(2013-PRESENT)
This is a book project about cute aesthetics, affect and play. As popular aesthetics cute and kawaii have been described as both playful and sentimental; they project happiness and evoke emotions. This books looks at the use of cuteness in videogames, the emotions that this style can provoke and the types of play it invites.
The project takes it’s title from the San-X kawaii kyarakuta collective, The Sentimental Circus.
(2014)
This exciting new project is a monthly G+ Hangout between game scholars, makers, writers and players which explores aspects of affective gaming: from representing romance and love online, to emotional interfaces, playing together and the possibility of videogame erotics.
You can keep up with the Canadian Academy of Erotic Inquiry discussion and find interesting research on affective gaming at our website.
(2012-PRESENT)
Dear Ada is a modern epistolary founded by myself and Mitu Khandaker. The site follows the great feminist tradition of letter writing and hosts communications and thoughts in gender and games.
This project was supported by Feminists in Games and a response to the personal correspondence between the founders exploring their own feminism as women in gaming culture.
(2013-PRESENT)
This project looks at the intersection of work, play and gender in videogame culture. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the current phase of the project is interested in female games writers and journalists, the situation they occupy in the culture as knowledge and taste makers as well as the role they play in shaping the popular discourse on gender in gaming.
(2014)
I am guest editing the current issue of Well Played Journal, published by ETC Press. This issue is inspired by the Incredibly Strange volumes and asks for critical perspectives of the weird of gaming as well as readings and post-play narratives of weird game texts.
Publication is expected in Autumn 2014.
(2012)
Digital Romance Lab is a group of writers, researchers, designers and gamers interested in how games tweak the emotions associated love, romance and flirting. It is both a discussion space and a repository for ideas.
(2014)
This exciting new project is a monthly G+ Hangout between game scholars, makers, writers and players which explores aspects of affective gaming: from representing romance and love online, to emotional interfaces, playing together and the possibility of videogame erotics.
You can keep up with the Canadian Academy of Erotic Inquiry discussion and find interesting research on affective gaming at our website.
(2013-PRESENT)
I am Research Assistant on one of the Prove it To Me (PiTME) pilot schemes. PiTME is project designed to offer empirical data regarding games as educationally meaningful media. Under the supervision of Professor Jennifer Jenson, the team is investigating how games might be used in Elementary level language and narrative curriculum.
(2011-2012)
Kill Screen is a place of smart games journalism. I was a columnist writing on the theme of ‘collecting’ in videogames.