Frans Mäyrä

@fransmayra.bsky.social

A professor, Tampere University, Finland. Nature photographer. Fan of fantasy, science fiction, new media and old ideas. www.unet.fi www.fransmayra.fi (personal blog)

In my email pile there was also the notice about the completed paperwork: "The eBook should be converted into OA within the next 2-4 weeks" - looking forward to spreading soon the Open Access version of "Cultural Game Studies: Critical Approaches"! www.routledge.com/Cultural-Gam...

Cultural Game Studies: Critical Approaches

Cultural Game Studies provides a comprehensive framework for understanding games and play as interconnected cultural phenomena, examining their roles as art, entertainment, and human experience within...

routledge.com

This young Ural Owl hatched about a month ago and can already fly short distances. However, it is still dependent on its parents for food. By autumn, the young owl needs to have matured enough to start hunting on its own. Young birds can disperse quite far from their parents’ home territory. #nature

Young Ural Owl sitting on a tree branch.

Routledge has now confirmed that the volume we have been working on for some time, Cultural Game Studies: Critical Approaches,will be out on 10 July 2026 and is available for preorder from 19 June 2026. There is a 20 % discount code attached, and there are also review copies (links in comments).

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Ainoa Suomesta löytyvä myrkkykäärme, kyy (European Adder / Vipera berus) on kiehtova eläin, josta on myös hyötyä ekosysteemille ja ihmisellekin (se mm. syö tehokkaasti myyriä ja samalla välillisesti vähentää punkkien ja niiden kantaman borrelioosin ja puutiaisaivokuumeen leviämistä).

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Another #GameStudies doctoral defence from our team coming up this Friday! 🎉Elisa Wiik's dissertation titled 'What does it mean to be a lapsed player? Fragmented play practices, player identity, and liminality of Finnish lapsed players,' will be publicly examined on 20 March 2026 at 12:00 EET.

Issue 17 of the International Journal of Role-playing is out! This one has been a huge effort from 22 authors from 9 countries spanning four continents, 4 editors, 19 peer reviewers, 10 copyeditors, and 2 layout editors. Link to the issue here: journals.uu.se/IJRP/issue/v...

No. 17 (2026): International Journal of Role-playing Issue 17 | International Journal of Role-Playing

Published by the Department of Game Design, Uppsala University-Campus Gotland. ISSN (online): 2210-4909 | CC BY 4.0

journals.uu.se

Osallistu kyselytutkimukseen pelikulttuuriin osallistumisesta ja osallisuudesta Suomessa! / Delta i enkät om deltagande och delaktighet i spelkultur i Finland! / Participate in a survey study on game cultural participation and inclusion in Finland!

A collage of photos including different game cultural activities (esports, crossword puzzle, arcade machines, a bulbasaur beanie, Mölkky, cosplay, larp, board games, football).