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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin

@astridensslin.bsky.social

640 followers 100 following 53 posts

Professor for the Dynamics of Virtual Communication Spaces at University of Regensburg

Astrid Christina Ensslin is a German digital culture scholar, and Professor of Dynamics of Virtual Communication Spaces at the University of Regensburg. Ensslin is known for her work on digital fictions and video games, and her development of narratological theory to encompass digital narratives. .. more

Sociology 18%

Political science 18%

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · 29d

Great to see "folk mechanics" catching on as an inspiration for game development! Thanks, Sebastian Richter, for the pic taken at CEEGS 2025. Can't wait to see and play a game inspired by Hungarian folklore and cultural heritage, developed by Barnabás Springer and Pietro Noceti (UMalta).

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Jun 26

The website of the DFG Network "Knowledges of Digital Literature" (Das Wissen der digitalen Literatur) is now live. Updates will follow. digitale-burg.de/studio/das-w... @eliterature.bsky.social

digitale-burg.de

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Reposted by Astrid Ensslin

Kübra @mostlyindie.com · Jun 23

📣New publication: “The Name of the Reader”
Constructing the Bookish Player in Pentiment

A collaborative effort in the fullest sense, with @astridensslin.bsky.social, Simone Blessing, Sebastian R. Richter, Fiona S. Schönberg
www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-...

“The Name of the Reader” | 10 | Constructing the Bookish Player in Pen

In this chapter, we explore how Pentiment (2022) serves as an example of a metareferential medium par excellence by remediating the paradigm shift from medieval

www.taylorfrancis.com

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Apr 7

@URegensburg students: We're hiring a pre-doc RA (SHK) for Equal Opportunities:
www.uni-regensburg.de/universitaet/stellenausschreibungen/hilfskraefte/index.html

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Feb 25

I couldn't agree more, and recent narrative games like Disco Elysium and Pentiment have shown a similarly vast cast of rounded characters, set in paradigm-shifting times and fraught societal environments.

The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · Feb 25

Perhaps the strongest argument for Great Expectations as evidence of Dickens’ potential as a videogame writer are its multiple endings.

Why Charles Dickens would have made Great Expectations a videogame if he were writing today

Perhaps the strongest argument for Great Expectations as evidence of Dickens’ potential as a videogame writer are its multiple endings.

tcnv.link

Reposted by Astrid Ensslin

The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · Feb 25

Perhaps the strongest argument for Great Expectations as evidence of Dickens’ potential as a videogame writer are its multiple endings.

Why Charles Dickens would have made Great Expectations a videogame if he were writing today

Perhaps the strongest argument for Great Expectations as evidence of Dickens’ potential as a videogame writer are its multiple endings.

tcnv.link

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Feb 24

Just released in our DAS|LAB video series: Sonia Fizek's "Videogames as Folkworlds" talk on "Materiality of Digitality: The Politics and Ethics of Making Videogames", addressing questions and dilemmas of green game design and production. @uniregensburg.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB5e...

Sonia Fizek - Materiality of Digitality. The Politics and Ethics of Making Videogames

YouTube video by DASLAB

www.youtube.com

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Feb 21

This special issue explores the transformative potential of games, spanning analogue and digital forms and showcasing new perspectives on how games and play can be used for personal and existential development through transformative experiences.

www.gamejournal.it/g-a-m-e-issu...

G|A|M|E Issue 12, 2024 – Transformative Games « G|A|M|E

www.gamejournal.it

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Jan 29

After a lengthy but productive/creative break, we're happy to announce the release of the latest DAS|LAB video in the "Videogames as Folkworlds" series: Kwabena Opoku-Agyemang's talk on "Decolonizing Sweave: African Tradition and Alternative Cultural Pedagogies".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv4E...

Kwabena Opoku-Agyemang - Decolonizing Sweave: African Tradition and Alternative Cultural Pedagogies

YouTube video by DASLAB

www.youtube.com

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Jan 29

Just a reminder that the deadline for this RA position in my lab is immediately forthcoming!

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Dec 19

German version: www.uni-regensburg.de/assets/unive...

www.uni-regensburg.de

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Dec 19

www.uni-regensburg.de/assets/unive...

www.uni-regensburg.de

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Dec 19

Come and work with me and my team at DIMAS! We're advertising for a research associate to join an international team of interdisciplinary researchers on the DFG/AHRC "Project StoryMachine: Exploring Implications of Recommender Based Spatial Hypertext Systems for Folklore and the Humanities".

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Dec 7

Folkore is in the air, folks! This project by our DFG/AHRC "Project StoryMachine" Co-PIs Owen Davies and Ceri Houlbrook just got serious AHRC funding to conduct contemporary folklore research in the UK. Huge congrats! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

Robin Hood, morris dances and UFOs: English folklore survey gets post-Brexit reboot

A fresh look at cultural identity will follow outline of 60-year-old Survey of Language and Folklore, conducted by two academics driving a red Mini

www.theguardian.com

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Nov 27

It's official: Our "Project StoryMachine" is one of 16 projects funded by the DFG/AHRC (German/UK) bilateral grant programme! More info / press releases to come soon! www.dfg.de/en/news/news... @eliterature.bsky.social

UK-German Research Projects in the Arts and Humanities

www.dfg.de

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Nov 12

Big congrats to Brian McHale – 2025 winner of the Wayne C. Booth Lifetime Achievement Award! More than deserved!

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Nov 3

Let's celebrate this wonderful new book! Tuesday, November 12, 4 pm UTC bit.ly/elo-salon
“Reading #Instapoetry is a timely and topical exploration of a new literary phenomenon, edited by JuEunhae Knox and James Mackay." www.bloomsbury.com/us/reading-i...

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

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bit.ly

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Sep 15

In the second video of the URegensburg DAS|LAB's "Videogames as Folk Worlds" Symposium series, @domford.bsky.social talks about "A world to escape to: Gameworlds as otherworlds in datafied society". Here's the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hks...

Dom Ford - A world to escape to

YouTube video by DASLAB

www.youtube.com

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Sep 12

Thrilled to announce the publication of DAS|LAB's first article on how Pentiment constructs the Bookish Player - this one's in German, but an English sibling is in the pipeline - at copy-edit stage. Watch this space!
mittelalter.hypotheses.org/32373

Zur Konstruktion des „Bookish Players“ in ‚Pentiment‘

Zusammenfassung: In unserem Beitrag möchten wir das Videospiel ‚Pentiment‘ als metareferienzielles Medium par excellence darstellen. Das im fiktiv-oberbayerischen Tassing angesiedelte Point-and-Click-...

mittelalter.hypotheses.org

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Sep 5

We'll be releasing one video per week of the other talks given at the event. Watch this space! daslab-ur.de/events-folk/

Videogames as Folkworlds – DAS|LAB

daslab-ur.de

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Sep 5

The video of the talk I gave at the "Videogames as Folkworlds" Symposium in April, on "Folk Mechanic as Transregional Anthropocene Criticism in Indigenous Video Games" is now online. daslab-ur.de/folkmechanics/

FolkMechanics – DAS|LAB

daslab-ur.de

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Jul 19

Here's a snapshot of the Obsidian creative digital writing environment workshop Christine Wilks and I just led (mostly Christine, actually) at #ELO2024

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Jul 19

Such a great keynote. Lots of stuff to take away for our femtech research.

Electronic Literature Organization @eliterature.bsky.social · Jul 19

Edmond Chang keynote for ELO 2024 starts now! Code/Queer Games/ Technonormativity

@edmondchang.bsky.social

Reposted by Astrid Ensslin

Electronic Literature Organization @eliterature.bsky.social · Jul 19

Edmond Chang keynote for ELO 2024 starts now! Code/Queer Games/ Technonormativity

@edmondchang.bsky.social

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · Jul 18

Listening to Chris Klimas' keynote at the ELO 2024 Online conference. Great quote by Inform maker Graham Nelson: "An adventure game is a crossword at war with a narrative". Very true. I should have quoted him much sooner. #ELO2024

Reposted by Noah Wardrip‐Fruin, Astrid Ensslin

Electronic Literature Organization @eliterature.bsky.social · Jul 6

Register for ELO 2024 the online conference by July 8. No additional costs! Just join ELO or renew your membership, and you will get access to all the content!

stars.library.ucf.edu/elo2024/

ELO (un)linked 2024 | University of Central Florida

The 2024 iteration of the Electronic Literature Organization Conference and Media Arts Festival (ELO), hosted fully online July 18-21, 2024.

stars.library.ucf.edu

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Reposted by Astrid Ensslin

Claus Atzenbeck 🇪🇺 @clausatz.bsky.social · Jun 6

Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to join the hypertext research community at the 1st #ACM #Hypertext #SummerSchool. Deadline extended to 14 June 2024! Funding available! Hypertext scholars, please share this with your #PhD or #Master students.
→ ht.acm.org/ht2024/works...

INTR/HT Summer School – ACM Hypertext & Social Media 2024

ht.acm.org

Reposted by Astrid Ensslin

Kübra @mostlyindie.com · May 23

I had a great time in Regensburg visiting the DAS|LAB in the past two days but I always forget to take pics during trips! I do have a photo from @astridensslin.bsky.social's inspiring lecture yesterday about (de)colonial mechanics and cartography in games, though. 🗺️

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Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · May 13

Brilliant news: Christine Wilks' digital fiction for body image narrative therapy, Voices, has been shortlisted for the Chris Meade Main Prize and Social Good categories the New Media Writing Prize. writing-new-bodies.web.app/home Please vote here: newmediawritingprize.co.uk/opening-up-2...

WnbVoices

writing-new-bodies.web.app

Prof. Dr. Astrid Ensslin @astridensslin.bsky.social · May 8

At DAS|LAB we're listening to a fascinating talk by @mostlyindie.com on Gentrification, food, gender and posthuman agency in Donut County. Think of it as reversing Katamari Damacy.