Carly A. Kocurek
@sparklebliss.bsky.social
Experience design, video game history, writing. Prof and associate dean @ Illinois Tech. Books: Coin-Operated Americans (Minnesota), Brenda Laurel (Bloomsbury), Historiographies of Game Studies (Punctum).
A shame I can't laugh react to these puns, which I am enjoying muchly.
October 6, 2025 at 1:25 AM
A shame I can't laugh react to these puns, which I am enjoying muchly.
Reposted by Carly A. Kocurek
More feds and protesters have arrived. Maybe 100 neighbors here now. Close to 50 Feds. Agents appear armed with a full assortment of chemical munitions.
Protesters moved 30+ feet back as agents with tear gas launchers moved to the front line.
It’s also 86° in Chicago rn.
Protesters moved 30+ feet back as agents with tear gas launchers moved to the front line.
It’s also 86° in Chicago rn.
October 4, 2025 at 6:33 PM
More feds and protesters have arrived. Maybe 100 neighbors here now. Close to 50 Feds. Agents appear armed with a full assortment of chemical munitions.
Protesters moved 30+ feet back as agents with tear gas launchers moved to the front line.
It’s also 86° in Chicago rn.
Protesters moved 30+ feet back as agents with tear gas launchers moved to the front line.
It’s also 86° in Chicago rn.
The helicopters have CBP livery and do not show up on any radar. They are treating us like a war zone.
October 4, 2025 at 12:28 AM
The helicopters have CBP livery and do not show up on any radar. They are treating us like a war zone.
We got a note from my child's school, saying they couldn't go outside all day because ICE activity has been so high. Like, it is all so very bad. I am so angry and scared. I can still hear the helicopters.
October 3, 2025 at 9:09 PM
We got a note from my child's school, saying they couldn't go outside all day because ICE activity has been so high. Like, it is all so very bad. I am so angry and scared. I can still hear the helicopters.
They are terrorizing a city of ordinary people trying to do normal things like go to school and buy groceries and practice piano.
October 3, 2025 at 9:05 PM
They are terrorizing a city of ordinary people trying to do normal things like go to school and buy groceries and practice piano.
My child's music teacher just sent out a note warning everyone that ICE is extremely active near the music school.
October 3, 2025 at 9:04 PM
My child's music teacher just sent out a note warning everyone that ICE is extremely active near the music school.
I have been able to hear helicopters from my house all day. How dare they. How dare they do this to my beautiful city. To these good people.
October 3, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I have been able to hear helicopters from my house all day. How dare they. How dare they do this to my beautiful city. To these good people.
I find I worry about professionalism but students' expectations of professionalism don't actually demand some weird aloof standard. It is ok to care about and enjoy teaching.
September 30, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I find I worry about professionalism but students' expectations of professionalism don't actually demand some weird aloof standard. It is ok to care about and enjoy teaching.
Common, yes. Normal is debatable. I always become worried I was unprofessional or something. I am sorry about the bad feeling. I hope it feels different and better later.
September 30, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Common, yes. Normal is debatable. I always become worried I was unprofessional or something. I am sorry about the bad feeling. I hope it feels different and better later.
We let her watch YouTube with careful supervision. She can watch anything on certain streaming accounts under her own profile. Anything else she has to ask. It works ok.
September 30, 2025 at 7:07 PM
We let her watch YouTube with careful supervision. She can watch anything on certain streaming accounts under her own profile. Anything else she has to ask. It works ok.
You still have a lot of player interaction even without voice and chat. (See, for example, emoji-based simulated orgies happening in the Lego game they made specifically to be more kid friendly). Additionally, the game is not the appropriate difficulty level for her skills or attention span.
September 30, 2025 at 6:57 PM
You still have a lot of player interaction even without voice and chat. (See, for example, emoji-based simulated orgies happening in the Lego game they made specifically to be more kid friendly). Additionally, the game is not the appropriate difficulty level for her skills or attention span.
It is so weird because we are extremely screen permissive on certain things (movies especially and overall volume) but everything is contained in the house. Like, play minecraft for hours on our private server? Absolutely.
September 30, 2025 at 5:53 PM
It is so weird because we are extremely screen permissive on certain things (movies especially and overall volume) but everything is contained in the house. Like, play minecraft for hours on our private server? Absolutely.
No, she is so young she just said, "aww, man" and was worried telling her friend she couldn't friend him in game would hurt his feelings. (We told her we could have him over to play games at our house instead.)
September 30, 2025 at 5:39 PM
No, she is so young she just said, "aww, man" and was worried telling her friend she couldn't friend him in game would hurt his feelings. (We told her we could have him over to play games at our house instead.)