Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

There still aren't great tools for discovering games if you're not already familiar with games (would love to know about them if there are!). But for tips and advice there's loads of forums, like www.reddit.com/r/GirlGamers/

A place for gamers who also happen to be women, probably

A delightfully polarizing term for women who game. This is a community space for ladies to hang out, talk about gaming, and game together. We also discuss topics around women in geek culture and debr...

www.reddit.com

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

But gaming is slowly becoming more accessible as women become more visible in gaming culture. Our study suggests that normalising everyone playing video games, and celebrating our gaming achievements, can help us feel more positive about this amazing hobby.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Women in gaming: Twitch streamer Alyska and the female gamers defying stereotypes

Once thought of as a male-dominated pastime, the number of women streaming and playing video games is growing rapidly.

www.bbc.co.uk

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

This all aligns with previous research on barriers to gaming for women, such as the work of Shira Chess. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ootr...

How to: Play like a feminist

YouTube video by Common Ground Research Networks

www.youtube.com

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

But negative feelings like guilt and shame do not predict how much time women spend gaming. Instead, gaming time is related to their attitudes to games and gaming identity.

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

Almost 1 in 6 women keep their gaming hobby a secret from their family and friends for fear of judgement. Women who feel very proud of their achievements in games are MORE likely to keep their gaming a secret than those who do not feel as proud.

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

We found that 28.8% of women feel guilty about taking time to play games. Feeling guilty is associated with feeling excluded from gaming culture, or not knowing which games to try.

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

In a survey of 1000 women who play mobile games in the UK, most identify as 'casual' gamers. Even for women who spend more than 5 hours a day playing games across multiple platforms, 75% did not feel like they played enough to consider themselves a 'gamer'.

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

Our paper in the Journal Sex Roles goes into more detail: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Not Gamers, Just Women Who Play Video Games: A Survey of Women’s Attitudes to Mobile Games in the UK - Sex Roles

Sex Roles - This study investigates the barriers to playing video games that women face. Despite gaming being a traditionally male-dominated pastime, 51% of women now game in some capacity compared...

link.springer.com

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Aug 28

Nearly a third of women who play mobile video games in the UK feel guilty about their hobby – new study with Steph Rennick. theconversation.com/nearly-a-thi...

Nearly a third of female gamers feel guilty about their hobby – new study

Almost 60% felt that they do not play enough games to consider themselves a ‘gamer’ and more than 30% would be embarrassed to call themselves one.

theconversation.com

1 2

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · Jun 11

“The gender-equality paradox entails that countries with more equality have larger gender differences in behavior. Positive associations between equality & gender differences disappear or reverse when accounting for cultural clusters of countries. The paradox appears to be a methodological artifact”

Simpson’s gender-equality paradox | PNAS

Several cross-country examinations have found larger gender differences in Western countries. More recently, it has been argued, from an evolutiona...

www.pnas.org

5 51 150

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Jun 6

I talked to @nhpr.org about the relationship between language and the environment! www.nhpr.org/environment/...

Outside/Inbox: Does the environment influence the evolution of a language?

"Most languages in the world are spoken by a small number of people in a relatively local place, and their language is probably really adapted to the kinds of things that they care about… and the way ...

www.nhpr.org

2 4

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Jun 6

I got my copy of the Oxford Handbook of Approaches to Language Evolution! global.oup.com/academic/pro... It's amazing to see the investment that so many people have put into developing methods in our field! Kateryna Krykoniuk and I have a chapter on Causal Graphs in correlation-machine.com/CHIELD/

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Cedric Boeckx @cedricboeckx.bsky.social · May 27

Delighted to announce the publication of a collaborative effort, co-led by @limorraviv.bsky.social @mpi-nl.bsky.social, showcasing the ways in which researchers have made language evolution an empirical issue: A handbook of experimental approaches to the fascinating problem of language evolution 🧪

3 48 130

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · May 29

Sad to hear that Mike Peters has passed, but a fitting tribute here “He lived as he sang — with passion, courage, and an unshakeable belief in the power of people to make a difference.” nation.cymru/feature/goin...

Going out in a blaze of glory - saying goodbye to Mike Peters

John Geraint “He lived as he sang — with passion, courage, and an unshakeable belief in the power of people to make a difference.” Those were the words of his widow Jules, as we bade to Mike farewell ...

nation.cymru

1

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · May 28

New book on the Interaction Engine by Steve Levinson, a fresh perspective on one of the most influential ideas in linguistics: www.cambridge.org/core/books/i...

The Interaction Engine

Cambridge Core - Evolution of Language - The Interaction Engine

www.cambridge.org

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Emma Humphries (she/her) @emhumps.bsky.social · May 12

It's here! Linguistic Insecurities and Authorities, published by @johnbenjamins.bsky.social, written by me!

Photo of me holding the hardback copy of my book!

4 6 71

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Emma Humphries (she/her) @emhumps.bsky.social · Feb 5

Introducing my new project… Your Wrong (yourwrong.co.uk). It’s all about the language rules and judgements that appear in different forms of popular culture. Films, series, podcasts, music, books, even graffiti!

I’d love your help to find examples!

Your Wrong

yourwrong.co.uk

1 28 42

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · Mar 8

JOB ALERT in #language and #linguistics!
Postdoc Position at the Center for Language Evolution Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland.
Job offer here: www.umk.pl/en/jobs/?tas...
We are now looking at a broader candidate pool so do consider applying!
Please repost & share widely!

A picture of Torun oldtown at night in winter

1 69 62

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · Feb 17

Two more weeks to apply for this Post-Doc position in my project "Paths to Polysemy: Integrating Approaches to the Role of Polysemy in the Evolutionary Dynamics of Language.” Please share and dm me if you have any questions!
euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/316751

5 5

Seán Roberts @seangroberts.bsky.social · Feb 9

I made a tool to add Balatro-style mechanics to D&D. Ever wanted to roll a billion points of damage? Now you can! Feedback welcome.
correlation-machine.com/DnDPowerCards/

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Simon Kirby @simonkirby.bsky.social · Feb 7

A thread explaining our new discovery about humpback whale song published today in Science... We found key statistical properties that characterise all human languages in another species for the first time. We have more in common with whales than we previously thought! doi.org/10.1126/scie...

A picture of a humpback whale just below the sea surface taken by Marc Quintin

24 220 840

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Felipe Pepe @felipepepe.bsky.social · Jan 13

This episode mentions GISST, which is basically a way to "quote" a video game - almost like a save state: gisst.pomona.edu

Yes, you can emulate or watch on youtube, but being able to legally (under fair use, hopefully) share a playable segment of a game seems revolutionary for education & academia.

Video Game History Foundation @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social · Jan 8

Our latest Video Game History Hour podcast talks to The Strong's director of digital preservation Andrew Borman: gamehistory.org/episode-122-... (Reminder: Patreon subscribers - www.patreon.com/gamehistoryorg - get access a day early, and bonus episodes too!)

Episode 122: Save the Games Recap | Video Game History Foundation

We’re joined by Director of Digital Preservation at The Strong National Museum of Play Andrew Borman to recap the events of the first ever Save the Games Symposium put on by the museum in August 2024,...

gamehistory.org

4 18 130

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Adam Schembri (ˈʃɛmbɹi/ˈʃkɛmbri) @adamcschembri.bsky.social · Jan 10

‘From Birds to Words: Onomatopoeia, Metaphor, and the Language of Birdsong’

Please join us for the inaugural lecture of Professor
@bodowinter.bsky.social on Friday 21 February 2025 (16:00-17:00) in the Alan Walters Building, University of Birmingham.

From Birds to Words: Onomatopoeia, Metaphor, and the Language of Birdsong

From Birds to Words: Onomatopoeia, Metaphor, and the Language of Birdsong - Professor Bodo Winter's Inaugural Lecture

www.birmingham.ac.uk

2 14 42

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Cadernos de Linguística @cadlin.bsky.social · Jan 11

Cedric Boeckx @cedricboeckx.bsky.social discusses the biology of human language at #AbralinAoVivo! Learn how genes like FOXP2, brain circuits, and evolution influence our ability for syntax and communication. Watch here:
▶️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E-X...
#langsky #linguistics

Cedric Boeckx

YouTube video by Abralin

www.youtube.com

2 4

Reposted by Seán Roberts

Mercedes Durham @drswissmiss.bsky.social · Jan 9

I agreed to do this in part because I'd get a chance to underline that if we judge people for their accents, we're stereotyping them... #linguistics The Traitors: how trustworthy is a Welsh accent? A sociolinguist explains theconversation.com/the-traitors...

The Traitors: how trustworthy is a Welsh accent? A sociolinguist explains

The Traitors contestant Charlotte has lived in London her whole life but has adopted a Welsh accent to appear more trustworthy. Is this a reliable strategy though?

theconversation.com

1 15 43