drew davidson

Play Story Fest @ Remake Learning Days A pilot of a ½ day salon of facilitated conversations around play, culture and community. The pilot of Play Story Fest took place the Afternoon of May,11 at the MuseumLab at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh during the 2026 Remake Learning Days. The Fest was a ½ day starting around 12:30pm and going until 5:00pm. From around 1-4:30, there were three conversation topics that were discussed. There were breaks for open reflection, and throughout the Fest had a hands-on activity creating art together. Each topic had a facilitator to guide the conversation. One...

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Games and Democracy, a Psychgeist series, edited by Susan Haarman. Democracy, as both a political structure and cultural ideal, is predicated on principles of participation, equity, and collective governance. These principles are not only enacted in political institutions but are also expressed, contested, and reimagined through cultural forms. Both digital analog games are emerging as a crucial cultural mirror of democratic systems and values. At this year’s Gamescom, the world’s largest gaming convention, a dedicated “Games for Democracy” initiative spotlighted titles that engage with democratic values and political education. Whether simulating political processes, allowing players to experiment with civic habits,...

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The Game Beat: Observations and lessons from two decades writing about games, by Kyle Orland The Game Beat examines the whos, hows, and whys of the journalists and critics covering the young but growing game industry. This collection of over 80 columns covers everything from the decline of print gaming magazines to the ethics of paid junkets to the importance of review scores and much more. The Game Beat: Observations and lessons from two decades writing about games Save Point: Reporting from a video game industry in transition, 2003 – 2011, by Kyle Orland In this collection of over 20 pieces...

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The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Hades, edited by Jared N. Kilmer. The Hades franchise is an action roguelike series developed by Supergiant Games that blends fast, expressive combat with an intricate narrative inspired by Greek mythology. Across Hades and Hades II, players engage with cyclical journeys of escape and resistance, where failure is not only expected, but essential to narrative and character growth. Through its dynamic gameplay loop and deeply human portrayal of Greek mythological figures, the series invites players to reflect on identity, agency, family, fate, and change. The Hades games are known for their striking art direction, dynamic...

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The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Sailor Moon, edited by Celeste Sangiorgio and Elizabeth Favorito. Have you ever felt like you needed a Moon Healing Escalation? Have you been healed by the Power of Tears? Did you refuse to play as anyone besides your favorite Sailor Scout as a kid (or maybe more recently)? If you answered yes to at least one of these, you may have thought deeply about the Sailor Moon series. You may have thoughts you want to share.  Sailor Moon is a cultural waypoint at the center of multiple pieces of media and people’s lives. Its ripple...

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From Syllabus to Studio: Industry Voices for the Next Generation of Game Professionals We are pleased to share this call for chapter proposals for From Syllabus to Studio: Industry Voices for the Next Generation of Game Professionals, to be published open access by Play Story Press. Proposals are due May 4. Authors will be notified by May 11. Full chapters will be due June 15. Full details are below. Please feel free to contact us with questions or to submit your proposal at rferdig@gmail.com. Best, Rick Ferdig, Enrico Gandolfi & Emily Baumgartner How This Book Came to Be In 2021,...

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iThrive Games and Play Story Press are excited to release the Journal of Games, Self, & Society, Volume 4 | Games for Good 2025 Conference Proceedings, edited by Susan E. Rivers and Paul D. Cotnoir. A peer-reviewed journal created and edited by iThrive Games and published by Play Story Press. JGSS encourages interdisciplinary research, conversation, and community around games-related scholarship. The journal highlights work focused on how games, game design, and gameplay contribute to a deeper understanding of learning, health, and humanity. This volume is comprised of the Games for Good 2025 Conference Proceedings. Journal of Games, Self, & Society,...

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Teaching the Game, Second Edition (A Call for Book Chapter Proposals) We are pleased to share this call for book chapter proposals for the second edition of Teaching the Game, to be published open access by Play Story Press. Abstracts are due May 1, 2026. Authors will be notified by May 15, 2026. Accepted chapters will be due by June 15, 2026. Full details are below, but please feel free to contact us with questions or to submit your proposal at rferdig@gmail.com. Purpose Gaming is taught across multiple content areas (i.e., media studies, education, computer science, design, humanities, business, and...

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Wikipedia Knows Nothing, by Chris Bateman. What does the Wikipedia know, and how can it know it? More to the point, how can anyone using an anonymously edited source, the contents of which change on a daily basis, know that what they are reading constitutes knowledge? In this provocative challenge to contemporary concepts of objectivity, four figures of knowledge – the Wikipedia, scientific experiments, anonymous peer review, and school education – are investigated in order to question the way we understand the world around us. Wikipedia Knows Nothing

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