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Games And Thirst, a Psychgeist series, edited by Kristine Ask, Ashley Guajardo, and Tanja Sihvonen. Game characters are hot. From Leon Kennedy’s slutty little waist (Resident Evil 4) to Mel Medara’s graceful political maneuvering (League of Legends), videogames present us with magnetic, desirable, and sexy characters to thirst after. Thirst, in common internet slang, references a strong sexual attraction or desire for something. Just as a person who is thirsty in a traditional sense badly needs water, thirsty people in the slang sense crave a fictional character with the same desperation and intensity. If you have ever thirsted after a...

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Play Story Press is excited to release IndieCade: A History — The Interdependence of Independents, by Celia Pearce. IndieCade: A History — The Interdependence of Independents chronicles the story of IndieCade as told by one of its three co-founders—its modest beginnings and evolving role in the larger independent games ecosystem over its decade-plus history. More broadly, it situates IndieCade within a historical context, looking at the various factors of the indie ecosystem that have contributed to making independent games writ large such a major force in today’s video game industry. IndieCade: A History — The Interdependence of Independents

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Play Story Press is excited to release The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Stardew Valley, edited by Elizabeth D. Kilmer. Stardew Valley is a cozy farming simulation role-playing video game where players work to restore their grandfather’s farm to try out a new pace of life. Players farm, fish, and forage, while building friendships with residents of the valley. Stardew Valley has an approachable story, engaging gameplay, relaxing music and sound effects, and is open-ended enough for players to progress at their own pace. This volume explores psychological concepts related to the story, gameplay, and culture of Stardew Valley. The Psychgeist of Pop Culture – Stardew...

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Play Story Press is excited to release the new report from Field Day Learning Games: FIELD DAY – Open Research Infrastructure for Education Research with Digital Games: Results of a Community Survey

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Play Story Press is thrilled to announce that all of our current and future publications will be collected in the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong National Museum of Play. Our catalog resonates with the Strong’s exploration of how play encourages learning, creativity, and discovery, illuminating cultural history. This is such an honor for all involved with the press. We wouldn’t exist without you all sharing our vision, and sharing your work through Play Story Press. Thanks everyone!

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The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: KPop Demon Hunters, edited by Courtney Lazore Netflix’s 2025 animated movie KPop Demon Hunters quickly became a viral success with its creative visual style, catchy songs, and unique blend of K-Pop culture and traditional Korean mythology. The film currently stands as Netflix’s most-watched original movie with over 300 million views, a theatrical release, and a sequel on the way. KPop Demon Hunters’ fusion of idol and fandom culture with mythology, its focus on female leads, and its literalization of psychological concepts such as shame, power, self-acceptance, good versus evil, and identity have resonated with fans...

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Play Story Press is excited to release The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Marvel Cinematic Universe, edited by Rowan Daneels & Alexander Vandewalle. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the shared universe of movies and TV series based on characters from the Marvel comics. Starting with Iron Man in 2008, the MCU now spans over 15 years of storytelling, following heroes, villains, and anti-heroes such as Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Loki, Captain Marvel, Thanos, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel. Beyond the eternal struggle of good versus evil, these franchises address topics such as family, friendship, identity and morality. This book explores...

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Play Story Press is excited to release The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Disney Villains, edited by Marie Shanley. It’s a safe bet that for every Disney fairytale we loved as a child, there was a villain that kept you on the edge of your seat. Or you may have admired a baddie whose motivations perplexed you so much, that you grew to appreciate their cunning wit and charming disposition despite it pushing your favorite hero away from their good goals. The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Disney Villains dives deep into our understanding of what it means to be bad, in a...

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Chrono Triggered: Time Travel, Identity, and Emotion in the Greatest RPG Thirty years ago, Chrono Trigger changed gaming forever. With its nonlinear storytelling, multiple endings, and sweeping tale of courage, friendship, and fate, it set a new standard for emotional storytelling in games. Its characters, ranging from a frog-knight to a robot from a climate-ravaged future, continue to resonate with players decades later, inviting reflection on mortality, memory, and choice. It also offered a sweeping tale of time travel and sacrifice that resonated deeply with players and helped establish the golden age of Japanese RPGs. This volume invites psychologists, philosophers,...

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