Michael Hancock
@personofcon.bsky.social
Phd haver and UWaterloo English instructor. Interested in games, digital media, comic books, and gamebooks. He/him
Reposted by Michael Hancock
Congratulations to our newest PhD graduate, Dr. Aleksander Franiczek, who successfully defended his dissertation, "Immersion, Roleplaying, Narrative Design: Concepts for Understanding Videogame Narrative." tinyurl.com/5xpkucwx
November 13, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Congratulations to our newest PhD graduate, Dr. Aleksander Franiczek, who successfully defended his dissertation, "Immersion, Roleplaying, Narrative Design: Concepts for Understanding Videogame Narrative." tinyurl.com/5xpkucwx
I like the term remap radio came up with for knowledge games, lore and logic--though I realize that the name of the term is less the issue than its overencompassing application
azhdarchid.com/against-metr...
I really do hate the term 'metroidbrania'. I think so do many of you. Let's nip it in the bud before it becomes something people are financially invested in.
I really do hate the term 'metroidbrania'. I think so do many of you. Let's nip it in the bud before it becomes something people are financially invested in.
Against 'Metroidbrania': a Landscape of Knowledge Games
What are knowledge games? How do we relate them to each other? What sub-genres exist – and which ones might be implied?
azhdarchid.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:11 AM
I like the term remap radio came up with for knowledge games, lore and logic--though I realize that the name of the term is less the issue than its overencompassing application
#SundayReading To start with the reading for my classes, I read Chapter 29: Posters and Conference Abstracts by Angie Hofmann for my science communication course, and Nathan Altice's essay on the Playing Card platform for my academic writing course.
November 10, 2025 at 4:53 AM
#SundayReading To start with the reading for my classes, I read Chapter 29: Posters and Conference Abstracts by Angie Hofmann for my science communication course, and Nathan Altice's essay on the Playing Card platform for my academic writing course.
Has there been an Elseworlds with the premise that the Court of Owls swooped in (heh) after the death of Bruce's parents, took him from Alfred, and raised him themselves?
November 8, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Has there been an Elseworlds with the premise that the Court of Owls swooped in (heh) after the death of Bruce's parents, took him from Alfred, and raised him themselves?
Reposted by Michael Hancock
For the past decade, I've been slowly cooking a small and humble book.
Part (alternative) history, part analysis, and part social critique, this is a look at what games also are and have always been.
ZEN AND SLOW GAMES
Out 20/1/2026 by MIT Press
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255356...
Part (alternative) history, part analysis, and part social critique, this is a look at what games also are and have always been.
ZEN AND SLOW GAMES
Out 20/1/2026 by MIT Press
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255356...
November 3, 2025 at 4:31 PM
For the past decade, I've been slowly cooking a small and humble book.
Part (alternative) history, part analysis, and part social critique, this is a look at what games also are and have always been.
ZEN AND SLOW GAMES
Out 20/1/2026 by MIT Press
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255356...
Part (alternative) history, part analysis, and part social critique, this is a look at what games also are and have always been.
ZEN AND SLOW GAMES
Out 20/1/2026 by MIT Press
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255356...
#SundayReading There wasn't much academic reading this week--I'll have to fix that--but I compensated by starting Too Many other books. My partner and I made a library outing, and I read the first chapter of six different books, which may have been a bad idea.
November 2, 2025 at 5:44 PM
#SundayReading There wasn't much academic reading this week--I'll have to fix that--but I compensated by starting Too Many other books. My partner and I made a library outing, and I read the first chapter of six different books, which may have been a bad idea.
Reposted by Michael Hancock
So, #Halloween decorations show up on #London's Streetviews more than you would think, but I never remember to capture any good shots to save for the holiday (same with Christmas). Instead, please enjoy this photo I found yesterday of a #fox - my second London fox sighting.
October 31, 2025 at 5:57 PM
So, #Halloween decorations show up on #London's Streetviews more than you would think, but I never remember to capture any good shots to save for the holiday (same with Christmas). Instead, please enjoy this photo I found yesterday of a #fox - my second London fox sighting.
Congratulations to the UW English grads!
Photos featuring some of our proud UWaterloo English MA and PhD grads who received their degrees this Saturday. Congratulations!
October 28, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Congratulations to the UW English grads!
Reposted by Michael Hancock
This week: 31 terrifying picks on haunted houses, costumes, Blue Prince, cozy games, friction, media literacy, and much, much more:
critical-distance.com/2025/10/26/o...
critical-distance.com/2025/10/26/o...
October 26th
Welcome back readers. We’ve got an absolutely stacked issue this week at 31 new-and-cool picks. If you like what we do here, please do check out the Patreon! I’m going to go lie down fo…
critical-distance.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:23 AM
This week: 31 terrifying picks on haunted houses, costumes, Blue Prince, cozy games, friction, media literacy, and much, much more:
critical-distance.com/2025/10/26/o...
critical-distance.com/2025/10/26/o...
#SundayReading This week, I read yet a little bit more of Charles L. Adler's Wizards Aliens and Starships, and Mario Bunge's s Philosophy of Physics. The Adler text is talking about space elevators, and Bunge about the relationship between math and physics.
October 26, 2025 at 3:30 PM
#SundayReading This week, I read yet a little bit more of Charles L. Adler's Wizards Aliens and Starships, and Mario Bunge's s Philosophy of Physics. The Adler text is talking about space elevators, and Bunge about the relationship between math and physics.
Reposted by Michael Hancock
Congratulations to our newest PhD graduate, Dr. Chris Martin, who successfully defended his dissertation, "Decoding QAnon: Building an Adaptive Alternative Reality at the Crossroads of American Conspiracism, Cultic Commodification, and Schizogenic Hyperreality." tinyurl.com/4z6nr2pv
October 23, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Congratulations to our newest PhD graduate, Dr. Chris Martin, who successfully defended his dissertation, "Decoding QAnon: Building an Adaptive Alternative Reality at the Crossroads of American Conspiracism, Cultic Commodification, and Schizogenic Hyperreality." tinyurl.com/4z6nr2pv
Game idea: Stephen King’s Needful Things plus the Atelier series.
October 23, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Game idea: Stephen King’s Needful Things plus the Atelier series.
After typing out about five different drafts, I have to admit my answer is "nothing I want to put on a public record."
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 21, 2025 at 8:07 PM
After typing out about five different drafts, I have to admit my answer is "nothing I want to put on a public record."
Reposted by Michael Hancock
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 16, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
#SundayReading It's Reading Week, and as a university instructor, that means I spent all my time grading. But I got some reading in too. My academic readings are shamefully at a standstill this week; hopefully I'll have some progress on that front in the near future.
October 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
#SundayReading It's Reading Week, and as a university instructor, that means I spent all my time grading. But I got some reading in too. My academic readings are shamefully at a standstill this week; hopefully I'll have some progress on that front in the near future.
Reposted by Michael Hancock
#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
“ #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
CfP: Nostalgia for the Future Book
Nostalgia for the Future? Any books on this? No? Let's write one, together.
shorturl.at
September 21, 2025 at 4:43 PM
#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
“ #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
“Could I be so out of touch?
“No, it is the Pope who is wrong.”
“No, it is the Pope who is wrong.”
heartbroken to learn the pope sympathizes with the poor. how can i continue to believe in god
October 18, 2025 at 2:43 AM
“Could I be so out of touch?
“No, it is the Pope who is wrong.”
“No, it is the Pope who is wrong.”
#SundayReading For academic reading, the holding pattern of the 3 physics books holds: I'm still reading The Philosophy of Physics by Mario Bunge; Wizards, Aliens, and Starships by Charles Adler; and The Many Voices of Modern Physics by Joseph E Harmon and Alan G Gross.
October 12, 2025 at 5:28 PM
#SundayReading For academic reading, the holding pattern of the 3 physics books holds: I'm still reading The Philosophy of Physics by Mario Bunge; Wizards, Aliens, and Starships by Charles Adler; and The Many Voices of Modern Physics by Joseph E Harmon and Alan G Gross.
Anarky was fighting dead presidents before Deadpool made it cool
Issue 7, for example, has Anarky teaming up with Haunted Tank to stop zombie presidents marching on the White House, and on the way, he gives a speech on how badly the US government is failing to uphold its own founding documents. Honestly, that's a winner concept, and it could work today.
October 5, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Anarky was fighting dead presidents before Deadpool made it cool
#SundayReading Academically, I'm working my way through some physics-related texts to pair with some physical science communication courses I'm teaching this term. First, Adler's Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and a section on the flying car.
October 5, 2025 at 4:19 PM
#SundayReading Academically, I'm working my way through some physics-related texts to pair with some physical science communication courses I'm teaching this term. First, Adler's Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and a section on the flying car.
Reposted by Michael Hancock
My book is out! 💗
Girlhood Games: Gender, Identity and Coming of Age in Videogames is a 6-year-long labour of love for young adult stories, teen heroines in videogames and unnoticed girly game histories.
Thank you @livvy.itch.io for the beautiful cover!
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
Girlhood Games: Gender, Identity and Coming of Age in Videogames is a 6-year-long labour of love for young adult stories, teen heroines in videogames and unnoticed girly game histories.
Thank you @livvy.itch.io for the beautiful cover!
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
October 1, 2025 at 11:29 PM
My book is out! 💗
Girlhood Games: Gender, Identity and Coming of Age in Videogames is a 6-year-long labour of love for young adult stories, teen heroines in videogames and unnoticed girly game histories.
Thank you @livvy.itch.io for the beautiful cover!
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
Girlhood Games: Gender, Identity and Coming of Age in Videogames is a 6-year-long labour of love for young adult stories, teen heroines in videogames and unnoticed girly game histories.
Thank you @livvy.itch.io for the beautiful cover!
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
Reposted by Michael Hancock
Great moment in the horror story I'm reading:
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
September 30, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Great moment in the horror story I'm reading:
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
Great moment in the horror story I'm reading:
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
September 30, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Great moment in the horror story I'm reading:
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
Little boy: is the man who took me in good?
Housekeeper: of course! Why, you're the third small child he's adopted, even after the last two disappeared without a trace!
#SundayReading This week, I have finally finished the Palgrave Handbook of Women and Science since 1660. And I've come away w/a greater appreciation of both the subject, and the monumental undertaking that is this book.
September 28, 2025 at 5:25 PM
#SundayReading This week, I have finally finished the Palgrave Handbook of Women and Science since 1660. And I've come away w/a greater appreciation of both the subject, and the monumental undertaking that is this book.
19 years ago, I had a nightmare so vivid I felt compelled to scrawl a description of it on the closest piece of paper, a credit card bill. Today, I found that note, and all it says is "I'm never going to wake up, am I?" Am I still dreaming? *chuckles* who could say?
September 27, 2025 at 4:13 AM
19 years ago, I had a nightmare so vivid I felt compelled to scrawl a description of it on the closest piece of paper, a credit card bill. Today, I found that note, and all it says is "I'm never going to wake up, am I?" Am I still dreaming? *chuckles* who could say?