Amabel Holland
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amabel.bsky.social
Amabel Holland
@amabel.bsky.social
She/her. "Widely considered one of today’s most innovative game designers." - The New Yorker

Board games: https://hollandspiele.com
video essays: youtube.com/@hollandspiele
Patreon: patreon.com/amabelholland
sidekicking: youtube.com/@SBPlaysGames
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📌 I'm Amabel!
- I design & publish weird board games via Hollandspiele
- I research the uncredited game designers of the twentieth century
- I make video essays about board games
- I talk about transition, politics, trauma, and my hypersexuality
Reposted by Amabel Holland
Amabel out here just casually dropping great documentaries.
I wanted to know who designed an old board game I loved. I found out he made over fifty games he was never credited for, in a career spanning more than three decades.

youtu.be/dTepZ7qM24Q
GRAVITY IS FREE: the games of René Soriano
YouTube video by Hollandspiele
youtu.be
January 27, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
Y'all need to get on this channel,
the Defunctland of board games.
this also includes: who created Howdy Doody, the disputed credit for Connect Four, why there were so many plastic dexterity games in the 60s & 70s, how Disney & Kenner tried & failed to manufacture a fandom, and why Parker Brothers is no longer around.
I wanted to know who designed an old board game I loved. I found out he made over fifty games he was never credited for, in a career spanning more than three decades.

youtu.be/dTepZ7qM24Q
January 27, 2026 at 1:22 PM
this also includes: who created Howdy Doody, the disputed credit for Connect Four, why there were so many plastic dexterity games in the 60s & 70s, how Disney & Kenner tried & failed to manufacture a fandom, and why Parker Brothers is no longer around.
I wanted to know who designed an old board game I loved. I found out he made over fifty games he was never credited for, in a career spanning more than three decades.

youtu.be/dTepZ7qM24Q
GRAVITY IS FREE: the games of René Soriano
YouTube video by Hollandspiele
youtu.be
January 27, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
RIP Sal Buscema
January 27, 2026 at 3:19 AM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
“Young people aren’t reading a book series from 29 years ago whose author is now famously bankrolling a global hate campaign. It seems like this is something that would be very difficult to blame on liberals, but that’s why I get the big bucks from the NYT.”
January 26, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
The Quiet Year is now back in stock no matter where you live!

The Quiet Year is an award-winning map-making game about building community after the collapse. It comes in a little box with everything you need to play. And it's back in stock in the US!

store.buriedwithoutceremony.com/products/the...
The Quiet Year (box set)
The Quiet Year is a map game. You define the struggles of a community living after the collapse of civilization, and attempt to build something good within their quiet year. Every decision and every a...
store.buriedwithoutceremony.com
January 26, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
Board Game Beat is officially launched & loaded with content...with more to come as I report on Spielwarenmesse!

If you're into independent board game journalism—articles, videos, interviews, news, reviews & more—please check it out and share.

www.wericmartin.com

#boardgame #spielwarenmesse
Board Game Beat LLC | W. Eric Martin
Tabletop and board game journalism with deep-dive news, reviews, interviews, videos, and essays, plus rulebook writing and editing services.
www.wericmartin.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
Fabulous documentary about the history of toy and board game production!
I wanted to know who designed an old board game I loved. I found out he made over fifty games he was never credited for, in a career spanning more than three decades.

youtu.be/dTepZ7qM24Q
GRAVITY IS FREE: the games of René Soriano
YouTube video by Hollandspiele
youtu.be
January 26, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Got some new producers signing up after the video went out on Friday, and I now find myself with seventy-five (75!) patreon supporters. That's really humbling, and I'm deeply grateful - it's what allows me to fund research-intensive videos like "Gravity Is Free".

patreon.com/amabelholland
Get more from Amabel Holland on Patreon
video essays about the future & history of board games
patreon.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
SE MI folks: Mutual Aid & Resource Fair! Saturday Jan 31, 1-4 pm at the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn. DIY, Know-Your-Rights, and free resources like food, clothes, hygiene items, and more!

Attached flyer in English and Arabic
January 14, 2026 at 8:31 PM
gal I used to date was being eaten alive by her job - damaging her mental & emotional health, stressed & hair-trigger angry all the time. She spent the whole of our relationship waffling on whether or not to quit & I encouraged her to do so, but she never did. 1/7
January 26, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
more
January 26, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
Met a guy today who works as a digital sculptor for Funko Pops and his quota is 2.5 Pops per week. Gonna be thinking about that for a while.
January 26, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
is it too late to call Bryan Fuller's Hannibal "Eated Rivalry"
January 26, 2026 at 1:40 AM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
critical support to r/dragonsfuckingcars
January 26, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
We watched the Rene Soriano documentary this afternoon; great choice for being completely snowed in

Truly excellent work, @amabel.bsky.social
January 25, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
This is wonderful. A recommended watch. PS: I definitely remember a version of those pop up spring toys that Rene invented.
I wanted to know who designed an old board game I loved. I found out he made over fifty games he was never credited for, in a career spanning more than three decades.

youtu.be/dTepZ7qM24Q
GRAVITY IS FREE: the games of René Soriano
YouTube video by Hollandspiele
youtu.be
January 25, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
Reddit rises up
January 25, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
This was FANTASTIC. Thank you for choosing to become the world’s only non-Rene expert on Rene. You’re doing important work, and I’m joining your Patreon because of it.
January 25, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
Finally got the chance to watch the rest of this. It was so cool you got to talk to René, and I appreciate you sharing the conversation. Thanks also for your insight for research. This is a fun and satisfying video, and I enjoyed it a lot.
January 25, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
What a lovely video!
I wanted to know who designed an old board game I loved. I found out he made over fifty games he was never credited for, in a career spanning more than three decades.

youtu.be/dTepZ7qM24Q
GRAVITY IS FREE: the games of René Soriano
YouTube video by Hollandspiele
youtu.be
January 25, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Today's Stream: The End Is Nigh!

I don't know what it is, but it certainly sounds like a cheerful time!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v7_...
SB And Amabel Are Working On Some Nigh Moves
YouTube video by SB
www.youtube.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:46 PM
me: do I need to download anything for the stream?

Samhain: Yes.

Samhain: Pornography!

me: huh. congratulations on your channel getting deleted then I guess?

Samhain (like Kermit announcing tonight's guest star): We're gonna goon! Yaaaaaay!
January 25, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
(14/27) amusing, and the arguments are clear and queer. I would recommend this book to not just board game designers but anyone interested in creating art.
January 25, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Amabel Holland
(13/27) …hood, so to speak, so the nature of why things happen and how they interact is self-evident. The book is full of examinations of board games, as well as analysis of music, theatre, television, and especially film to help convey the thesis of modeling systems. Holland’s prose is light and…
January 25, 2026 at 3:03 PM