Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Alexandra T.

Melissa Rogerson @melissainau.bsky.social · 3d

Do you teach boardgames? We have just launched a survey asking about your experience! It takes about ten minutes to complete - please share!
Survey link: go.unimelb.edu.au/45qp

Image text reads:
Do you teach board games?
We invite you to complete a short survey for academic research into people’s experiences of teaching boardgames, at home and elsewhere.
The survey takes about ten minutes to complete.

To find out more, please use the QR code,
visit go.unimelb.edu.au/45qp
or email hybrid-games@unimelb.edu.au

(University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Approval 33778)

There is also a decorative image of game pawns and dice, with a magnifying glass on top, as well as a QR code which points to the given link.

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · 4d

Our paper, "Constructing a Community of Play: Black Sims Players and Game Modding," is up now on the ACM DL and won an Honourable Mention Paper Award at #CHIPLAY2025!!

This paper was a huge labor of love and a bittersweet sendoff to the Sims.

dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...

Constructing a Community of Play: Black Sims Players and Game Modding | Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

Video games are celebrated for providing unique interactive experiences that allow players to construct their own narratives through play. However, Black gamers have been repeatedly denied representat...

dl.acm.org

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · 7d

We’re overdue for a catch up! But as a preview the number of completely dropped balls for very cool decolonial, anti-racist, and/or queer liberation alley-oops I’ve seen BIPOC GMs set up that yt players face plant at, followed up with the chaser of fans loudly celebrating makes me 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · 7d

Would love to see your take on this! AP is strictly hobby and not work for me because I have to draw a line somewhere around games-for-fun but I think about this (and subject my spouse to hot take rants about it) a LOT.

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

AAUP @aaup.org · 10d

BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥

Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.

Full ruling here:

Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com

Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Additional attachment(s) added on 9/30/2025: # 1 Main Document) (J...

www.courtlistener.com

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · 13d

Catch @jailynz.bsky.social tomorrow afternoon @qgcon.bsky.social talking about joy and play as resistance, TTRPGs, pleasure activism, and how spite motivates us to keep doing cool shit. ❤️

The QGCon Collective @qgcon.bsky.social · Aug 29

Resharing to add the Sunday #QGCon schedule of events as well!

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Sarita @saritas.bsky.social · 25d

University of Michigan School of Information has four faculty positions ranging from Presidential Postdoc to Full. They're all linked here. PPFP due Sep 26, the others Nov 1 or 15. www.si.umich.edu/people/facul...

Faculty recruiting | umsi

Learn about open faculty positions at UMSI.

www.si.umich.edu

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Raul Perez @raulperez.bsky.social · 26d

Recent coverage in msm on the use of coded memes and humor by the far-right looks at this phenomenon as a new problem or development, a product of genZ or social media. But the far right has been weaponizing violent humor over the last 5 decades. And it has gone from the fringes to the White House

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · Aug 29

This is one of the ways that white supremacy weaponizes civility: by implying that certain people get to be served, and other kinds of people (you know what kinds) need to be grateful, without interrogating it.

The Independent @the-independent.com · Aug 29

Vance goes after NYC mayoral hopeful Mamdani: ‘He should show more gratitude to the United States’

Vance goes after NYC mayor hopeful Mamdani for not showing ‘gratitude’ to the US

www.independent.co.uk

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Joseph Fasano @josephfasano.bsky.social · Aug 4

For a Student Who Used AI to Write a Paper

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Aug 22

Plus many more! My biggest project focuses on developing game design methods for engaging race. We’re 1 year into this 5-year NSF-funded project which supports students and pays game devs for their expertise collaborating with us on the future of games.

Press: news.northeastern.edu/2024/05/31/n...

Northeastern computer scientist receives prestigious early-career award for game design research

Alexandra To has received an NSF CAREER Award for research that bridges game design with critical race theory.

news.northeastern.edu

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Aug 22

Research looking at how existing games can facilitate serious transformation in players.

Paper on Papers, Please and critical consciousness led by @bethanymiatta.bsky.social and Alesandra Baca Vázquez with Angela D. R. Smith: dl.acm.org/doi/full/10....

“I want to let them in”: Exploring Critical Consciousness Development through Roleplay and Reflection in “Papers, Please” | Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on the Foundations of Digit...

dl.acm.org

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Aug 22

Experiences and algorithmic folk theories of Black femme content creators including differential content moderation as well as strategies for resistance and centering joy led by @giannawilliams.bsky.social with @michaelann.bsky.social and Natalie Chen.

Awarded Paper: dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...

Why Can't Black Women Just Be?: Black Femme Content Creators Navigating Algorithmic Monoliths | Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

dl.acm.org

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Aug 22

Exploring queer TTRPGs led by @jailynz.bsky.social

Press: news.northeastern.edu/2024/08/30/q...

Paper on queer TTRPG themes: dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Paper on queer TTRPG players: dl.digra.org/index.php/dl...

Queer tabletop roleplaying games provide valuable lessons that even ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ can learn from, new research finds

Researchers looked at how game makers are designing queerness into their TTRPGs, making their games more inclusive for players.

news.northeastern.edu

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Aug 22

Intro thread! 👋🏼 I’m Alexandra, an Assistant Professor in Art+Design and Computer Science. I research transformational game design and racial justice & identity using human-computer interaction methods.

I get to work with incredible students and collaborators! Some recent projects include…

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

yuxi wu @yuxiwu.com · Aug 14

presenting this work at #usesec25 friday morning at 11am!

please come by and say hello to an academic job market candidate (me 👩🏻‍🏫)

official link to paper: www.usenix.org/system/files...

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Aug 12

Crashed out and sought answers at the bookstore:

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine
Why I’m no Longer Talking to White People About Race
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
The Selected Works of Audre Lorde
The Origins of Totalitarianism

The five books I bought after my partner convinced me to put three back.
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine
Why I’m no Longer Talking to White People About Race
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
The Selected Works of Audre Lorde
The Origins of Totalitarianism

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Under The Desk News @underthedesknews.bsky.social · Mar 21

Are they able to diminish or nullify Gay Marriage rights? Yes.. here’s how - and what my wife Natalie and I did to prepare.

youtu.be/hOhIHdmnBM0?...

How To Save Gay Marriage

YouTube video by Under The Desk News

youtu.be

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · Aug 11

Israel claimed responsibility for killing five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza, including Anas al-Sharif, in a strike on their media tent outside al-Shifa Hospital, bringing the total journalists killed to 237 since the war began.

🔴 Follow our LIVE coverage: aje.io/1490et

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Infinite Women @infinite-women.com · Mar 30

Just finished @ijeomaoluo.bsky.social's latest,
Be A Revolution: How Everyday People are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World - and How You Can, Too. Brilliant as always and also incredibly important reading for folks who want to make a difference but aren't sure where to start.

Be A Revolution by Ijeoma Oluo

From Ijeoma Oluo, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of So You Want to Talk About Race and Mediocre, an eye-opening and galvanizing look at the current state of anti-racist activism across Ame...

www.harpercollins.com

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Jul 29

Very cool, would love an add!

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · Jul 9

"Ideological Deportation": AAUP v. Rubio Trial Challenges Trump Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Students

“Ideological Deportation”: AAUP v. Rubio Trial Challenges Trump Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Students

The first trial in a case challenging the Trump administration’s policy of detaining and deporting international students and professors who participate in pro-Palestinian activism is underway in Boston....

www.democracynow.org

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

AAUP @aaup.org · Jul 7

POWERFUL RALLY today in Boston at the conclusion of our first day of trial in our case against the Trump administration to end the practice of ideological deportations of students & faculty they disagree with.

#DefendHigherEd

Chenjerai Kumanyika of the AAUP Governing Council kicked things off.

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Alexandra T. @alexandrato.bsky.social · Jul 8

🥳🥳🥳 congrats!!!!

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Reposted by Alexandra T.

Ben McAdams Memorial Act. but on BlueSky @purrtah.bsky.social · Jun 10

Reshare to scare the data bros and popularism acolytes

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