Maxwell Foxman

Due to a gaffe in reading from a text-to-speech program, I think if I ever do decide to get into rapping, I'll go by the moniker of MC Luhan.

Frontiers | Balancing fun and professionalism in game development: the dark and light side of play in virtual meetings IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated remote work adoption in the game development industry, an already precarious field characterized by “crunch” cu...

How important is play to game developers? If you're interested in knowing the answer, maybe check out this new article by yours truly, as well as the amazing team of Dalton Bouzek, @chaeyunl.bsky.social and Alex Leith! doi.org/10.3389/fcom...

Another kind review of our work by Andreas Rauscher about @nieborg.bsky.social and my book! For those who speak German, this may be a good one for you: mediarep.org/server/api/c...

Another year of collaborating with the excellent Katerina Girginova and team on the Social Grammars of Virtuality Report! Want to know the dominant theories surrounding XR today? Take a look at the co-authored chapter between me and Shane Burrell there: penn.manifoldapp.org/read/theorie...

New on H-Sci-Med-Tech:

Check out Gabriel Antúnez De Mayolo Kou (UWisconsin-La Crosse)‬’s review of @nieborg.bsky.social (@utoronto.ca‬) & @maxwellfoxman.bsky.social‬ (@uoregon.bsky.social‬)’s book _Mainstreaming & Game Journalism_ (2023) @mitpress.bsky.social

Review avail @hnetreviews.bsky.social

Are you still in New York or the surrounding area? Do you want to hang out and/or connect regarding the usual work stuff (games, VR/AR/XR, game journalism, etc.)? Please send me a note! I am looking forward to seeing new and old faces!

For those who don't know, I am a FEW days away from taking a year-long sabbatical from UO! For the next year, I will (mostly) be found right back home in New York City!!!!!

Glad I could be the first! Such a good read! And thanks also to @jameshodges.net for all the support we book editor.

It's the summer of reviews here in the PNW For those interested in contemporary videogame production and the complicated changes in employment and ideology in game studios, I can't recommend @brkeogh.bsky.social's book enough. Read the review here: dx.doi.org/10.1353/lac.....

Read Jim’s book! Short review is it’s very good if you’re interested in game tools!

Just call Corvallis a 'Nerdvana' for its growing gaming and comic culture Geeks come to Corvallis, bearing gifts to the local economy. Here's the nerdy landscape (i.e., who sells what).

Thanks for the shoutout to @uosojc.bsky.social's new game studies minor from our neighbors to the north in Corvallis: gazettetimes.com/news/local/b...

How the Trump Tariffs Are Impacting Board Game Publishers - Endless Mode We talk to four board game publishers about how Trump's tariffs are impacting the industry, whose games are largely printed in China.

I am endlessly interested in how board game publishing has become a focal point for explaining tariffs. Definitely a paper there somewhere www.endlessmode.com/article/how-...*

As I get ready for the "Instagramming Amsterdam" study abroad class I am about to teach, I was trying out my best instagrammable photo moments in NEW Amsterdam, while having a lovely (if sweltering) day at Art Omi

Always enjoy more Playdate news

Not my favorite habit but managed to churn out an entire chapter (roughly 2,750 words) today. Sometimes you just need those days to sit and *really* focus on writing!

Interesting Playdate news.

This week: the craft of video essays, RPG adaptations, the Pokémon nostalgia trap, and more:

critical-distance.com/2025/06/16/j...

It’s been another great #ica25 and my last as @icagames.bsky.social chair! Been a privilege to see this division grow in scope and size! Looking forward to seeing what comes next and thanks to my fellow officers both in the division and others

Celebrating 20 years at #ica25!!! @icagames.bsky.social made this swag showcasing our “tour schedule.” If you want your own band shirt, shoot me a note! Cc @icahdq.bsky.social

All panelists using VR

Overview of meet space platform

Very cool panel and demo on using Beyond Meet Space in VR chat as research and teaching platform by a large team of colleagues, including Robby Ratan, Max Foxman, Swati Pandita

They’ve already posted these but @icagames.bsky.social's comms team has a great set of posters to remind you what the division is up to today! Check it out if you are at #ICA25

Then some interesting talks on ways of resisting toxicity (including on moving from Instagram to reddit).

Finishing up with some provocations of things to look at in the future!

Well I guess I am having a bit too much fun! We had an awesome panel that essentially looked toxicity in and outside the nation in Black Myth: Wukong.

Had to moderate the first full panel on play, but it was great! Combo of toys, wargames and EAFC. Joys of @icagames.bsky.social as a division!

A note on not normalizing toxic culture seems very valuable as a reminder (along with general platform intentionality). More avenues for alternative conversations is also a sign of progress

Good points on how platforms and media industries as siloed spaces which can act as reinforcement for specific modes of toxicity and/or acceptability of speech, etc. A retribalizing… but also something incentivized by companies.

Taking Care of Toxicity: Challenges and Strategies for Inclusion in U.S. Collegiate Esports Programs Collegiate esports programs are rapidly expanding across the United States, offering a meaningful location in which to study diversity, equity, and inclusion. Because educational institutions must leg...

On the note of toxicity, we did get a shoutout for the @uosojc.bsky.social PhD students (along with me, @drbrandonharris.bsky.social, Waseq Rahman, Tara Fickle and Amanda Cote) on defining toxicity in collegiate esports: doi.org/10.1123/jege...

Starting with getting to the heart of conference terms and expanding, but detailing the terms toxic and masculinity respectively.

Excellent start to the #ICA25 preconference from the @icagames.bsky.social division. Taking some notes here

While yesterday was the BoD meeting, #ICA25 is beginning in earnest in roughly 30 minutes for me as the @icagames.bsky.social division hosts its preconference! icagames.org/2025preconfe.... Great speakers, panels, and conversation to come!