Andrew Reid

DiGRA 2026 Conference | Maynooth University, Ireland Join the DiGRA 2026 conference at Maynooth University, 14–18 June 2026. Theme “Intersectional Pleasures.” A global hybrid event for game research, culture, design, and industry.

DiGRA 2026 submission deadline is now December 8th (Anywhere on Earth - 23:59 UTC +12)! www.digraconference2026.com #DiGRA26

Writing Game Histories This book offers an accessible introduction to the dynamic intersection between history and games, and the flourishing discipline of Historical Game Studies. Fr…

A project that started with a DiGRA23 workshop is finally, nearly out in the world! Coming May 2026 from Bloomsbury’s Writing History series, Writing Games Histories is a collection of essays on historical game studies methods&approaches. Find the ToC here:

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...

“The researchers aim to show that the ‘inevitability’ of AI is just a marketing frame perpetrated by the industry and that pushback is a lot more possible than we often see.” Yes!

Fantastic article in which actual experts on AI and higher education cut through the nonsense surrounding the infinite garbage engines and expose a system captured by the techbro sales pitch. "A general ban is necessary, but nobody dares to say so."

Survey shows young players feel pressured to conform to gender and racial stereotypes As per the Teens and Screens Report 2025, over half of 1,500 adolescents said they're expected to conform to certain behaviors based on gender or race.

Survey shows young players feel pressured to conform to gender and racial stereotypes

Likewise! 🤓

Our ##TIPC4 is done, friends and colleagues are returning home and we couldn't be more grateful for all the conversations, games, and fun we had! Here is to #TIPC5!
And our little secret for timekeeping this year which you didn't see on stream, swords!

Great to catch up with familiar faces, put names to others, and to meet new people - all doing inspiring works!

@gatdesoia.es
@rbrandis.eu
@bettibo.bsky.social
@doktornick.bsky.social
@katexe.bsky.social
@arkeologian.bsky.social
+ many more not on here!

🤓

Dr Andrew Reid presenting to a crowd at University of Leiden

A canal in Leiden.

A lit tower from Leiden's historic town hall at night.

A view of Pieterskerk among housing.

Enjoyed another visit to Leiden for TIPC4 (@valuefnd.bsky.social) with great feedback on the projects and some valuable conversations about digital preservation, representation, and acculturation. Leaving thoroughly inspired!

Until next time... 👋🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Next up, Andrew Reid to talk about the preservation of Scotland's Heritage through games!

StreamingthePast - Twitch Geekhood and nerdery united into a wonderful, history-infused hodgepodge of enthusiasm and puns, generally. Streaming the Past hosts a variety of history-infused games and experts as passionate about ...

The full conference will be presented live on Twitch (twitch.tv/streamingthe...) - our talks are on Thursday 9th October (mine from around 09:15 GMT, and Kayleigh's from around 11:00 GMT).

I'll be talking about preserving Scottish heritage and culture through games, with projects on archaeology with Historic Dunkeld and art history with V&A Dundee.

Kayleigh will be presenting her research on Scottish and Gaelic cultures in games, and showcasing her practice with Waulking Simulator.

A picture of Molenmuseum De Valk

Arrived with @systemerrorkaye.bsky.social in wonderful Leiden for The Interactive Pasts Conference 4 (@valuefnd.bsky.social)!

Looking forward to the talks, workshops, and project showcase! 🙌

The cover of "Characters and Characterization in Mythological Video Games" by Alexander Vandewalle, to be published in the IMAGINES series by Bloomsbury Academic in May 2026. The cover depicts the cover art of Immortals Fenyx Rising, showing the game's protagonist Fenyx in battle with a towering Cyclops.

May 2026 👀

My monograph "Characters and Characterization in Mythological Video Games" will be out next year in @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social's IMAGINES series!

Many thanks to @ubisoft.com for the #ImmortalsFenyxRising art ⚡

More information (soon!) on www.bloomsbury.com/uk/character...

From Classrooms to Controllers - National Videogame Museum Claymatic Games Donation Powers National Videogame Museum's Educational Strategy - National Videogame Museum

We've partnered with @claymatic.games, to enhance our 2025 educational strategy. Thanks to their generous donation, we’re deepening our support for learners across the region, bringing high-quality, curriculum-linked STEAM learning to life through the power of videogames.
thenvm.org/blog/from-cl...

Selfie picture within the exhibition hall at the Alzheimer Scotland Annual Conference 2025

A picture of the main auditorium with a speaker on the stage.

With @lyesoussaiden.com at the Alzheimer Scotland Annual Conference 2025 (@alzscot.bsky.social)

Supported by @alzscotdrc.bsky.social, Lyes is soon to start a Masters, exploring tactile play-based interventions for people living with dementia.

(read more here: sdrc.scot/alzheimer-sc...)

Exploring New Horizons in Video Game Cultures @ Sidestone Press This book brings together a selection of papers delivered at the Video Game Cultures 2023 conference, held from 7 to 9 September 2023 at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria. An interdisciplinary col...

As part of our reboot of the @videogamecultures.bsky.social conference series, we have our first book coming out, of papers from the 2023 conference in Klagenfurt, Austria. It should appear in the wild on 6 November. Details here: www.sidestone.com/books/explor...

British students lack ‘drive’ of their American peers, says Business Secretary | LBC The Business Secretary has defended comments he made at a meeting with investors where he said British students lack the ‘drive’ and ‘vigour’ of their American peers.

“Too often people go to university to ‘explore research and knowledge’."

Perish the thought...

www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...

If your placeholder assets aren't clearly placeholders, you'll forget to replace them

Back in ~1999, the art director for some dollhouse game made a temporary diamond-shaped model for their character UI. By the time he realized they hadn't replaced it, it was too late and it shipped as-is. Oops!

🧵👏

Newzoo: Global games market forecast to reach $188.8bn in 2025 The global games market is estimated to reach $188.8 billion in 2025, a 3.4% increase year-on-year according to Newzoo'…

The global games market is estimated to reach $188.8 billion in 2025, a 3.4% increase year-on-year according to Newzoo's latest report

www.gamesindustry.biz/newzoo-globa...

We understand that charity is difficult when times are hard – but we need your help April Stallings from Make-A-Wish International says the charity has seen a surge in interest around games, but support from the industry isn’t meeting demand

April Stallings from Make-A-Wish International says the charity has seen a surge in interest around video games – but support from the games industry isn’t meeting demand.

www.gamesindustry.biz/we-understan...

BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT! @mahliann.bsky.social, @marcuscarter.com, and myself have combined our collective brains and written a wide-reaching introduction to the complex and interdisciplinary field of Game Studies in this forthcoming book for Polity. www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...

New academic year, new social platform ✨

Abertay has officially landed on Bluesky, just in time to welcome new and returning students to campus!

Stay tuned to keep up with the latest from campus with news, updates, stories and more.

Take A Seat by Andrew J. Reid Available for Windows

Rough-and-ready prototype about memories and memory benches for the Weans Game Jam 2025. 💐

ajreid93.itch.io/memory-benches

Exterior shot of ARC Glasgow building.

Looking forward to today's @youngacademysco.bsky.social AGM at ARC Glasgow - giving an update to our project on alternative career pathways!

SHAPE Involve and Engage A funding programme for innovative public engagement from the British Academy.

Applications for SHAPE Involve and Engage 2026-27 will open on 1 September. This innovative public engagement programme requires UK researchers to work in partnership with a gallery, archive, library or museum (GLAM organisation). Find out more: buff.ly/efUOSoL

Everything costs too much and nobody has money seems like a bad combo.

‘Worrying’ levels of screen time means young people losing confidence to socialise in person, minister warns – UK politics live Culture secretary Lisa Nandy says ‘majority of young people spend all, or almost all, of their free time alone in their bedrooms, online’

This is not caused primarily by "screen time".

It's been caused by the mass eradication of third places for young people in basically every city over the past three decades - and a society that's hostile to the concept of teens socialising in public spaces.

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Looking forward to sharing our work and catching up with some familiar faces! (@gatdesoia.es @rbrandis.eu @bettibo.bsky.social @times-new-roman.bsky.social) 🙋