The 2025 Conference on BIPOC Game Studies

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The 2025 Conference on BIPOC Game Studies convened this past weekend, bringing together students, game designers, college professors, and influential names in the games industry. It was organized in part by the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

The goal? To share research, showcase games, and discuss the future of game studies through the lens of BIPOC experiences (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

Here is a bullet point list of themes the conference was designed to explore:

  • Representation and Identity in Video Games
  • Digital & Analog Games as Cultural Artifact
  • Games By & About Black and Indigenous Communities
  • Decolonizing Game Development & Design
  • Integration of Indigenous & Black Knowledge Systems
  • Afrofuturism in Gaming
  • Cultural Preservation & Digital Heritage
  • Social Impact & Activism Through Games
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Playful Technologies

Both board games and video games were topics of discussion across the three-day event, with panels and presentations covering properties as varied as Yu-Gi-Oh!, collegiate Esports, The Last of Us, murder mystery games, Dragon Age, virtual reality, the cultural value of arcades, and more.

Lindsay Grace, co-chair of the Conference and Knight chair in Interactive Media at the University of Miami, eloquently explained to WXXI News why this conference was not just necessary, but invaluable:

“I think one of the most important things to recognize about games is that they are kind of a cultural artifact. And being a cultural artifact, it’s important to ask questions about what these things mean in society, or what these things mean to the people who make them.”

“… One of the things I think is really interesting in game studies is we have the opportunity to think critically about the kinds of problems we’re solving and then also the kinds of solutions we’re offering. So a lot of what people talk about in, say, decolonizing games is about reinvestigating those two questions, what’s the real problem here? What’s the source of that problem? Similarly, how are we solving the problem?”

For years, I have discussed in this blog how the world of puzzles and games not only reflects our culture and choices, but why that’s important. But I can only examine those things through one particular lens, that of a white cishet male. There are blindspots I’m unaware of and experiences I simply don’t have, despite my best efforts.

That’s why it’s so important to have other voices included in the discussion, and events like this are crucial to the health of the games industry and our understanding of why we play games at all.

While I wasn’t in attendance, I have read through the various studies and papers associated with the conference, trying to better educate myself on these topics.

And the topics presented are fascinating.

How the experiences of Black users suffer in virtual reality due to whiteness as a default in so many games.

How the roles of Black and Latinx characters in games like Overwatch and Marvel Rivals contribute to not just representation, but reinforce perceptions of particular ethnic groups only in violent situations, not those of support or providing nonviolent solutions.

How video games are being used to preserve Latinx culture and the artistic legacy of the Hmong.

I learned about topics like Quare Theory and Misogynoir (how racist and anti-Black depictions affect the public perception of Black women), explained through the medium of video games.

But the article I found myself returning to several times over the last few days was “Decolonizing Play: Exploring Frameworks for Game Design Free of Colonial Values.”

It was startling to realize just how many video games are foundationally built on the values of Colonialism, and how easy it would be to NOT reinforce those harmful cyclical patterns.

From the paper by Elaine Gomez: When the topic of colonization arises, many game developers often hesitate to get involved in meaningful and constructive design conversations around how to mitigate values that are heavily ingrained in game theory and player expectations.

Some of the conversations broached by these panels and papers are uncomfortable, but difficult conversations are worth having. Challenging the biases and preconceived notions that games are often built upon is worthwhile. (I’m hoping to reach out to some of the Conference’s participants for more details in the coming weeks to follow up on these enlightening discussions.)

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to read the proceedings from the event and take some time to really ponder the topics presented.

The world of puzzles and games is big enough for everyone, and only gets better when everyone feels included. The 2025 Conference on BIPOC Game Studies is proof of that.

Happy gaming, everyone.

Overlaps: TV/Book Edition

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One of my favorite go-to trivia games is Overlaps. Basically, the answer to the trivia question is a combination of two titles. You can use movies, celebrity names, anything really.

And I thought I’d share one of my Overlaps games with you today, fellow puzzler.

Here’s an example to get you started:

A hardworking midwestern mom is mistaken for an 11 year old orphan girl and goes to Avonlea.

And the answer is: Roseanne of Green Gables

Can you unravel these descriptions that overlap a TV show title and a book title?

Let’s find out!

A look at the day-to-day work lives of Thought Police working for Big Apple Brother.

A love quadrangle and an amateur play performance cross paths with a popular shape-named game show involving getting a partner to say the right word.

A talking horse says one thing and means his mother in this curious tale of trying to avoid fate.

Firemen, police, and EMTs in Los Angeles find themselves in a mental institution under the thumb of a tyrannical nurse.

Time and relative dimensions in space are bent by a curious visitor to a disfunctional middle-aged couple’s home after a university faculty party.

456 players compete for a grand prize as the political climate of Westeros changes forever.

With a sword and chakram in hand, a former marauder shares her story of balancing life in high school and her new royal duties.

Wacky hijinks ensue as a man shares the story of courting a famous author of fairy tales and nursery rhymes.

A high schooler with grand ambitions and a habit of stopping time to talk to the camera endures struggles with mental health after her aspiring post-college writing career fails to materialize.

Piloting giant mechanical battle suits to battle angels, the Pevensie children liberate a magical land from the White Witch.

A programming startup company deals with funding issues and a dependence on drugs to navigate turbulent personal and professional relationships in New York City after World War II.

A video diary to a newborn baby from her older sibling serves as the golden ticket to a peculiar candymaker’s legacy.

The misadventures of a young man and his scuffling siblings in a fictional Midlands town in the 1800s as issues of women’s rights, marriage, and political reform are explored.

Two secret service agents seek dangerous magical artifacts while listening to audio tapes recorded by a young woman who committed suicide.

Travel to a curious locale where dreams can come true, particularly for the one woman who lives there, waiting for her people to return for her.

A sharp-tongued and satirical look at the news is presented by a two-inch boy who looks just like a mouse.

How many did you unravel? Let us know in the comments section below! We’d love to hear from you.

Create Puzzly Art Line by Line!

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You’ve heard of Logic Art, but let me ask you, fellow puzzler… have you heard of Word Seek Art?

Please allow me to introduce you to the world of LexaPics.

LexaPics are the creation of Vasiliki Papadopoulou, who designs specially curated word seek grids and sorted word lists to create works of art when solved!

The grid is divided into different cells, and you get a word list for each cell, with different parts of the word list organized by color.

And as you find your words, the work of art slowly emerges line by line.

As you can see, Vasiliki has created grids inspired by Vermeer and Magritte, as well as grids inspired by iconic celebrities like Marilyn Monroe.

From Vasiliki’s post on Reddit:

Lexa comes from Greek word Lexis λέξη (since i am from Greece) that means word and Pics as pictures, but also a playful nod to “pixels” — the building blocks of modern digital art.

Not only does he have a Kickstarter campaign for LexaPics launching soon, but he’s actually created an Instructables page for anyone who would like to make their own LexaPic!

I love seeing the creative ways people put new spins on classic puzzles, and this is both beautiful and so cleverly accessible.

You can click this link to check out his Kickstarter, as well as the homepage for LexaPics here.

I look forward to seeing what sort of wonderful imagery emerges from his word seeks next!

My PuzzCulture Resume!

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After our one-year anniversary post, some of the readers have been asking about my puzzle credentials. How did I become a puzzler? What strange, meandering road led me to the hallowed halls of puzzlesmithery? Could aspiring puzzlers follow the same path to puzzlewonderful adventures?

There’s no single path to puzzlerhood. Sure, there are some fairly universal commonalities. Do you have a great vocabulary? Mad trivia skills? Are you a whiz with palindromes, anagrams, or other forms of wordplay? These can all help. Also, a background or degree in English doesn’t hurt.

But every puzzler I know took a different route. It’s not as if we all awoke one day to a knock at the door, only to discover a small basket left on the doorstep, and tiny elfin footprints leading back toward the enchanted forest down the street.

Though, admittedly, that would have been awesome.

Here, let me take you through some of the highlights in my puzzle resume, and we’ll see if my experiences offer some guidance or inspiration for those with puzzletastic aspirations.

Unrecognized Wheel of Fortune Grand Champion, USA, 1988-present

Since I was about seven years old, family members have called me into the family room to see who can puzzle out the quotes, phrases, and punny answers behind the lovely Vanna White, and I regularly school both contestants and kin with ease.

While Mr. Sajak refused to recognize my decades-long reign as Wheel of Fortune Grand Champion (Stay-at-Home Division), and Mr. Seacrest has yet to return my calls, that doesn’t make it any less noteworthy.

Internship with the Riddler, Gotham City, 2000-2001

There are few puzzle personalities in the world with the flair, cachet, and renown of Edward Nygma, otherwise known as freelance detective and occasional criminal mastermind The Riddler. So when I had the opportunity to sit in with him and learn from his decades of riddle-centric shenaniganry, I leapt at the chance.

I studied the intricacies of mechanical puzzles, wordplay, and punsmithery while under Nygma’s wing. Although I frequently found myself in legal and moral gray areas — and on the receiving end of more than a few POW!s and BIFF!s — the experience was well worth it.

Tetris Foreign Exchange Program, St. Petersberg, 2002

There’s no better spatial awareness training than Tetris. I can feng shui the packages in the back of a UPS truck like nobody’s business, and don’t get me started on my legendary vacation-packing skills. And with the added pressure of that horrendous tension-inducing “you’re near the top!” music, I’m cool as Siberia under pressure.

Dungeon Tester, various, 2003-present

Is your Tomb of Horrors not horrorful enough? Is your Tomb of Elemental Evil lacking in some evil elements? Is your Ghost Tower of Inverness feeling a little inver-less?

I’ve ventured through some of the deadliest, trickiest, player-decimating-est dungeons in all of roleplaying, and my quality control and suggestions have made them even deadlier-ier!

That trick with the secret escape door in the third pitfall trap? Yeah, that was me.

You’re welcome, dungeon masters!

Escape Room Entrepreneur, Scranton, PA, 2006

Yes, the first official escape room opened in Japan in 2007, but I actually pioneered the genre when I accidentally tripped into a display at the Houdini Museum in Scranton just before closing time. Somehow the staff missed the clanking of chains and my totally-manly-and-not-at-all-shrill cries for help, and I found myself plunged into darkness, trapped haphazardly in several of Houdini’s most famous devices.

Thankfully my previous training with the Riddler had prepared me for this sort of dilemma. After several hours of maneuvering (and some unpleasant chafing marks from all the chains and manacles), I managed to extricate myself from all the Houdiniana around me and slip out the front door… and into the waiting arms of the police responding to all the motion sensor alarms I’d tripped with my heroic flailings.

Puzzle Summit with Will Shortz, New York City, 2007

Okay, it wasn’t so much a historic meeting of the minds as it was me yelling puzzle ideas at him with a megaphone as I chased him down the street.

But that totally counts.

Freelance Puzzle Historian, Self-Appointed, USA, 2009-present

Oh yes, puzzle history is a rich and varied field of study, one to which I have devoted a great deal of time and effort, unearthing some fascinating and surprising discoveries. For instance, did you know that Nero did not, in fact, fiddle while Rome burned? He was far too busy being frustrated by the extreme Sudoku puzzle he’d picked up in the agora.

Well, there you have it. A brief glimpse in my particular puzzle experiences and how they’ve shaped me. Here’s hoping you can blaze your own puzzlerific trail, be it through decoding Linear B with Cryptogram-ingrained proficiency or anagramming your friends’ names to your heart’s content.

Happy puzzling, everyone!

One Year of PuzzCulture!

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One year ago today, my first post under the PuzzCulture name went live.

It’s been both overwhelming and gratifying to return to writing about the world of puzzles and games after a few years away, and I’m so so grateful to all of you who have joined me on this journey.

And although it’s only been a year, it sure feels like a LOT has happened over the last twelve months.

Politics have inserted themselves into the world of puzzles and games in both good and bad ways. We’ve seen the board game and RPG industries dealing with the wild swings of Trump’s braindead tariff schemes. We’ve seen shortsighted jingoistic policies hurt local game shops.

But we’ve seen the game community push back against transphobic hate and nearly tank an entire game company. We’ve seen a scavenger hunt inspire people on the local level and a puzzle party to raise funds for reproductive rights. We’ve seen puzzly efforts to support trans rights and abortion access. Puzzles always end up on the right side of history.

We’ve seen Dungeons & Dragons lose both fan goodwill and market share to new competitors. We’ve seen puzzly mysteries and treasure hunts come to an end.

We’ve said goodbye to beloved and influential figures like Tom Lehrer, Wink Martindale, and Ann Santoro.

We’ve also delved into puzzly mysteries. My deep dive into the story of Simon & Schuster’s early days and the lore around Simon’s Aunt Wixie was one of my favorite projects of the year.

So what awaits you in year two, fellow puzzlers?

Plenty!

More deep dives into the history of puzzles and games. More puzzles to solve. More interviews. More reviews. And other things without the word “views” in them. (But hopefully ones that still inspire your views!)

Again, I’m so chuffed with the response PuzzCulture has garnered so far, and I’m excited to continue creating content for you to enjoy.

But what are you looking for, fellow puzzler? Is there something you would like to see that we haven’t done before? Or something you’d like to see more of?

Let us know in the comments section below! We’d love to hear from you.

Thanks again, and happy puzzling!

Registration for the Boswords 2025 Fall Themeless League Is Open!

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It’s that time of year again. The summer tournaments have come and gone (for the most part… thinking of you, Bryant Park!), and fall is near.

And that means the Boswords 2025 Fall Themeless League is almost here!

If you’re unfamiliar, the Boswords Fall Themeless League is a clever weekly spin on traditional crossword tournament-style solving. Instead of cracking through a number of puzzles in a single day (or two), the Fall Themeless League consists of one themeless crossword each week, scored based on your accuracy and how fast you complete the grid.

Each week’s puzzle only has one grid, but there are three sets of clues, each representing a different difficulty level for solvers. Smooth is the least challenging, Choppy is the middle ground, and Stormy is the most challenging. (When you register to participate, you choose the difficulty level that suits you best.)

Each week’s puzzle is accompanied by a one-hour broadcast on Twitch, starting with a preseason puzzle and broadcast on Monday, September 29th at 9 PM Eastern.

The Fall Themeless League then runs the next nine Monday nights starting at 9 PM.

Don’t worry if you can’t attend the Monday night broadcasts. Solvers will have until the end of the day Sunday each solving week to complete that week’s puzzles!

As for the puzzles themselves, each year the Boswords team assembles a lineup of top-flight constructors, and this year is no exception.

This year’s constructors are Carina da Rosa, Barbara Lin, Ryan Mathiason, Sophia Maymudes, Paolo Pasco, David Quarfoot, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Jeremy Venook, Emily Yi and Wayne Zhao.

I’ve participated in the Spring and Fall Themeless Leagues in years past, and it always sparks a renewed appreciation for what talented constructors can do outside the traditional themed structures of a grid. The grid work, the fill, the cluing… these are all given greater focus.

Consider checking it out, you won’t be disappointed!

Will you be participating in this year’s Fall Themeless League, fellow solvers? Let me know in the comments section below, I’d love to hear from you!