Samantha Trzinski, PhD
@srtrzinski.bsky.social
PhD in 19th-century British literature at The Ohio State University. Contributing Editor with Gamers with Glasses.
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
This Halloween, we invite you to remember the horror that is...Kirby:
"Kirby is a shapeshifter, fueled by the essence of the living beings that he consumes...He shows up, he consumes all, and he leaves, with a trail of corpses in his wake."
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/kir...
"Kirby is a shapeshifter, fueled by the essence of the living beings that he consumes...He shows up, he consumes all, and he leaves, with a trail of corpses in his wake."
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/kir...
Kirby is the Nightmare in Dreamland — Gamers with Glasses
For decades, Nintendo has tried to pass horrors beyond human comprehension as adorable cuties. Kirby may be cute while sleeping, but awake, he’s an irrepressible killer who wields the instruments of t...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:51 PM
This Halloween, we invite you to remember the horror that is...Kirby:
"Kirby is a shapeshifter, fueled by the essence of the living beings that he consumes...He shows up, he consumes all, and he leaves, with a trail of corpses in his wake."
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/kir...
"Kirby is a shapeshifter, fueled by the essence of the living beings that he consumes...He shows up, he consumes all, and he leaves, with a trail of corpses in his wake."
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/kir...
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
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...
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
I think that @srtrzinski.bsky.social is going to be okay, as long as Kirby doesn't come barreling through the door.
Kirby is the Nightmare in Dreamland — Gamers with Glasses
For decades, Nintendo has tried to pass horrors beyond human comprehension as adorable cuties. Kirby may be cute while sleeping, but awake, he’s an irrepressible killer who wields the instruments of t...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
October 25, 2025 at 11:09 PM
I think that @srtrzinski.bsky.social is going to be okay, as long as Kirby doesn't come barreling through the door.
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
Come for the great stuff in the roundup, stay for that critical chaser (feat. @corndruid.bsky.social, @srtrzinski.bsky.social, @aguaspoints.bsky.social, and @aetataureate.bsky.social)!
October 12, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Come for the great stuff in the roundup, stay for that critical chaser (feat. @corndruid.bsky.social, @srtrzinski.bsky.social, @aguaspoints.bsky.social, and @aetataureate.bsky.social)!
Had a great time wrapping up our summer series in this podcast episode with @corndruid.bsky.social!
Nate and Samantha set out to recap and wrap up our summer series on games, childhood, and nostalgia, and end up…somewhere else. We cover all the deep questions, like, “Do any of us leave childhood unscathed?”; and, “Isn’t Assassin’s Creed just Sly Cooper?”
www.gamerswithglasses.com/gwgpodcast/t...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/gwgpodcast/t...
The Gamers with Glasses Show, Episode 35: Who Is the Donkey Kong? — Gamers with Glasses
In this episode, Nate and Samantha set out to recap and wrap up our summer series on games, childhood, and nostalgia, and end up…somewhere else. We cover all the deep questions, like, “Does nostalgia ...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
October 10, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Had a great time wrapping up our summer series in this podcast episode with @corndruid.bsky.social!
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
Featuring @aetataureate.bsky.social: "In a volunteer survey, we found almost no significant correlation between the zodiac sign and the favorite Mario items of respondents."
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/sup...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/sup...
Super Midlife Brothers: Thoughts on Mario at Forty — Gamers with Glasses
It’s-a Mario’s birthday! Sort of. So here’s a Mario bonanza from your friends at Gamers with Glasses, which in typical fashion includes a scientific* study on Mario and the zodiac, elegiac expressions...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
October 6, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Featuring @aetataureate.bsky.social: "In a volunteer survey, we found almost no significant correlation between the zodiac sign and the favorite Mario items of respondents."
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/sup...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/sup...
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
This week: 21 articles on culture movements, maps, difficulty, dungeon crawlers, and much more. No Freddi Fish articles this week, sorry:
critical-distance.com/2025/09/28/s...
critical-distance.com/2025/09/28/s...
September 28th
Welcome back readers. We’re two for two on this recent streak of on-time Sunday updates. I’m hoping to keep this up as I adapt my schedule to accommodate a couple of new work commitment…
critical-distance.com
September 28, 2025 at 7:09 PM
This week: 21 articles on culture movements, maps, difficulty, dungeon crawlers, and much more. No Freddi Fish articles this week, sorry:
critical-distance.com/2025/09/28/s...
critical-distance.com/2025/09/28/s...
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
@srtrzinski.bsky.social on horror sensation My Friendly Neighborhood and the actual horror of defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/my-...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/my-...
My Defunded Friendly Neighborhood — Gamers with Glasses
In the horror game My Friendly Neighborhood , the puppets from a children’s show become monsters after a long period of neglect. Samantha Trzinski explores what we stand to lose, as parents, children...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
September 18, 2025 at 4:26 PM
@srtrzinski.bsky.social on horror sensation My Friendly Neighborhood and the actual horror of defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/my-...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/my-...
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
"The goose has become a ubiquitous figure in pop culture, appearing on shirts, sweaters, mugs, bumper stickers – and, yes, even in videogames."
Unwinnable Feature Excerpt: @srtrzinski.bsky.social observes Untitled Goose Game's impact on videogames and culture:
Unwinnable Feature Excerpt: @srtrzinski.bsky.social observes Untitled Goose Game's impact on videogames and culture:
Duck, Duck, Goose - Unwinnable
“All hail the goose,” we say, to which the goose simply replies, “Honk.”
unwinnable.com
August 27, 2025 at 12:00 AM
"The goose has become a ubiquitous figure in pop culture, appearing on shirts, sweaters, mugs, bumper stickers – and, yes, even in videogames."
Unwinnable Feature Excerpt: @srtrzinski.bsky.social observes Untitled Goose Game's impact on videogames and culture:
Unwinnable Feature Excerpt: @srtrzinski.bsky.social observes Untitled Goose Game's impact on videogames and culture:
My article “Duck, Duck, Goose” is in Unwinnable! 🦆
Ideas bigger than you can imagine. The latest issue of Unwinnable Monthly features @orringrey.com on Godzilla, @srtrzinski.bsky.social on birds in games, and @muditaheart.bsky.social on Prince of Persia.
Buy: unwinnable.bigcartel.com/product/unwi...
Subscribe: unwinnable.com/subscribe/
Buy: unwinnable.bigcartel.com/product/unwi...
Subscribe: unwinnable.com/subscribe/
August 21, 2025 at 8:51 PM
My article “Duck, Duck, Goose” is in Unwinnable! 🦆
I had a great time talking with Erik Verlage about his research! Hear @aguaspoints.bsky.social and I dive into the world of game-based learning and STEM education in this episode of the Gamers with Glasses show:
Seriously, though - what actually makes learning fun? What are we even talking about when we talk about educational games? For this one, our crew of humanities nerds finally asked a research scientist for help. Is Portal edutainment? Only one way to find out
www.gamerswithglasses.com/gwgpodcast/t...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/gwgpodcast/t...
The Gamers with Glasses Show, Episode 34: We're Not Making Chocolate Broccoli — Gamers with Glasses
We make learning fun! In this episode, Samantha and Luis interview Dr. Erik Verlage, a research scientist at the Ohio State University who works on interactive media and games in education. Discussion...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
June 24, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I had a great time talking with Erik Verlage about his research! Hear @aguaspoints.bsky.social and I dive into the world of game-based learning and STEM education in this episode of the Gamers with Glasses show:
The bound copies of my dissertation “Teaching through Sorrow: Romantic Women Writers and Melancholic Didacticism” arrived today! #phd #19thcentury #dissertation
June 12, 2025 at 9:19 PM
The bound copies of my dissertation “Teaching through Sorrow: Romantic Women Writers and Melancholic Didacticism” arrived today! #phd #19thcentury #dissertation
Duck Detective has got to be one of my favorite games 🦆 Check out my thoughts on its latest sequel!
It's got jokes. Puns. Absurd in-game facts. How could we resist? Check @srtrzinski.bsky.social's impressions on Duck Detective 2.
All the Duck Detective Needs is a Case (and a Friend) — Gamers with Glasses
Samantha Trzinski asks the tough questions of Duck Detective 2 : when you’re down on your luck, divorced, and addicted to bread, is being the Duck Detective all it’s quacked up to be?
www.gamerswithglasses.com
June 5, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Duck Detective has got to be one of my favorite games 🦆 Check out my thoughts on its latest sequel!
Take a moment to read my piece on Pokémon Emerald and how it helped me navigate my parents’ divorce. It was cathartic to revisit the game and write about it
@srtrzinski.bsky.social also wrote our first feature in the series, about Pokémon Emerald, long car rides between houses, and realizing her Pokémon parents lived in different homes.
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/par...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/par...
Parents and the Past in Pokémon Emerald — Gamers with Glasses
As a child of divorced parents, Pokémon Emerald was my sole companion for my four-hour commute between houses, providing me with a sense of peace and control in an otherwise turbulent period of my l...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
May 28, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Take a moment to read my piece on Pokémon Emerald and how it helped me navigate my parents’ divorce. It was cathartic to revisit the game and write about it
I got my PhD from The Ohio State University today!!
May 4, 2025 at 10:12 PM
I got my PhD from The Ohio State University today!!
Really enjoyed writing about Kiosk! Check out my review:
New on the site - @srtrzinski.bsky.social on the creepy/cozy dynamics of Kiosk!
Please Place Your Order at the Kiosk — Gamers with Glasses
Kiosk blends together creeps and coziness. Inside, it’s all about cooking up simple orders. Outside… is a different story. How comforting is routine in the face of horror?
www.gamerswithglasses.com
May 3, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Really enjoyed writing about Kiosk! Check out my review:
My article on A Game About Digging A Hole is featured in this week’s Critical Distance! Check it out, and shout out to @gamerswithglasses.bsky.social
This week: Interviews, ungames, ARGs, matchroidvanias, and more:
critical-distance.com/2025/03/24/m...
critical-distance.com/2025/03/24/m...
March 24th
Welcome back readers. I’ve received word from my colleagues that being ever-so-slightly irritating about making you aware on an ongoing basis that we have a Patreon, and that we would love yo…
critical-distance.com
March 24, 2025 at 10:48 PM
My article on A Game About Digging A Hole is featured in this week’s Critical Distance! Check it out, and shout out to @gamerswithglasses.bsky.social
A Game About Digging a Hole was a fun — albeit short — game. Check out my review!
@srtrzinski.bsky.social is kicking off our big return to the airwaves with a game that delivers on every single one of its promises, because all those promises revolve around the opportunity to dig a big ol' hole
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
I Could Have Bought a Latte. Instead, I Dug a Hole. — Gamers with Glasses
Become a homeowner, they said! Dig a hole, they said! So I said…”Why not both?”
www.gamerswithglasses.com
March 18, 2025 at 6:57 PM
A Game About Digging a Hole was a fun — albeit short — game. Check out my review!
My article on Mettaton in Undertale was featured in @ludicamag.com! Shout out to @gamerswithglasses.bsky.social, and special thanks to @tofeklund.bsky.social who organized our Love and Robots series
La rassegna stampa videoludica di febbraio, con articoli, tra gli altri, di @bryantfrancis.me, @damienmcferran.bsky.social, @srtrzinski.bsky.social, @edwinet.bsky.social, @kimimi.bsky.social e @lewisgordon.bsky.social.
Di cosa si è parlato questo mese
Febbraio 2025: Threshold, Civilization VII, Avowed e molto altro ancora.
www.ludicamag.com
February 28, 2025 at 4:08 PM
My article on Mettaton in Undertale was featured in @ludicamag.com! Shout out to @gamerswithglasses.bsky.social, and special thanks to @tofeklund.bsky.social who organized our Love and Robots series
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
Reposted by Samantha Trzinski, PhD
It's still the season for love! Maybe it's always the season for love in Undertale? Read all about its big star (no, not that skeleton, not that one, either) in @srtrzinski.bsky.social's piece on Mettaton in our Love & Robots series!
You Are Filled With Determination – and Narcissistic Robot Love — Gamers with Glasses
Undertale’s Mettaton may be a narcissist, but his love is real. Samantha Trzinski explores the relationship between player, performance, and the human-killing star of stage and screen in this entry of...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
February 19, 2025 at 10:17 PM
It's still the season for love! Maybe it's always the season for love in Undertale? Read all about its big star (no, not that skeleton, not that one, either) in @srtrzinski.bsky.social's piece on Mettaton in our Love & Robots series!
Koji Suzuki’s novel Ring is easily the scariest thing I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down, but my heart was racing the whole time
February 11, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Koji Suzuki’s novel Ring is easily the scariest thing I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down, but my heart was racing the whole time
I defended my dissertation today and am now Dr. Samantha Trzinski!!
January 24, 2025 at 9:39 PM
I defended my dissertation today and am now Dr. Samantha Trzinski!!
My recent article on Leshy was picked up by Critical Distance 🎉🍃
This week: indie dev, hobbyist crit, localization, joyful play, and more:
critical-distance.com/2025/01/20/j...
critical-distance.com/2025/01/20/j...
January 19th
Welcome back readers. I mentioned last week that I would be plugging the Patreon a little harder going forward. We’ve experienced some really great community growth in the last couple of year…
critical-distance.com
January 21, 2025 at 3:19 AM
My recent article on Leshy was picked up by Critical Distance 🎉🍃
I’ve noticed so many different versions of Leshy in recent games that I’ve played this past year. Check out my latest article with GwG!
Have you ever noticed how frequently Leshy appears in contemporary games, and how often this character is an antagonist? @srtrzinski.bsky.social has! Check out her breakdown of this character's various iterations, from Cult of the Lamb to The Witcher 3.
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/les...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/les...
Leshy's Not Coming to Save Us — Gamers with Glasses
Leshy, the forest guardian figure from Slavic folklore, appears in a wide variety of video games, usually as an antagonist. In this article, Samantha Trzinski explores the many iterations of this figu...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
January 17, 2025 at 6:27 PM
I’ve noticed so many different versions of Leshy in recent games that I’ve played this past year. Check out my latest article with GwG!