Aaron Trammell
@aarontram.bsky.social
Anyone who ever had a heart, they wouldn't turn around and break it. Anyone who every played a part, they wouldn't turn around and hate it.
This was an amazing opportunity to talk RPGs. The other speakers in this series are a home run as well. Please give a listen.
RPG Roots@rpgroots.bsky.social · last wk.The final speaker whom we will feature in Session 0 of RPG Roots is Aaron Trammell @aarontram.bsky.social, Associate Professor of Informatics with affiliations with African American Studies and Media Studies at UC Irvine. Find his website and research here: aarontrammell.com 1/
Gen Con just posted an article about our Emerging Designer Program, interviewing @aarontram.bsky.social, Adrianna Burton, and @forbeck.com! gencon.blog/2026/07/06/m...
Peek Inside the Pyramid: Meet the Crew Behind the Scenes of The Diana Jones Award Program – The Official Gen Con Blog
We’ve unlocked access to Matt Forbeck, Aaron Trammell, and Adrianna Burton for the inside scoop on the Diana Jones Award Emerging Designers Program, their best tips for game designers, and who’s on th...
gencon.blog
(Also this other bad boy is on the way soon, too…STAY TUNED!!!!)
Duke University Press@dukepress.bsky.social · 2w agoIn "How Dungeons & Dragons Changed the Way We Play," @aarontram.bsky.social reveals how popular culture influenced the design of the iconic tabletop game and how the game’s legacy, in turn, influences game design today. Read the intro for free: buff.ly/jLA2ctp
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️ Haven’t been on here in a minute, but I wanted to share that Jenny Stoever, Liana Silva, and I (plus many many other amazing authors) finally finished the SO! Reader.
So very excited that one of my last remaining PhD students, Mikael Sebag, successfully defended his dissertation—titled "The Magic Systems of Modern Games"—today! I'm so proud of him and so thrilled that people are finally going to get to read this work!
Jonathan’s amazing book on Catan is out now!!!! The best part is that you can read it for free online, too. Spread the word and if you like it, why not grab a copy, too.
J. Rey Lee@jreylee.bsky.social · 9mo agoHey all, you can read Unsettling Catan: Detached Design in Eurogames free online right now! Stay tuned because instead of my typical monthly blog post, I'll be doing an AMA on BGG in a week or two. #boardgames #NewBook @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social
🎉🔥🎉ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉🔥🎉DAY🎉🔥🎉 Jonathan Rey Lee’s book on CATAN is almost out. It’s the first in the Tabletop Gaming series that Paul Booth and I have been hard at work editing this past three years. Anyway, the book is fantastic. Please consider it and share with the right people.
The Time We Have: A Conversation Between Brothers is NOW AVAILABLE A tragic two-player zombie roleplaying game played on opposite sides of a closed door. A game about what it means to be a brother. Want to learn more about the game? It's time for a megathread ⬇️
Hello folks, I am in need of non-fiction recommendations for: + Indigenous histories (esp from Canada & the Philippines) + Black history + Black Studies + Queer histories (esp from Canada and the Philippines) + Radicalization + Critical Race Theory Signal boost pls.
Can cultural criticism convince cardboard consumers to challenge colonialism and capitalism in Catan? Find out in my newest design diary. CU there! #boardgames @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social @nopunincluded.com @stonemaiergames.com
Design Diary 3: The ‘C’ Words
Controversy. Love it or hate it, it’s become inescapable. These days, it’s not just a handful of hot-button issues—almost any topic can become polarizing in a heartbeat. Clearly, …
lookingglance.com
Wish I was there with everyone this week!!!! Also stay tuned for my awesome chat with Chris!!!!!
Chris Plante@plante.bsky.social · 11mo agoCheck this out!! Aaron Trammell is this week's guest on Post Games!
Had an amazing conversation with @rowanzeoli.bsky.social @rascal.news during Gen Con! Thanks for hosting me and asking such interesting questions ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️
Rascal News@rascal.news · 12mo agoScholar and author @aarontram.bsky.social spoke to us about play's blurry other side -- where it isn't always fun or consensual -- and what we risk by ignoring it.
More great stuff on Jonathan’s upcoming book!
J. Rey Lee@jreylee.bsky.social · last yr.My 2nd design diary for Unsettling Catan is live on BGG and lookingglance.com. I talk about why and how I chose six more recent eurogames to compare with Catan. Number 4 will shock you! Image credit to @semicoop.bsky.social @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social
Come PUNK with us!! July 17th is Generation Analog 2025 "PUNK" with keynotes by @aarontram.bsky.social and @gamefiend.bsky.social A full day of analog games scholarship and design thinking from around the world. Register NOW: www.eventbrite.com/e/generation...
Generation Analog 2025 "PUNK"
Generation Analog is an annual online tabletop games and education conference.
eventbrite.com
Had so much fun chilling with Mandi! I hear you can catch the episode on YouTube if you missed it. Thanks for having me!!!!
Salt and Sass Games@saltandsass.bsky.social · last yr.🎙️ Just dropped a quick clip from our chat with Aaron Trammell! This moment took us into a fascinating convo about cultural perspectives on cheating in board games. Is there a scale on "cheatiness"?? 🃏🕵️♂️ Give it a watch! @aarontram.bsky.social
Looking forward to chatting with @saltandsass.bsky.social about the origins of analog game studies. Please come join if you’re at all interested in how tabletop games fit into the academic world.
Salt and Sass Games@saltandsass.bsky.social · last yr.🎲 Today, we’re going live with You’re the Expert featuring Aaron Trammell—professor, author, and analog game expert! 📺Join us at 1PM PT / 4PM ET on Twitch & YouTube to ask questions and chat live! youtube.com/live/OskP0aQ... www.twitch.tv/saltandsassgames @aarontram.bsky.social
analoggamestudies.org/about/analog... Curious about where to start with Analog Game Studies? We’ve got a handy guide you can check out now. If we missed your book or article please DM. This is just a start and we intend to update it moving forward!!!!
Analog Game Studies 101 | Analog Game Studies
analoggamestudies.org
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J. Rey Lee@jreylee.bsky.social · last yr.Why would anyone write 150 pages on Catan? If that seems as odd to you as it did to me, check out the first of three design diaries for Unsettling Catan, now available at lookingglance.com and bgg. #boardgames #catan @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social
I don’t post much these days but I wanted to share the good news. Was just promoted to Full Professor at UCI!!!! Thanks to all of the colleagues and friends who supported me along the way. I love you all and promise that I won’t let this make me crappy ;) ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️
Jonathan writes some great stuff!!!! I'm looking forward to many more excellent posts on his site.
J. Rey Lee@jreylee.bsky.social · last yr.My post-pandemic Pandemic post is now live at lookingglance.com with apologies to @mattleacock.bsky.social "I, Medic" is the first in a new series of role-play reflections. #boardgames
Hands down the best critical analysis of CATAN I've ever read! I'm really excited to see Jonathan's book hit the shelves!!!!
J. Rey Lee@jreylee.bsky.social · last yr.Feeling unsettled by current events? Want to be unsettled by #boardgames too? Unsettling Catan, the first entry in a new series on Tabletop Games edited by @pbooth81.bsky.social and @aarontram.bsky.social, is releasing Nov. 2025. Link: press.umich.edu/Books/U/Unsettling-Catan 🧵(1/3)
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 I had a wonderful time talking to the Pop and Play team on their podcast!!! It’s hot off the presses—-please listen in .
Nathan Holbert@snowdaylearninglab.org · last yr.Play is complicated! Play communities can be important spaces for fellowship and growth. And yet sometimes they are exclusionary and toxic. On Pop & Play we talk with @aarontram.bsky.social about power, play, and community podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Are you talented and up and coming game designer looking to figure out how to get your work out there? Please submit to this year’s DJA Emerging Designer Program. We want you!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The Diana Jones Award@dianajonesaward.org · 2y agoThe nomination period for the Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer Program is open! Please head to our website for all the details. You can nominate yourself or any other worthy tabletop game designers in their first three years of publishing. Nominations close Feb. 14. www.dianajonesaward.org
Such a pleasure to read this!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Transformative Works and Cultures@journal.transformativeworks.org · 2y agoClosing out #TWC44, Brandon Blackburn reviews "The Privilege of Play" by @aarontram.bsky.social calling it "the most comprehensive history of race in contemporary American hobby culture"! Read Blackburn's review here:
