Florence Smith Nicholls
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florencesn.bsky.social
Florence Smith Nicholls
@florencesn.bsky.social
Video game archaeologist + game dev//
PhD on archaeogaming as play preservation + procgen//
Prev: Story Tech @gutefabrik.bsky.social, Planning Archaeologist at Museum of London Archaeology
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💾 florencesmithnicholls.com
YouTube comments don't disappoint
February 13, 2026 at 10:32 AM
This week on The Bathysphere we have a lovely essay by Chris on the brutalist parkour game VHOLUME:

buttondown.com/Bathysphere/...
February 12, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Had an interesting morning
February 12, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Not a woman but
February 10, 2026 at 3:35 PM
This week in The Bathysphere I have a piece on "Moogles as a Designable Surface," in which I consider the Moogle Paint feature in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles as an example of a cosy ritual and mechanic:

buttondown.com/Bathysphere/...
February 5, 2026 at 1:19 PM
I'll be speaking alongside Milly Gunn, Maddalena Grattarola and @kurainisei.bsky.social at the Goldsmiths Game Library Night on February 20th, 6-8pm! The topic is games preservation, tickets are free, get them here:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/losing-gam...
February 2, 2026 at 1:36 PM
For full context, I could have chosen any object and topic to write about, and what did I do?
I chose them
January 28, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Also here's a photograph of Ottawa’s 1911 Hockey Team that I found on the Public Domain Image Archive
January 22, 2026 at 5:27 PM
This week on The Bathysphere, inspired by Grapefruit Games' manifesto, I argue that Heated Rivalry is a Sportslike:

buttondown.com/Bathysphere/...
January 22, 2026 at 1:12 PM
About to run my LARP Ruin The Game, about a group of video game archaeologists exploring an abandoned MMO, at The Smoke!
January 10, 2026 at 3:10 PM
The playtest of Ruin The Game went really well! Excited to refine it more for The Smoke next week with the help of my rock companion
January 2, 2026 at 7:10 PM
The piece I wrote about applying my theory of an archaeological mental model to Blue Prince was included in Critical Distance's Year in Blogging!

critical-distance.com/2026/01/01/t...
January 1, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Here's a screenshot of the blurb!
December 27, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Doing some research for my next LARP by visiting Sleaford Castle
December 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I love LARP photography
(Photo by Chiara Cappiello)
December 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Is it game?
Probably not, but that won't stop me
December 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM
This talk is coming up at 3:30pm today!
December 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Its hauntology time
December 15, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Hi
December 12, 2025 at 8:41 PM
There is a LARP mission in Dispatch, does this mean its cool now?
December 7, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Fish fear me
December 5, 2025 at 11:34 PM
December 2, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Remember her?
December 1, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Got a piece on three-sided football in tomorrow's Bathysphere! Looking into it has made me want to read more situationist theory
November 26, 2025 at 10:07 PM