Jonaya Kemper
@violetriotgames.bsky.social
Assistant Teaching Professor of Playable and Participatory Media in Creative Technologies and Performance, Play & Design:Games @ UCSC. Award winning Game Designer/Artist. Afrofuturist. Opinions are my own.
jonayakemper.com
jonayakemper.com
Pinned
I'm Jonaya, and introductions are not my jam, but you know what is? This weird list of attributes:
-award winning game designer
-chaotic academic
-Interdisciplinary Artist.
-pioneered the theory of emancipatory bleed
-exceptional writer of theater and all game types
-Play is my business
-award winning game designer
-chaotic academic
-Interdisciplinary Artist.
-pioneered the theory of emancipatory bleed
-exceptional writer of theater and all game types
-Play is my business
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
holy HECK I cannot wait to brag about the amazing artists we have joining us for Swords Without Master, folks, goodness GRACIOUS I am HYPED! UP! FOR! SWORDS!
*cough*
...thus it behooves me to implore you to stay tuned here for all the news: www.kickstarter.com/projects/unw...
*cough*
...thus it behooves me to implore you to stay tuned here for all the news: www.kickstarter.com/projects/unw...
Coming soon: Swords Without Master
A ttrpg of strange sorceries, brutal violence and astounding wonder by Epidiah Ravachol.
www.kickstarter.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:24 PM
holy HECK I cannot wait to brag about the amazing artists we have joining us for Swords Without Master, folks, goodness GRACIOUS I am HYPED! UP! FOR! SWORDS!
*cough*
...thus it behooves me to implore you to stay tuned here for all the news: www.kickstarter.com/projects/unw...
*cough*
...thus it behooves me to implore you to stay tuned here for all the news: www.kickstarter.com/projects/unw...
If I ever become wealthy enough to give large sums of money to people, I would literally pay absurd amounts for Meg to spend as much time as she wants doing these threads.
#LHSRescue thread for the day! I have here two 1920s dresses to review. I wish there were polls here, so I could ask y’all if you’d like to see the silver one or the gold one first.
#DressHistory #FashionHistory #embroidery #sparkle #beading #1920s
#DressHistory #FashionHistory #embroidery #sparkle #beading #1920s
November 20, 2025 at 8:26 PM
If I ever become wealthy enough to give large sums of money to people, I would literally pay absurd amounts for Meg to spend as much time as she wants doing these threads.
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
A place of honor and goodness. A bastion of hope. A lighthouse in the long dark. A pillar of the community. YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY, BABY!!!
November 20, 2025 at 7:58 PM
A place of honor and goodness. A bastion of hope. A lighthouse in the long dark. A pillar of the community. YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY, BABY!!!
The look on students' faces when I tell them writing adventures help put me through grad school is something I wish I could distill in a bottle. Learning how to write well is worth so much.
November 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
The look on students' faces when I tell them writing adventures help put me through grad school is something I wish I could distill in a bottle. Learning how to write well is worth so much.
Today I gave a quick pitch for my larp class entitled, "Larp is Cool, Actually and a student asked if some APs were larps, and I was like, "Great question! ...you know what. Some APs are getting really fucking close. But let's not tell them that."
November 19, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Today I gave a quick pitch for my larp class entitled, "Larp is Cool, Actually and a student asked if some APs were larps, and I was like, "Great question! ...you know what. Some APs are getting really fucking close. But let's not tell them that."
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
#BakerHouseBand 2025! This is the current #AW3rd game going on at our house. These folks will be credited in the book as early players, and many of them will be contributing to the e-zine of additional materials.
November 19, 2025 at 9:43 PM
#BakerHouseBand 2025! This is the current #AW3rd game going on at our house. These folks will be credited in the book as early players, and many of them will be contributing to the e-zine of additional materials.
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
My latest short story is out on @nightmare-magazine.com! Along with an author interview!
Special thanks to editor @wnwagner.bsky.social for trusting in the freakiest thing I’ve ever written!
www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/blee...
Special thanks to editor @wnwagner.bsky.social for trusting in the freakiest thing I’ve ever written!
www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/blee...
Bleed for Me, Bro - Nightmare Magazine
Watching Jules claw his way back to life was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. This was the kind of scene artists immortalized with gold and lapis lazuli illumination, the kind of scene that soared, he...
www.nightmare-magazine.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:41 PM
My latest short story is out on @nightmare-magazine.com! Along with an author interview!
Special thanks to editor @wnwagner.bsky.social for trusting in the freakiest thing I’ve ever written!
www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/blee...
Special thanks to editor @wnwagner.bsky.social for trusting in the freakiest thing I’ve ever written!
www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/blee...
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
I’d love it if games journalists and awards stopped using the word game to only mean video game.
November 19, 2025 at 3:36 AM
I’d love it if games journalists and awards stopped using the word game to only mean video game.
Can't believe I wrote *no* backstory for my tiefling cleric, except that she's a happy go lucky card sharp deeply devoted to her Goddess (Tymora) and was raised inside of a Tymorean temple which she was left on the doorstep of. This is the first time I've made a no thoughts, just vibes character.
November 19, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Can't believe I wrote *no* backstory for my tiefling cleric, except that she's a happy go lucky card sharp deeply devoted to her Goddess (Tymora) and was raised inside of a Tymorean temple which she was left on the doorstep of. This is the first time I've made a no thoughts, just vibes character.
Working at a UC makes me want to make a game about wizard professors doing their best while fighting horrors beyond the means of understanding...on a budget of 80 gold coins.
"Spell components have risen dramatically since the 65 trade wars this realm started...and what of apprentice housing?!"
"Spell components have risen dramatically since the 65 trade wars this realm started...and what of apprentice housing?!"
November 18, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Working at a UC makes me want to make a game about wizard professors doing their best while fighting horrors beyond the means of understanding...on a budget of 80 gold coins.
"Spell components have risen dramatically since the 65 trade wars this realm started...and what of apprentice housing?!"
"Spell components have risen dramatically since the 65 trade wars this realm started...and what of apprentice housing?!"
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
"I don't know" is one of the most powerful intellectual positions imaginable.
Where you plant your "I don't know" flag signals your research question, methodology, and even what *counts* as evidence.
Current commercial manifestations of GenAI make it so you cannot even see the spot on the ground.
Where you plant your "I don't know" flag signals your research question, methodology, and even what *counts* as evidence.
Current commercial manifestations of GenAI make it so you cannot even see the spot on the ground.
My biggest GenAI-related intellectual fear is about the future of “I don’t know”
Giving medical advice, sometimes ChatGPT is right, and sometimes it is quite wrong, but it is hard to tell the difference:
"Rather, Wachter identified something more frightening: ChatGPT’s dangerous answers don’t sound risky to a non-doctor. The chatbot always sounds confident and authoritative."
"Rather, Wachter identified something more frightening: ChatGPT’s dangerous answers don’t sound risky to a non-doctor. The chatbot always sounds confident and authoritative."
November 18, 2025 at 12:15 PM
"I don't know" is one of the most powerful intellectual positions imaginable.
Where you plant your "I don't know" flag signals your research question, methodology, and even what *counts* as evidence.
Current commercial manifestations of GenAI make it so you cannot even see the spot on the ground.
Where you plant your "I don't know" flag signals your research question, methodology, and even what *counts* as evidence.
Current commercial manifestations of GenAI make it so you cannot even see the spot on the ground.
I need everything not to be the same week in May. 😭 But please check this out.
I'm running a Jubensha convention in London on May 8-9th 2026!
Play games, learn how Jubensha is made, and meet designers from Suspense Studios (KMS Games), Chronic Insanity, and the people behind Spy of the Year!
Sign up to keep updated (and so I know how many people will come!)
Play games, learn how Jubensha is made, and meet designers from Suspense Studios (KMS Games), Chronic Insanity, and the people behind Spy of the Year!
Sign up to keep updated (and so I know how many people will come!)
Jubensha Convention 2026
Hello – I'm Adrian Hon, and I'm organising a Jubensha Convention in London at Theatre Deli! It'll run from 6-9pm on Friday 8th May, and from 10am to 9pm on Saturday 9th May 2026.
It's not going to be...
docs.google.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I need everything not to be the same week in May. 😭 But please check this out.
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
Tampere Game Research Lab Spring Seminar is on the horizon again. This will be out 22nd annual game studies work in progress seminar. The theme is different each year, this time it is Events and Communities.
Check out the CFP.
Check out the CFP.
2026 | Call for Papers
Events are at the heart of game and play cultures. They are organized for many reasons and purposes, bringing people together to play, socialize, compete, learn and teach, network, sell, perform, c…
springseminar.org
November 18, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Tampere Game Research Lab Spring Seminar is on the horizon again. This will be out 22nd annual game studies work in progress seminar. The theme is different each year, this time it is Events and Communities.
Check out the CFP.
Check out the CFP.
I think a part of the reason I love going to historical events dressed in historical clothing despite the fact someone will pull a historical racism at me at least once is because my ancestors couldn't fight back, but I can. Anyway, I just finished all this braiding and making custom silk buttons.
November 18, 2025 at 6:18 PM
I think a part of the reason I love going to historical events dressed in historical clothing despite the fact someone will pull a historical racism at me at least once is because my ancestors couldn't fight back, but I can. Anyway, I just finished all this braiding and making custom silk buttons.
I am doing all my emails today, and it strikes me to ask this question.
Are you a ttrpg/larp game designer with no teaching/ academic experience? Are you interested in learning about teaching? If so, what would be helpful for you? A workshop? An informal talk session? I want to know.
Are you a ttrpg/larp game designer with no teaching/ academic experience? Are you interested in learning about teaching? If so, what would be helpful for you? A workshop? An informal talk session? I want to know.
November 17, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I am doing all my emails today, and it strikes me to ask this question.
Are you a ttrpg/larp game designer with no teaching/ academic experience? Are you interested in learning about teaching? If so, what would be helpful for you? A workshop? An informal talk session? I want to know.
Are you a ttrpg/larp game designer with no teaching/ academic experience? Are you interested in learning about teaching? If so, what would be helpful for you? A workshop? An informal talk session? I want to know.
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
In 2016, the Apocalypse World 2nd Ed campaign ended at $149,681. We'd like to beat that!
At $149,682, we'll get with the original authors and update three classic playbooks:
• The Faceless by Bret Gillan
• The News by Josh Savoie
• The Show by Elliot Baker
At $149,682, we'll get with the original authors and update three classic playbooks:
• The Faceless by Bret Gillan
• The News by Josh Savoie
• The Show by Elliot Baker
Apocalypse World: Burned Over
The 3rd edition of the groundbreaking original.
www.kickstarter.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM
In 2016, the Apocalypse World 2nd Ed campaign ended at $149,681. We'd like to beat that!
At $149,682, we'll get with the original authors and update three classic playbooks:
• The Faceless by Bret Gillan
• The News by Josh Savoie
• The Show by Elliot Baker
At $149,682, we'll get with the original authors and update three classic playbooks:
• The Faceless by Bret Gillan
• The News by Josh Savoie
• The Show by Elliot Baker
In Hades 2, Chronos is really just your bootstrap philosophy loving Grandpa who won't let you inherit a house.
November 15, 2025 at 4:45 AM
In Hades 2, Chronos is really just your bootstrap philosophy loving Grandpa who won't let you inherit a house.
If I had a dollar for every kid who came into my office because they heard there was a larp professor but they didn't believe it, I'd have eight dollars.
Which is a lot because last week I would have had zero.
Which is a lot because last week I would have had zero.
November 14, 2025 at 2:15 AM
If I had a dollar for every kid who came into my office because they heard there was a larp professor but they didn't believe it, I'd have eight dollars.
Which is a lot because last week I would have had zero.
Which is a lot because last week I would have had zero.
As the former Vice President of the Anime Club you have NO idea how heartwarming it is to have students show you their cosplays.
November 13, 2025 at 7:58 PM
As the former Vice President of the Anime Club you have NO idea how heartwarming it is to have students show you their cosplays.
So apparently rock paper scissors has become a fascist meme where paper (n*zi salute) beats rock (solidarity fist). From a game design perspective I just want to clarify that scissors (a tool with really sharp edges) beat paper. 🤷🏾
November 9, 2025 at 4:27 PM
So apparently rock paper scissors has become a fascist meme where paper (n*zi salute) beats rock (solidarity fist). From a game design perspective I just want to clarify that scissors (a tool with really sharp edges) beat paper. 🤷🏾
I genuinely wish this would be an option for more kickstarters. I just keep lending my game copies out to my students and sometimes they never come back. It makes it much easier for me to use your game in my classes if I can purchase a lot of them.
Yes this exactly what we mean. If you want everyone in your group to have their own copy, we want to make that a little easier for you. This also makes it easier for people like @friede.bsky.social and @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social and @czamboni.bsky.social to pick up classroom copies.
congratulations on this amazingly successful launch - this rules. quick question - when you say "retailer / coop", do you mean i can join forces with my pals and buy a bunch of copies to share, without being a retailer?
November 9, 2025 at 4:46 AM
I genuinely wish this would be an option for more kickstarters. I just keep lending my game copies out to my students and sometimes they never come back. It makes it much easier for me to use your game in my classes if I can purchase a lot of them.
Reposted by Jonaya Kemper
I mean... Why else would we have all these dice?
November 8, 2025 at 9:41 PM
I mean... Why else would we have all these dice?
Last week I did some research in New Orleans on liminal play spaces. I got the chance to attend the Anne Rice Fan Club's annual ball; a childhood dream come true. For a ball that's not a larp, I sure did forget I wasn't an immortal coquette.
November 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Last week I did some research in New Orleans on liminal play spaces. I got the chance to attend the Anne Rice Fan Club's annual ball; a childhood dream come true. For a ball that's not a larp, I sure did forget I wasn't an immortal coquette.
My new horror sentence starter is, "Due to budget cuts..."
November 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM
My new horror sentence starter is, "Due to budget cuts..."
I need us all to internalize that there are more larps than boffer larps or international blockbuster larps. Parlor and freeform larps provide just as much power. One of the best larps I have ever played isBut Not Tonight by @yeonsoonerorlater.bsky.social. It's accessible and packs a punch.
October 27, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I need us all to internalize that there are more larps than boffer larps or international blockbuster larps. Parlor and freeform larps provide just as much power. One of the best larps I have ever played isBut Not Tonight by @yeonsoonerorlater.bsky.social. It's accessible and packs a punch.