Elisa Mekler
@elisamekler.bsky.social
sullen assoc prof @itu.dk
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Games, Theory;
ERC StG Theorycraft (2022 - 2027);
I like weird games and JRPGs (header image: Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor)
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Games, Theory;
ERC StG Theorycraft (2022 - 2027);
I like weird games and JRPGs (header image: Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor)
Pinned
Elisa Mekler
@elisamekler.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Don't usually care for my papers' download numbers and don't fully trust the ACM metrics. But hey, I'm v proud of this one and it would've annoyed April to see me brag about it.
1000 downloads on ACM DL. let's gooo!
(pls also actually read the paper. it's pretty good)
doi.org/10.1145/3673...
1000 downloads on ACM DL. let's gooo!
(pls also actually read the paper. it's pretty good)
doi.org/10.1145/3673...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Florence is both a game scholar and a game developer, and their work on archaeology and game worlds is a must for anybody interested in world building, or the culture of videogames and how to study it.
(If you’re a game developer or game scholar interested in game worlds, this talk is for you)
(If you’re a game developer or game scholar interested in game worlds, this talk is for you)
November 10, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Florence is both a game scholar and a game developer, and their work on archaeology and game worlds is a must for anybody interested in world building, or the culture of videogames and how to study it.
(If you’re a game developer or game scholar interested in game worlds, this talk is for you)
(If you’re a game developer or game scholar interested in game worlds, this talk is for you)
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Why should you attend this talk? Florence is one of the most interesting game scholars working on how videogames can be studied as culture, and how to expand the vocabulary we have for analyzing and making games.
November 10, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Why should you attend this talk? Florence is one of the most interesting game scholars working on how videogames can be studied as culture, and how to expand the vocabulary we have for analyzing and making games.
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Friends! On November 19th at 16:00, in Auditorium 3 at the ITU, we are hosting a talk by Florence Smith Nicholls. The talk is titled How to be a video game archaeologist. You can read about it here: digitalplay.itu.dk/event/floren...
How To Be A Video Game Archaeologist - A talk by Florence Smith Nicholls | Center for Digital Play
How To Be A Video Game Archaeologist - A talk by Florence Smith Nicholls
digitalplay.itu.dk
November 10, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Friends! On November 19th at 16:00, in Auditorium 3 at the ITU, we are hosting a talk by Florence Smith Nicholls. The talk is titled How to be a video game archaeologist. You can read about it here: digitalplay.itu.dk/event/floren...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Oh hey, that's me! Very much looking forward to giving this talk at ITU next week!
Friends! On November 19th at 16:00, in Auditorium 3 at the ITU, we are hosting a talk by Florence Smith Nicholls. The talk is titled How to be a video game archaeologist. You can read about it here: digitalplay.itu.dk/event/floren...
How To Be A Video Game Archaeologist - A talk by Florence Smith Nicholls | Center for Digital Play
How To Be A Video Game Archaeologist - A talk by Florence Smith Nicholls
digitalplay.itu.dk
November 10, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Oh hey, that's me! Very much looking forward to giving this talk at ITU next week!
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
So excited to see this piece about a larp that's very close to my heart (and a lovely mention of my Eurogamer article)
"It's not a tomb. It's a town. And it will always be."
Czech larp group, Rolling, are based out of a former Nazi concentration camp hospital. Their performances embrace the complications and pain of that history.
Czech larp group, Rolling, are based out of a former Nazi concentration camp hospital. Their performances embrace the complications and pain of that history.
A Czech larp group wrestles with Nazi history by roleplaying in its bones
Exploring Disco Elysium and the power of art in a former concentration camp.
www.rascal.news
November 6, 2025 at 5:30 PM
So excited to see this piece about a larp that's very close to my heart (and a lovely mention of my Eurogamer article)
Randomly remembered GamingSymmetry and the featured article series "The JRPG: An Intricate Genre".
Sad to see the site down. But at least the articles are still accessible (sin screenshots)
web.archive.org/web/20210412...
Sad to see the site down. But at least the articles are still accessible (sin screenshots)
web.archive.org/web/20210412...
Conclusion | Gaming Symmetry
web.archive.org
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Randomly remembered GamingSymmetry and the featured article series "The JRPG: An Intricate Genre".
Sad to see the site down. But at least the articles are still accessible (sin screenshots)
web.archive.org/web/20210412...
Sad to see the site down. But at least the articles are still accessible (sin screenshots)
web.archive.org/web/20210412...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Why were there gender-balanced teams at Sega in the late 80s, and why was this never the case again afterwards? I also provide a chronology of the industry's pioneers in Japan, while addressing the issue of gender discrimination, before discussing working conditions more broadly in a later chapter.
An overview of the status of women in the video game industry in Japan and in Japanese society more generally
(+ a focus on the career of Miki Morimoto, the second known woman to have directed a game at Sega)
vgdensetsu.net/riekokodama6
dispo en VF
vgdensetsu.net/riekokodamavf6
(+ a focus on the career of Miki Morimoto, the second known woman to have directed a game at Sega)
vgdensetsu.net/riekokodama6
dispo en VF
vgdensetsu.net/riekokodamavf6
November 3, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Why were there gender-balanced teams at Sega in the late 80s, and why was this never the case again afterwards? I also provide a chronology of the industry's pioneers in Japan, while addressing the issue of gender discrimination, before discussing working conditions more broadly in a later chapter.
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Back from my hiatus on here to announce our first study on Digital Ideologies. With @jhaapj.bsky.social and @matnel.bsky.social we explored connections between the affordances of social media and political ideologies.
There are differences… 🧵
📄 Get the #CSCW paper at dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
There are differences… 🧵
📄 Get the #CSCW paper at dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Affordances and Design Principles of The Political Left and Right | Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Like any form of technology, social media services embed values. To examine how societal
values may be present in these systems, we focus on exploring political ideology as
a value system. We organise...
dl.acm.org
October 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Back from my hiatus on here to announce our first study on Digital Ideologies. With @jhaapj.bsky.social and @matnel.bsky.social we explored connections between the affordances of social media and political ideologies.
There are differences… 🧵
📄 Get the #CSCW paper at dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
There are differences… 🧵
📄 Get the #CSCW paper at dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
For the Shadow of the Colossus story, we interviewed 14 people including project leads Fumito Ueda and Kenji Kaido, hired Gravity Rush concept artist Takeshi Oga to illustrate the cover, and put together a 10,000-word story with help from @milkman.bsky.social @shmuplations.bsky.social and others.
Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Team Ico’s masterpiece by looking back with 11 people who worked on it (and three who didn’t).
www.designroom.site
October 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
For the Shadow of the Colossus story, we interviewed 14 people including project leads Fumito Ueda and Kenji Kaido, hired Gravity Rush concept artist Takeshi Oga to illustrate the cover, and put together a 10,000-word story with help from @milkman.bsky.social @shmuplations.bsky.social and others.
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
PS1 Stories - Abalaburn is up!
Oh man oh wow neato
I'm doing a premier watch now. Why not?
👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDVe...
👆
Oh man oh wow neato
I'm doing a premier watch now. Why not?
👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDVe...
👆
October 13, 2025 at 1:04 PM
PS1 Stories - Abalaburn is up!
Oh man oh wow neato
I'm doing a premier watch now. Why not?
👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDVe...
👆
Oh man oh wow neato
I'm doing a premier watch now. Why not?
👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDVe...
👆
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
👀 We heard Nintendo is bringing the Virtual Boy back to gamers. While we can't get you the new add-on, the story behind this unique platform is completely free!
@jzagal.bsky.social & @benjedwards.com's "Seeing Red" is available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204506...
@jzagal.bsky.social & @benjedwards.com's "Seeing Red" is available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204506...
October 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
👀 We heard Nintendo is bringing the Virtual Boy back to gamers. While we can't get you the new add-on, the story behind this unique platform is completely free!
@jzagal.bsky.social & @benjedwards.com's "Seeing Red" is available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204506...
@jzagal.bsky.social & @benjedwards.com's "Seeing Red" is available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204506...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
SKATE STORY
Release Date Trailer - "Emptylands"
Release Date Trailer - "Emptylands"
Skate Story | OUT DECEMBER 8 🛹
YouTube video by DevolverDigital
youtu.be
October 9, 2025 at 3:00 PM
SKATE STORY
Release Date Trailer - "Emptylands"
Release Date Trailer - "Emptylands"
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Do you teach boardgames? We have just launched a survey asking about your experience! It takes about ten minutes to complete - please share!
Survey link: go.unimelb.edu.au/45qp
Survey link: go.unimelb.edu.au/45qp
October 8, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Do you teach boardgames? We have just launched a survey asking about your experience! It takes about ten minutes to complete - please share!
Survey link: go.unimelb.edu.au/45qp
Survey link: go.unimelb.edu.au/45qp
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
I'm giving a talk at @itu.dk on November 6th!
🎮 Play Utopia - Video Games for Critical Imagination in a Barcelona Youth Club 🔮
Thanks to @miguelsicart.bsky.social for organizing during my doctoral stay at the Center of Digital Play!
digitalplay.itu.dk/event/kevin-...
🎮 Play Utopia - Video Games for Critical Imagination in a Barcelona Youth Club 🔮
Thanks to @miguelsicart.bsky.social for organizing during my doctoral stay at the Center of Digital Play!
digitalplay.itu.dk/event/kevin-...
Play Utopia - Video Games for Critical Imagination in a Barcelona Youth Club | Center for Digital Play
Play Utopia - Video Games for Critical Imagination in a Barcelona Youth Club
digitalplay.itu.dk
October 8, 2025 at 9:24 AM
I'm giving a talk at @itu.dk on November 6th!
🎮 Play Utopia - Video Games for Critical Imagination in a Barcelona Youth Club 🔮
Thanks to @miguelsicart.bsky.social for organizing during my doctoral stay at the Center of Digital Play!
digitalplay.itu.dk/event/kevin-...
🎮 Play Utopia - Video Games for Critical Imagination in a Barcelona Youth Club 🔮
Thanks to @miguelsicart.bsky.social for organizing during my doctoral stay at the Center of Digital Play!
digitalplay.itu.dk/event/kevin-...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
They are not on bluesky, but you should totally check Fox Pierrot both tumblr and instagram, there are the best artist I know of.
Also, the link of the game:
juno-menager.itch.io/the-red-hous...
Also, the link of the game:
juno-menager.itch.io/the-red-hous...
The Red House on the third hill of Mataperros by Juno Menager, FOX PIERROT <:0)
A Stop Motion fable about finding an old online friend
juno-menager.itch.io
July 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
They are not on bluesky, but you should totally check Fox Pierrot both tumblr and instagram, there are the best artist I know of.
Also, the link of the game:
juno-menager.itch.io/the-red-hous...
Also, the link of the game:
juno-menager.itch.io/the-red-hous...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
🏠"The red House on the third hill of Mataperros"🏠
A Stop motion fable about finding an old online friend.
Made with Fox Pierrot and playable on Itchio.
A Stop motion fable about finding an old online friend.
Made with Fox Pierrot and playable on Itchio.
July 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
🏠"The red House on the third hill of Mataperros"🏠
A Stop motion fable about finding an old online friend.
Made with Fox Pierrot and playable on Itchio.
A Stop motion fable about finding an old online friend.
Made with Fox Pierrot and playable on Itchio.
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Herdling is OUT NOW✨
I‘m really happy and proud of what our wonderful team has come up with!
Get the game now and help us spread the word 💜
I‘m really happy and proud of what our wonderful team has come up with!
Get the game now and help us spread the word 💜
Herdling is OUT NOW! We’re stoked to finally invite you on this journey 🐐🦬🐏⛰️
Get the game now on Steam, Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S or Game Pass, links below!
We’ll give away 5 Steam keys among everyone who reposts this 🎉🎉🎉
Get the game now on Steam, Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S or Game Pass, links below!
We’ll give away 5 Steam keys among everyone who reposts this 🎉🎉🎉
August 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Herdling is OUT NOW✨
I‘m really happy and proud of what our wonderful team has come up with!
Get the game now and help us spread the word 💜
I‘m really happy and proud of what our wonderful team has come up with!
Get the game now and help us spread the word 💜
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
OFF was hitting things off with the indie #RPG explosion of yesteryear, some of the most unique passion projects you could possibly play. A vocal fanbase has kept its spirit alive -- and even inspired new developers. 👻 It's good to go back!
Full Review: www.rpgfan.com/review/off-r...
Full Review: www.rpgfan.com/review/off-r...
August 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM
OFF was hitting things off with the indie #RPG explosion of yesteryear, some of the most unique passion projects you could possibly play. A vocal fanbase has kept its spirit alive -- and even inspired new developers. 👻 It's good to go back!
Full Review: www.rpgfan.com/review/off-r...
Full Review: www.rpgfan.com/review/off-r...
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
In my time on YouTube, I've covered countless obscure hits, Japan-only hidden gems, and some of the most important and culturally relevant games of the PlayStation era.
This is not one of those videos.
Silly PS1 Licensed Games is out now!
youtu.be/sbwJeN1qrUk
This is not one of those videos.
Silly PS1 Licensed Games is out now!
youtu.be/sbwJeN1qrUk
August 13, 2025 at 8:08 PM
In my time on YouTube, I've covered countless obscure hits, Japan-only hidden gems, and some of the most important and culturally relevant games of the PlayStation era.
This is not one of those videos.
Silly PS1 Licensed Games is out now!
youtu.be/sbwJeN1qrUk
This is not one of those videos.
Silly PS1 Licensed Games is out now!
youtu.be/sbwJeN1qrUk
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
I like how Capcom thought to themselves, "You know what's cool? Girl blacksmiths."
And you know what? I agree.
#MHArt #MonsterHunter #DevilMayCry #DMCart #art #fanart
And you know what? I agree.
#MHArt #MonsterHunter #DevilMayCry #DMCart #art #fanart
November 25, 2024 at 5:54 AM
I like how Capcom thought to themselves, "You know what's cool? Girl blacksmiths."
And you know what? I agree.
#MHArt #MonsterHunter #DevilMayCry #DMCart #art #fanart
And you know what? I agree.
#MHArt #MonsterHunter #DevilMayCry #DMCart #art #fanart
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Mashina is very quickly becoming one my favourite things I’ve played this year! Everything in the game is physically handmade which gives it such a cozy, special, DIY feel when you see it in motion. Gameplay is tons of fun too, it reminds me of making weird little tunnels along the beach as a kid
August 12, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Mashina is very quickly becoming one my favourite things I’ve played this year! Everything in the game is physically handmade which gives it such a cozy, special, DIY feel when you see it in motion. Gameplay is tons of fun too, it reminds me of making weird little tunnels along the beach as a kid
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
under present day rampant online censorship, and the way it’s affecting queer art & games… it’s a good time to point out that there’s a lot of DIY ways to distribute your work that don’t rely on a third party… like…
github.com/9001/copyparty
“turn almost any device into a file server”
github.com/9001/copyparty
“turn almost any device into a file server”
GitHub - 9001/copyparty: Portable file server with accelerated resumable uploads, dedup, WebDAV, FTP, TFTP, zeroconf, media indexer, thumbnails++ all in one file, no deps
Portable file server with accelerated resumable uploads, dedup, WebDAV, FTP, TFTP, zeroconf, media indexer, thumbnails++ all in one file, no deps - 9001/copyparty
github.com
August 12, 2025 at 8:14 AM
under present day rampant online censorship, and the way it’s affecting queer art & games… it’s a good time to point out that there’s a lot of DIY ways to distribute your work that don’t rely on a third party… like…
github.com/9001/copyparty
“turn almost any device into a file server”
github.com/9001/copyparty
“turn almost any device into a file server”
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
8. This has been a short and honestly rather peevish thread, so if you want read more that has been written in a more equanimous tone, here's a short piece that I coauthored a few years ago, precisely about how we deal with this kind of duplicity.
To Fight Misinformation, We Need to Teach That Science Is Dynamic
Science is a social process, and teaching students how researchers work in tandem to develop facts will make them less likely to be duped by falsehoods
www.scientificamerican.com
August 12, 2025 at 5:18 AM
8. This has been a short and honestly rather peevish thread, so if you want read more that has been written in a more equanimous tone, here's a short piece that I coauthored a few years ago, precisely about how we deal with this kind of duplicity.
Reposted by Elisa Mekler
Question to the BlueSky game studies-crowd!
What are some of the best studies you know about the psychological, emotional and cognitive engagement of players with game fictions?
I'm thinking of books by @kcisbister.bsky.social , Aubrey Anable and some others, but any other key recommendations?
What are some of the best studies you know about the psychological, emotional and cognitive engagement of players with game fictions?
I'm thinking of books by @kcisbister.bsky.social , Aubrey Anable and some others, but any other key recommendations?
August 6, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Question to the BlueSky game studies-crowd!
What are some of the best studies you know about the psychological, emotional and cognitive engagement of players with game fictions?
I'm thinking of books by @kcisbister.bsky.social , Aubrey Anable and some others, but any other key recommendations?
What are some of the best studies you know about the psychological, emotional and cognitive engagement of players with game fictions?
I'm thinking of books by @kcisbister.bsky.social , Aubrey Anable and some others, but any other key recommendations?