reposted by J. Rey Lee
🎲 From UMP's exciting new 'Tabletop Games' series, 'Unsettling Catan' traces how Catan sparked the eurogame boom while questioning how its “peaceful” design masks power, conflict, & imperialist themes in play.
bit.ly/47Wj6k6
@uofmpress.bsky.social
@livunipress.bsky.social
bit.ly/47Wj6k6
@uofmpress.bsky.social
@livunipress.bsky.social
September 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
🎲 From UMP's exciting new 'Tabletop Games' series, 'Unsettling Catan' traces how Catan sparked the eurogame boom while questioning how its “peaceful” design masks power, conflict, & imperialist themes in play.
bit.ly/47Wj6k6
@uofmpress.bsky.social
@livunipress.bsky.social
bit.ly/47Wj6k6
@uofmpress.bsky.social
@livunipress.bsky.social
Just finished recording the audiobook for Unsettling Catan 🎤
There was definitely a learning curve but I had fun with it!
If editing goes smoothly, this should be released alongside the print and ebook editions in November.
#boardgames
There was definitely a learning curve but I had fun with it!
If editing goes smoothly, this should be released alongside the print and ebook editions in November.
#boardgames
September 19, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Just finished recording the audiobook for Unsettling Catan 🎤
There was definitely a learning curve but I had fun with it!
If editing goes smoothly, this should be released alongside the print and ebook editions in November.
#boardgames
There was definitely a learning curve but I had fun with it!
If editing goes smoothly, this should be released alongside the print and ebook editions in November.
#boardgames
Just got my advance copy!
Unsettling Catan releases Nov. 4
lookingglance.com/unsettling-catan/
#boardgames @uofmpress.bsky.social
Unsettling Catan releases Nov. 4
lookingglance.com/unsettling-catan/
#boardgames @uofmpress.bsky.social
September 13, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Just got my advance copy!
Unsettling Catan releases Nov. 4
lookingglance.com/unsettling-catan/
#boardgames @uofmpress.bsky.social
Unsettling Catan releases Nov. 4
lookingglance.com/unsettling-catan/
#boardgames @uofmpress.bsky.social