I really love this. Would be amazing to reconnect with folks; those early MMO days and guild life were pretty special. mmoreconnect.com

MMO Reconnect: Find Old Friends from EverQuest, World of Warcraft & Classic MMOs

Claim the characters you played and let old guildmates find you. A user-driven reunion service for EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and classic-MMO veterans.

mmoreconnect.com

Currently in Hong Kong and learned that the Chinese translation of my live streaming book has come out 😊 Have not seen it firsthand (yet?) but learned it's available through the usual online sellers fwiw.

Belatedly hi5'ing Martens for this piece. (As someone who has long studied games, I'm familiar with the judgement/stigmatization adults often get in the face of their leisure choices but it's on a whole other level when it comes to theme parks.)

Todd Martens@toddmartens.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Trigger warning: Disney adults. I generally try not to respond to the ‘discourse,’ but media/social media keeps obsessing over Disney adults and keeps getting everything wrong. www.latimes.com/travel/newsl...

as someone doing a project on play in theme parks (and Disney specifically) this is pretty interesting!

Jim Shull Disney Journey@jimshull.bsky.social · 2mo ago

youtu.be/ZA6ZsyVIF20 Disney California Adventure is right now a construction zone where four big projects are underway. But what comes next? In this video I lay out the reasons why after decades of talk Disney will build its third theme park, and the park will be Disney Play!

NYC folks def worth checking out!

Shira Chess@shirachess.bsky.social · 4mo ago

On April 30th, I'm giving the strangest talk I've ever given as part of a 3-day event for artist Mark Leckey ("The Physics of Mystics") at Giorno Poetry Systems in the Bowery, NYC.

Little blurb about what I'll be up to next year CASBS 😊 @casbsstanford.bsky.social news.mit.edu/2026/tl-tayl...

T.L. Taylor named 2026-27 CASBS Fellow

MIT Professor T.L. Taylor, an ethnographer whose work sits at the intersection of sociology, media studies, and STS, will use a Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences fellowship to explo...

news.mit.edu

CFP: Disney Culture & Society Research Network Fourth Annual Conference @disnet.bsky.social “Let Us Tell An Old Story Anew”: Revising / Reinventing / Reimagining Disney 10th-12th September 2026 Online dis-net.org/conference/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4qX... Another absolute gem from Jesse Welles.

The Great Class War

YouTube video by Jesse Welles

youtube.com

Incredibly excited to be joining CASBS as a Fellow next year!

Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford@casbsstanford.bsky.social · 5mo ago

ANNOUNCING THE 2026-27 CASBS FELLOWS CLASS The class will take residence in early September and is comprised of 36 scholars representing 19 U.S. institutions and 11 international institutions and programs. Read the full announcement and meet the fellows. casbs.stanford.edu/news/casbs-a...

We're doing this event on Friday. I'll be running a litttle panel segment with Sherria, Greg, and Rilla. Can't wait!

good stuff and exciting news!

Dr Rebecca Williams@augustaquarius.bsky.social · 9mo ago

My book Theme Park Fandom is coming out in a much more affordable paperback edition. Pre-order here: www.routledge.com/Theme-Park-F...

At IAAPA in Orlando this week. If you are too ping me! ☺️

Excited to be presenting at TEAAS this year (case study of Galaxies Edge): teaacademicsociety.org/our-symposium/

We were treated to a showing of the new doc Halcyon Daze tonight (www.halcyondazefilm.com). Really cool chronicle of the life & impact of the Galactic Starcruiser on the people who got to experience it. It’s hitting the festival circuit soon but you can still snag a digital copy for a bit longer!

halcyondazefilm.com

DID YOU MISS THE KICKSTARTER? BUT YOU WANT A DIGITAL COPY OF HALCYON DAZE? CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR KICKSTARTER PAGE & BACK US TO GET THE DIGITAL COPY. THIS OPTION WILL CLOSE IN OCTOBER 2025.

halcyondazefilm.com

More pics throughout the weekend over at my Insta fwiw: www.instagram.com/ybikapix/

Back in Orlando for Halcy-Con. Have I mentioned how fun fieldwork has been for this project on play in theme parks? 🤩 Assuming my role of intergalactic ethnographer means I’ll be dressing up again.❤️ the fantastic toy thermal print camera I’ve added to my gear (with some Aurebesh customization 😉)

Workshop for streamers & content creators on media manipulation. Might be of interest to some. (I'm not affiliated, just sharing): www.poynter.org/mediawise/pr...

- Poynter

Play smart. Dodge manipulation. G.A.M.E. empowers streamers, fans, and industry stakeholders to reclaim game spaces from harmful stereotypes, extremist rhetoric, and common disinformation tricks. Thro...

poynter.org

Looking forward to speaking at this upcoming event in DC on trust & safety in online games. www.eventbrite.com/e/mainstream...

Read about my documentary project in Gizmodo! gizmodo.com/the-death-of...

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser's Last Days Chronicled in New Film

The crowdfunded Halcyon Daze documentary hopes to cover the short-lived Galactic Starcruiser attraction and the fans who loved it.

gizmodo.com

We're pleased to announce the arrival of The 2025 Immersive Industry Report, which we are co-publishing with the renowned global design firm Gensler. #experiential #experienceeconomy #industryreport #LBE #XR #themedentertainment #performingarts www.gensler.com/gri/immersiv...

Evolving Immersive: The 2025 Immersive Industry Report

Explore the most comprehensive evaluation of the state of Immersive Experience available today, published in partnership by Gensler and the Immersive Experience Institute.

gensler.com

Yay! Excited I'll get to present again at the annual DisNet conference this summer. Great event and fantastic org (linktr.ee/disnet), def worth checking out if you are doing work on Disney. This time I'll be presenting on the Galactic Starcruiser (part of my project on play in theme parks).

Excited to run a Climate Game workshop with MIT’s System Awareness Lab & Scheller Teacher Education Program today! We’re critiquing and playing #boardgames that imagine #climate futures.

whew (had totally missed the cfp this year for some reason)! this is a great online conf for those working on theme park stuff :)

Disney, Culture & Research Network (DisNet)@disnet.bsky.social · last yr.

Need a little bit more time for your abstract? Deadline for Abstracts is extended to 16th February!

❤️ AARP reporting on the landscape of 50+ players (of which I'm decidedly one 😆). The numbers often surprise folks, as does the diversity found in that cohort. I generally caveat industry reports, but until other outlets (*coughPewcough*) start tackling, I'll take it! www.aarp.org/pri/topics/s...

Gamers 50-Plus Are a Growing Force in the Tech Market

The number of gamers 50-plus has grown to 52.4 million, according to a recent AARP survey, and they're ready to spend on games designed with them in mind

aarp.org

Writing workshop around dilemmas in video games - a preview of our current research work for MIT undergrads calendar.mit.edu/event/query-...

Query the Quandary: A Game Writing Workshop

When storyboarding a game, how do you create interesting problems that really make your players go “hmm”? How do you write a conflict that is both fun and challenging? At Query the Quandary, you will...

calendar.mit.edu

Board game playing event - Playing Workers: worker representation and resistance, Jan 30 & 31 calendar.mit.edu/event/playin...

IAP 2025: Playing Workers – Worker Representation and Resistance in Board Games

Worker placement games are beloved by modern board gamers. The act of placing cubes or discs in factories or farms to increase production and profit is certainly enticing, but what do the workers want...

calendar.mit.edu

Fellow internet studies friends: fascinating right now to listen in/watch on the platform itself as the SC debates the TikTok ban. Looking forward to reading future work on this!

If you are wondering how to help a family in Gaza directly, go to www.gazafunds.com All the campaigns there have been vetted.

Gaza Funds Spotlight Campaign

Find vetted fundraisers for Gaza here

gazafunds.com

DisTwitter this morning

Is your Following feed overcrowded? Do you wish you could check in on one little world at a time? Not only does Bluesky have purpose-built feeds and lists for this, but you can convert any starter pack to a list using @wandrme.paxex.aero's terrific tool. Then you can pin it for easy access!