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Join us at TAG Lab on October 25th for a Panel discussion with David Wollinsky, Rachel Kowert and Mia Consalvo.
Prompted by David Wolinsky’s new book The Hivemind Swarmed: Conversations on Gamergate, the Aftermath, and the Quest for a Safer Internet, this panel discusses developments, disasters, and stagnations within games culture in the ten years since #Gamergate began. David Wolinsky is joined by psychologist Dr. Rachel Kowert and game studies scholar Dr. Mia Consalvo, who will share their recent work on extremism and disinformation within gaming spaces to discuss how various spheres of games culture have (or have not) developed over the last decade, and how we continue to deal with the aftermath of #Gamergate.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
David Wolinsky is a Chicago-based oral historian and documentary researcher. Since 2014, he’s been unraveling complex questions about online culture wars, fandom, and entertainment labor issues through his independent interview series, Don’t Die. Using videogames as a Trojan horse, the series examines how these conflicts resonate across industries like TV, film, VFX, architecture criticism, and even supply-chain activism. His work reveals the broader societal impact of these digital tensions and offers a living archive of over 500 interviews on the evolving relationship between technology and society.
This archive, preserved by Stanford, has informed exhibits at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, case studies by Cornell Worker Institute, and reporting by the Wall Street Journal. His interviews also led to his first book, The Hivemind Swarmed: Conversations on Gamergate, The Aftermath, and the Quest for a Safer Internet (Beacon, August 2024).
In addition to collaborations with the University of Washington’s Information School, Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and Northeastern University, David’s earlier journalism career includes award-winning work for The Onion A.V. Club and NBC, as well as receiving the New York Videogame Critics Circle’s journalism award in 2017. His interviews continue to bridge industries, creating a comprehensive resource to understand early 21st-century digital life.
Rachel Kowert, Ph.D is a research psychologist, award winning author, and globally recognized leader facilitating global policy and product development with non-profit, governmental, and non-governmental agencies for more than 15 years through data-driven research focused on mental health and trust and safety in digital games. She has spoken about her work to thousands of people across the globe, including the United Nations and the United States Congress. She has published a variety of books and scientific articles relating to the psychology of games and, more recently, the relationship between games and mental health specifically.
Rachel is also the founder of Psychgeist®, a multimedia content production studio for the science of games and pop culture.
In addition to holding a research chair at Concordia University in Digital Game Studies and Design, Mia Consalvo is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, and is the current director for the Technoculture, Art & Games Research Centre (TAG). She is the author of several key game studies texts, including Atari to Zelda and Cheating.
: October 25, 2024 | 3 PM
: TAG Lab EV 11.435
🔗 Register here