#GeekStudies
Happy Pokémon Day, everyone! 🎉

While you wait for news on the games, why not take a look at one of our many Pokémon articles? 😉
You can find plenty of them at jgeekstudies.org?s=pokemon

#geekstudies #scicomm #Pokemon #PokemonDay
February 27, 2025 at 9:19 AM
From sea stars to sea urchins, echinoderms have inspired some iconic Pokémon. Our latest article explores the ecological and anatomical connections between these remarkable marine animals and their Pokémon counterparts. 🌊⭐

#GeekStudies #MarineBiology #Zoology
Stars and Spikes Forever: a review of echinoderm-inspired Pokémon
Amy Deatherage Independent researcher, Los Altos, CA, USA. Email: amy.deatherage8 (at) gmail (dot) com Download PDF Created by Satoshi Tajiri, Pokémon is a massively successful Japanese franchise t…
jgeekstudies.org
August 10, 2026 at 4:43 PM
We've got a new article! 🦀

@aumpuma.bsky.social examines how
@aggrocrabgames.bsky.social's Another Crab’s Treasure reflects real-world ecological concerns through gameplay, from scavenged gear to toxic waters.

#geekstudies #marinebiology #pollution #environment #crabs
When trash stops being a treasure: pollution and its effects in Another Crab’s Treasure
Abraham U. Morales-Primo Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Mexico City, Mexico. E-mail: aump.puma (at) gmail (dot) com Download PDF Marine e…
jgeekstudies.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:11 AM
In #MonkeyIsland, grog can dissolve a metal mug in seconds. ☠️🍺 But how does that work?
@patraffa.bsky.social explores the chemistry behind one of gaming's most iconic beverages. 🧪

@rug.nl #GeekStudies #scicomm #retrogaming
The science of Monkey Island: can grog actually dissolve a metal mug that fast?
Patrizio Raffa ENTEG Institute, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. Email: p.raffa (at) rug (dot) nl Download PDF Since its release in 1990 by L…
jgeekstudies.org
September 23, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Why does Monster Hunter World feel so alive? Because its ecosystems are surprisingly rich. Our authors explore how the game creates a biologist's wonderland through behavior, ecology, and evolution-inspired design. 🦖
#geekstudies #biology #scicomm #mhw #monsterhunter #モンハンワイルズ
Monster Hunter: World – a biologist’s wonderland
Gabriel Ribeiro de Melo & Helba Helena Santos Prezoto Centro Universitário Academia – UniAcademia, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Emails: gacornirm (at) gmail (dot) com; helbaprezoto (at) …
jgeekstudies.org
October 2, 2026 at 7:03 AM
New article! 🚨
By @drpierpischedda.bsky.social

See how games deal with language deciphering through the lens of archaeolinguistics — from Indy to Lara Croft to Nathan Drake. 🎮

Read more: jgeekstudies.org/2025/04/05/a...

#GeekStudies #GameStudies #Archaeology #Uncharted #TombRaider #IndianaJones
Archaeolinguistics and language deciphering in action-adventure video games: Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider and Uncharted
Pier Simone Pischedda Department of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. E-mail: p.s.pischedda (at) leeds (dot) ac (dot) uk Download PDF Popular…
jgeekstudies.org
April 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
We have a new article! 🎉
Steampunk dinosaurs and Victorian-era palaeontology ⚙️🦖

@krakenscholar.bsky.social and @babimt.bsky.social discuss Iguanodon, from its discovery to modern-day interpretations.
#GeekStudies #ScienceHistory #GeekCulture #anime #PrincessPrincipal

👉 Read it here:
Steampunk dinosaurs and Victorian-era palaeontology
Rodrigo B. Salvador1 & Barbara M. Tomotani1,2 1Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. 2Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic Universit…
jgeekstudies.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:43 AM
It’s officially ‘year in review’ season! Revisit our first 2025 issue and explore all the #geekstudies articles and interviews with game devs.
Vol. 12(1): June, 2025
Journal of Geek Studies –Vol. 12(1): published on June 26, 2025 The Blood on Our Controllers: how the game industry relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Interview with H. Caubet Pp. 1-5.  PD…
jgeekstudies.org
December 25, 2025 at 6:57 PM
👾 New article out!

@drydesigns.bsky.social explores how the Digimon franchise blends mythology, signs, and digital imagination to create a unique fictional universe.

#GeekStudies #Semiotics #Mythology #AnimeStudies #MediaStudies
Hey Digimon: myths, semiosis and the Digital World
Francisco Seco Costa dos Santos Silva Independent researcher, Leiria, Portugal. Email: fs.seco (at) outlook (dot) com Download PDF “Hey Digimon, hey Digimon, Monster friends to the boys and girls. …
jgeekstudies.org
August 24, 2026 at 7:03 AM
🎮 Can a video game save a species? 🦜

Our new piece, by @floriannechekuv.bsky.social, explores how the game Jack Barau blends play and purpose to spotlight #conservation in Réunion.

Read the full article: jgeekstudies.org/2025/11/11/c...

#geekstudies #indiegames #seriousgames #gamingforgood
Can conservation really be effective through video games? A case study on Jack Barau and some perspectives
Florian Verdier Independent Researcher, Sens, France. Email: fverdier.ei (at) gmail (dot) com Download PDF Almost half of the world’s population plays video games (Buijisman, 2024). Whether the exp…
jgeekstudies.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:52 AM
New article alert! 🚨

Did you know that Zelda: Breath of the Wild was inspired by Jomon-period artifacts in Japan?
Explore the link between the game and real-world history in our new article by @jfcudennec.bsky.social

#GeekStudies #BOTW #scicomm #Archaeology
jgeekstudies.org/2024/10/27/o...
On the influence of Japanese archaeological heritage on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Jean-François Cudennec University of Derby, College of Science and Engineering, Derby, United Kingdom. Email: jf.cudennec (at) live (dot) fr Download PDF A thick layer of time In the realm of Ninte…
jgeekstudies.org
October 28, 2024 at 1:17 PM
Are Pokémon routes and habitats more realistic than you think? 🤔
New research shows that ecological patterns in Pokémon games closely resemble those found in the natural world.

#geekstudies #Ecology #SciComm #GameStudies
Article by N Stephenson, @shujie.bsky.social, @yarongliu.bsky.social, et al.
Ecological patterns in Pokémon games reflect those observed in the natural world
Nile P. Stephenson1,2,3, Gabriel B. Stephenson4, Shujie Chang1,2, Britta K. Fiedler5, Yarong Liu1,2,6, Ayaka U. Paul1,2,5, Euan N. Furness4 1Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridg…
jgeekstudies.org
July 21, 2026 at 7:15 AM
🎮 New Article Alert! 🎮

Dive into our latest piece exploring the intersection of faith and digital worlds. Don't miss this thought-provoking read!

🔗 Read it here: jgeekstudies.org/2024/12/07/s...

#GeekStudies #VideoGames #GameStudies
Studying religion in video games: rationale, research approaches, and theory
James A. Bishop Department for the Study of Religions, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Email: james.bishop35 (at) gmail (dot) com Download PDF Sociological analyses of video game …
jgeekstudies.org
December 9, 2024 at 6:49 AM
Can a bone stop a Rancor’s massive jaws?🦴🦖
This new study, by @palaeostephan.bsky.social and @taphonomist.bsky.social, estimates the #StarWars predator’s bite force at a bone-crushing 44,000 N!🔥⚔️

Read the full article at jgeekstudies.org/2025/03/08/i...

#geekstudies #scicomm #paleontology
Is a bone a viable weapon when combating a Rancor? Estimating the bite force of an intergalactic mega-predator
Stephan Lautenschlager1,2 & Thomas Clements3 1School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. 2The Lapworth Museum of Geology, Birmingham, UK. 3…
jgeekstudies.org
March 10, 2025 at 12:41 PM
🚨 New article! 🎉

J. Hepper explored social media discussions to understand how #cyberpunk lexicon enters public discourse about real-world events.

#GeekStudies #MediaStudies #Shadowrun #PopCulture
When cyberpunk leaks into the timeline: megacorps, memes, and Rheinmetall as a real‑world case study
Jens Hepper Independent researcher, Northeim, Germany. Email: jens.hepper (at) rlsb (dot) de Download PDF Pop culture increasingly provides the metaphors—and sometimes the scripts—that shape public…
jgeekstudies.org
September 22, 2025 at 7:11 AM
We're approaching the year's end, so our 2025 volume is now closed. 🎉
You can check it out at jgeekstudies.org/archives/vol...
We have #geekstudies articles about Pokémon tournaments, Magic molluscs, cyberpunk, Another Crab's Treasure, conservation & video games, and steampunk dinosaurs in anime.
December 25, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Hornet’s silk isn’t just cool, it has parallels in real biology.
A science breakdown for Silksong fans, by @aumpuma.bsky.social

#GeekStudies #scicomm #HollowKnight
Hornet’s web: weaving the biology of silk into Hollow Knight: Silksong
Abraham U. Morales-Primo Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Email: aump.puma (at) gmail (dot) com Download PDF Silk is o…
jgeekstudies.org
April 17, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Happy #GeekPrideDay / #TowelDay 🎉

It's a great opportunity to read all the cool #GeekStudies we've published this year. 🤓 Take a look around, you're bound to find an article you'll love: jgeekstudies.org/archives/vol...

And remember: don't panic and always carry a towel!
Vol. 12(1): June, 2025
Journal of Geek Studies –Vol. 12(1): to be published on June, 2025 The Blood on Our Controllers: how the game industry relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Interview with H. Caubet Pp. 1-5. …
jgeekstudies.org
May 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
We have a new interview featuring Dr. Paul Fletcher (Cambridge University)
Discover how his expertise helped the team at Ninja Theory shape Hellblade II: Senua's Saga 🎮🧠
#geekstudies #gaming #psychology #mentalhealth #SenuasSaga
Understanding Senua’s psychosis in Hellblade
Interview with Paul Fletcher Download PDF In 2017, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, by Ninja Theory, was released for PC and PlayStation 4, later making its way to Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Seri...
jgeekstudies.org
July 19, 2024 at 9:20 AM
🚨 New article out now! 🚨
By ‪@beelzebruno.bsky.social

Can we predict competitive Pokémon VGC leads using Latent Semantic Analysis? 🧠🔍

#GeekStudies #PokemonVGC #DataScience #CompetitivePokemon
Predicting competitive Pokémon VGC leads using Latent Semantic Analysis: a data-driven approach to team matchups
Bruno Luvizotto Carli Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. brunolcarli (at) gmail (dot) com Download PDF Competitive Pokémon battles often hinge on the initial selection of Pokémon…
jgeekstudies.org
July 13, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Happy #DarwinDay! 🦎 🐦
Let's celebrate #evolution and natural selection with a geeky twist – with tons of #biology articles to read in the Journal of Geek Studies.

📚 traditionally starting with #Pokémon:
jgeekstudies.org/2024/08/24/e...
and
jgeekstudies.org/2023/09/02/d...

#geekstudies #scicomm
Euarthropod diversity in Pokémon: searching for the ancestral type
Harriet B. Drage Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Email: harriet.drage (at) unil (dot) ch Download PDF Euarthropoda, including living (extant) groups like…
jgeekstudies.org
February 12, 2025 at 10:35 AM
New article alert! 🚨
An evolutionary take on the fauna of one of gaming’s most loved worlds!
Read more: jgeekstudies.org/2026/02/05/m...

#GeekStudies #MonsterHunter #scicomm #systematics
Monster Hunter: an evolutionary story
Christopher Sevin Independent scientific educator, France. Email: c-sevin (at) live (dot) fr Download PDF Monster Hunter is a fantasy-themed video game franchise created by the Japanese company Cap…
jgeekstudies.org
February 6, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Here's another article for #WorldSparrowDay (though there are other birbs in it too!).
This one I wrote with @babimt.bsky.social and you can find it at jgeekstudies.org/2024/08/10/t...

#スズメの日 #geekstudies #birds #scicomm #FGO #FateGO #FateGrandOrder
March 20, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Our most accessed #geekstudies articles in 2025 were:

1. Visualizing environmental costs of war in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
2. Pokémollusca: mollusk-inspired Pokémon
3. Anglerfish as movie monsters
4. The Astolfo Effect
5. Medjed: from Ancient Egypt to Japan

Read them at jgeekstudies.org
December 26, 2025 at 3:40 PM