Dr. José Zagal
@jzagal.bsky.social
Game scholar, academic, professor at University of Utah's Division of Games
Author: Seeing Red: Nintendo's Virtual Boy
https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/jose-p-zagal-23078/
https://www.pillowfort.social/jpzagal Comics
Author: Seeing Red: Nintendo's Virtual Boy
https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/jose-p-zagal-23078/
https://www.pillowfort.social/jpzagal Comics
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
Here is the official fact sheet for the 1996 game that Nintendo is about to release for the first time
January 28, 2026 at 11:54 PM
Here is the official fact sheet for the 1996 game that Nintendo is about to release for the first time
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
January 28, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
In the latest Video Game History Hour podcast, producer Robin Kunimune sits down with Director Frank Cifaldi and Library Director Phil Salvador to wrap up the final quarter of 2025. (NES! VHS! Fundraiser!) https://gamehistory.org/episode-148-wrapping-up-2025/
January 24, 2026 at 2:04 AM
In the latest Video Game History Hour podcast, producer Robin Kunimune sits down with Director Frank Cifaldi and Library Director Phil Salvador to wrap up the final quarter of 2025. (NES! VHS! Fundraiser!) https://gamehistory.org/episode-148-wrapping-up-2025/
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
As the guy who wrote the chapter on how the Virtual Boy display works in our Seeing Red book, I gotta say that is an excellent, highly-accurate video demonstration of the techniques in slow motion! @jzagal.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW7M...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW7M...
Nintendo Virtual Boy at 1 Million Frames per second - The Slow Mo Guys
YouTube video by The Slow Mo Guys
www.youtube.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:23 PM
As the guy who wrote the chapter on how the Virtual Boy display works in our Seeing Red book, I gotta say that is an excellent, highly-accurate video demonstration of the techniques in slow motion! @jzagal.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW7M...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW7M...
Heard of Hotel California? Didn't think so. I'm sure you've heard of "Hotel Infinity" - a non-euclidean VR hotel exploration game. I think you can leave after entering? Congrats to C Haltinner for another feather in his game dev cap! (is that bulb in his VR headset?) @utah.edu games alumni ftw. :-)
January 16, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Heard of Hotel California? Didn't think so. I'm sure you've heard of "Hotel Infinity" - a non-euclidean VR hotel exploration game. I think you can leave after entering? Congrats to C Haltinner for another feather in his game dev cap! (is that bulb in his VR headset?) @utah.edu games alumni ftw. :-)
Congrats to @add-hawk.bsky.social for his new book “The Score” which you should read. It even has its own Wikipedia page! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sco...
January 16, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Congrats to @add-hawk.bsky.social for his new book “The Score” which you should read. It even has its own Wikipedia page! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sco...
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
Never, in a million kabillion years, when I decided to say "screw it" to mainstream philosophy and started writing about the philosophy of games, could I have imagined that this road would take me down to having the goddamn NY Times profile me and my new book.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/b...
Why Keeping Score Isn’t Fun Anymore
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Never, in a million kabillion years, when I decided to say "screw it" to mainstream philosophy and started writing about the philosophy of games, could I have imagined that this road would take me down to having the goddamn NY Times profile me and my new book.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/b...
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
The Hearsay of Zelda
Slightly diminish a game:
Good Enough I Guess
Good Enough I Guess
Slightly diminish a game.
Dragon Errand
Dragon Errand
January 10, 2026 at 11:52 PM
The Hearsay of Zelda
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
Thanks to @kishonna.bsky.social, TreAndrea Russworm, @neveahfs.bsky.social, @jzagal.bsky.social, Ashleigh Cassemere-Stanfield, and @burnedprof.bsky.social for their endorsements.
And to the 40+ contributing authors who shared this vision and labour with the editors.
And to the 40+ contributing authors who shared this vision and labour with the editors.
January 9, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Thanks to @kishonna.bsky.social, TreAndrea Russworm, @neveahfs.bsky.social, @jzagal.bsky.social, Ashleigh Cassemere-Stanfield, and @burnedprof.bsky.social for their endorsements.
And to the 40+ contributing authors who shared this vision and labour with the editors.
And to the 40+ contributing authors who shared this vision and labour with the editors.
It's been a year, but I'm teaching ethics in videogames again. Every semester we play 3 games that (I believe) are ethically/morally interesting. For this semester I picked the following.... (1/4)
December 29, 2025 at 11:39 PM
It's been a year, but I'm teaching ethics in videogames again. Every semester we play 3 games that (I believe) are ethically/morally interesting. For this semester I picked the following.... (1/4)
post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden, or alice in chains en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achtung...
Achtung Baby - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 28, 2025 at 6:34 AM
post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden, or alice in chains en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achtung...
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
Merry Christmas! If you'd like to spend 45 minutes celebrating video game history with me, we're about to debut The Untold Story of the Nintendo Entertainment System. I worked on his ALL YEAR, and I genuinely think it will reshape how we all think about the system. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvp...
The Untold Story of the Nintendo Entertainment System
YouTube video by The Video Game History Foundation
www.youtube.com
December 25, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Merry Christmas! If you'd like to spend 45 minutes celebrating video game history with me, we're about to debut The Untold Story of the Nintendo Entertainment System. I worked on his ALL YEAR, and I genuinely think it will reshape how we all think about the system. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvp...
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
Like, what do you even do with this?? (Besides have fun replying)
December 27, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Like, what do you even do with this?? (Besides have fun replying)
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
Benj @benjedwards.com also pointed out the article where Iga mentions Super Metroid as an influence (and Ethan @playhistory.bsky.social found one of the other mentions). Next time someone tries to tell you SOTN contained no Metroid influence, here's a handy little image to refute that, lol.
![Mr. Iragashi [sic], Director, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night. He told us that Super Metroid was a big influence on his design. — Game Informer #55 (Nov 1997)
"[Super Metroid] is a great game that had a lot of influence over Symphony," Igarashi tells us. — EGM #155 (Jun 2002)
"Since there hadn't been a Metroid for quite some time, we thought, why not try to make a better version of Metroid, but in the world of Castlevania?" — Koji Igarashi, EGM #200 (Feb 2006)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ryrau24iqzrzst2tdl63a3cl/bafkreict7h54vpgf25obn5jr27asws2edtx5inbljmbadb5yj7c4nnjgfa@jpeg)
December 26, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Benj @benjedwards.com also pointed out the article where Iga mentions Super Metroid as an influence (and Ethan @playhistory.bsky.social found one of the other mentions). Next time someone tries to tell you SOTN contained no Metroid influence, here's a handy little image to refute that, lol.
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
My team is hiring narrative designers again!
* Entry to mid-level!
* Casual mobile games with campy fun stories
* Big caveat: after a few months remote, you gotta do a year or two in-office in Beijing!
* Pay is low by US standards but great for Beijing or Europe
www.linkedin.com/posts/alexan...
* Entry to mid-level!
* Casual mobile games with campy fun stories
* Big caveat: after a few months remote, you gotta do a year or two in-office in Beijing!
* Pay is low by US standards but great for Beijing or Europe
www.linkedin.com/posts/alexan...
📣 We’re Hiring Again! 📣
We're looking for two Narrative Designers to join our team in 2026!
Prior games industry experience is a plus, but not required. What matters most that you're passio...
📣 We’re Hiring Again! 📣
We're looking for two Narrative Designers to join our team in 2026!
Prior games industry experience is a plus, but not required. What matters most that you're passionate abo...
www.linkedin.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:23 PM
My team is hiring narrative designers again!
* Entry to mid-level!
* Casual mobile games with campy fun stories
* Big caveat: after a few months remote, you gotta do a year or two in-office in Beijing!
* Pay is low by US standards but great for Beijing or Europe
www.linkedin.com/posts/alexan...
* Entry to mid-level!
* Casual mobile games with campy fun stories
* Big caveat: after a few months remote, you gotta do a year or two in-office in Beijing!
* Pay is low by US standards but great for Beijing or Europe
www.linkedin.com/posts/alexan...
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
I’ve been in game dev for 26 years and I can’t remember any other time where a specific tech was being insistently and persistently pushed on devs as a group in the public sphere.
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
My conspiracy theory about genAI in games blowing up more and more by big companies is that they’ve all got a ton of investors insisting they use genAI tools otherwise they(investors) won’t be able to bankroll em anymore
December 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
I’ve been in game dev for 26 years and I can’t remember any other time where a specific tech was being insistently and persistently pushed on devs as a group in the public sphere.
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
🚨 My new article 'Antagonistic Game Design: the Author as a Player' is out on #Eludamos (Journal for Computer Game Culture)! 🚨
>> septentrio.uit.no/index.php/el... <<
WARNING: might contains traces of @cloobot.bsky.social @doougle.net @jzagal.bsky.social @foddy.net and @add-hawk.bsky.social XD
>> septentrio.uit.no/index.php/el... <<
WARNING: might contains traces of @cloobot.bsky.social @doougle.net @jzagal.bsky.social @foddy.net and @add-hawk.bsky.social XD
December 19, 2025 at 9:36 AM
🚨 My new article 'Antagonistic Game Design: the Author as a Player' is out on #Eludamos (Journal for Computer Game Culture)! 🚨
>> septentrio.uit.no/index.php/el... <<
WARNING: might contains traces of @cloobot.bsky.social @doougle.net @jzagal.bsky.social @foddy.net and @add-hawk.bsky.social XD
>> septentrio.uit.no/index.php/el... <<
WARNING: might contains traces of @cloobot.bsky.social @doougle.net @jzagal.bsky.social @foddy.net and @add-hawk.bsky.social XD
What makes for JUICYNESS in a game? You can read about it, watch videos, but you could also experience it directly in a few videogame vignettes collected here: cytea.itch.io/experimental...
Experimental Juiciness by CYTea
A collection of experimental projects on Game Juicy
cytea.itch.io
December 19, 2025 at 12:19 AM
What makes for JUICYNESS in a game? You can read about it, watch videos, but you could also experience it directly in a few videogame vignettes collected here: cytea.itch.io/experimental...
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
New award idea: Best Undigested Game 😅
Probably at odds with popular voting, as everyone has a different game that they grew to love. But yeah, those types of games are so special! Maybe more and more as time goes on...
Full interview: www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-g...
Probably at odds with popular voting, as everyone has a different game that they grew to love. But yeah, those types of games are so special! Maybe more and more as time goes on...
Full interview: www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-g...
Woodkid Says Hideo Kojima Changed 'Death Stranding 2' Because It Wasn't 'Polarizing'
Woodkid and Kojima built 'Death Stranding 2's soundtrack together over three years
www.rollingstone.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:32 PM
New award idea: Best Undigested Game 😅
Probably at odds with popular voting, as everyone has a different game that they grew to love. But yeah, those types of games are so special! Maybe more and more as time goes on...
Full interview: www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-g...
Probably at odds with popular voting, as everyone has a different game that they grew to love. But yeah, those types of games are so special! Maybe more and more as time goes on...
Full interview: www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-g...
Wow! @utah.edu games alumni triple threat here! Congrats Jai S., Jackie C. and Spencer N. for your work on @gearboxofficial.bsky.social's Borderlands 4! I should make a Claptrap joke here but that would date me w/r to Borderlands references... Thank you!
December 18, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Wow! @utah.edu games alumni triple threat here! Congrats Jai S., Jackie C. and Spencer N. for your work on @gearboxofficial.bsky.social's Borderlands 4! I should make a Claptrap joke here but that would date me w/r to Borderlands references... Thank you!
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
As part of our project to preserve the history of Sega Channel, we have recovered OVER 100 new Sega Channel ROMs, including the legendary lost game Garfield: Caught in the Act - The Lost Levels.
Read more: gamehistory.org/segachannel/
Read more: gamehistory.org/segachannel/
December 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM
As part of our project to preserve the history of Sega Channel, we have recovered OVER 100 new Sega Channel ROMs, including the legendary lost game Garfield: Caught in the Act - The Lost Levels.
Read more: gamehistory.org/segachannel/
Read more: gamehistory.org/segachannel/
New games for Critical Game Design Seminar: SIMULATION! Criteria: hopefully <$20, diversity in sim genre (ex. life, dating, driving, farming, mngmnt, immersive) I haven't played it already, I want to play it, reasonably well reviewed). I arbitrarily excluded war/combat sims. #UtahGames @utah.edu
December 15, 2025 at 6:10 AM
New games for Critical Game Design Seminar: SIMULATION! Criteria: hopefully <$20, diversity in sim genre (ex. life, dating, driving, farming, mngmnt, immersive) I haven't played it already, I want to play it, reasonably well reviewed). I arbitrarily excluded war/combat sims. #UtahGames @utah.edu
Congrats to Cory Davis and team for Sleep Awake! I'm just now reading the preview in @edgemagazine.bsky.social ... Better late than never?
December 14, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Congrats to Cory Davis and team for Sleep Awake! I'm just now reading the preview in @edgemagazine.bsky.social ... Better late than never?
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞!
𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
𝟮𝟱-𝟮𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮
The call for papers will go live in January 2026!
Keep an eye here and also on www.history-of-games.com/2026-hong-ko... for news and updates!
𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
𝟮𝟱-𝟮𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮
The call for papers will go live in January 2026!
Keep an eye here and also on www.history-of-games.com/2026-hong-ko... for news and updates!
December 10, 2025 at 8:38 PM
𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞!
𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
𝟮𝟱-𝟮𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮
The call for papers will go live in January 2026!
Keep an eye here and also on www.history-of-games.com/2026-hong-ko... for news and updates!
𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
𝟮𝟱-𝟮𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮
The call for papers will go live in January 2026!
Keep an eye here and also on www.history-of-games.com/2026-hong-ko... for news and updates!
Reposted by Dr. José Zagal
@brocktoon.bsky.social has an excellent contribution to miniatures studies, and I never knew the colonial erasure in the name "mancala."
AND we had a great time at the inaugural BIPOC in Gaming conference at @thestrongmuseum.bsky.social
AND we had a great time at the inaugural BIPOC in Gaming conference at @thestrongmuseum.bsky.social
Our December issue is now available!
Postcards from the 2025 BIPOC Game Studies Conference
Getting in Good Troubles with Mancala — Rebecca Y. Bayeck, Joseph M. Bayeck, and Olu Randle
Defining the Miniatures Wargame: Five Pillars — Ian Williams
Check it out:
analoggamestudies.org
Postcards from the 2025 BIPOC Game Studies Conference
Getting in Good Troubles with Mancala — Rebecca Y. Bayeck, Joseph M. Bayeck, and Olu Randle
Defining the Miniatures Wargame: Five Pillars — Ian Williams
Check it out:
analoggamestudies.org
Analog Game Studies
analoggamestudies.org
December 8, 2025 at 11:15 PM
@brocktoon.bsky.social has an excellent contribution to miniatures studies, and I never knew the colonial erasure in the name "mancala."
AND we had a great time at the inaugural BIPOC in Gaming conference at @thestrongmuseum.bsky.social
AND we had a great time at the inaugural BIPOC in Gaming conference at @thestrongmuseum.bsky.social