by Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm

Click here to listen to Arcade Academia DLC 2: Gaming Sexism with Amanda C. Cote.

In our last episode, we attempted to untangle the ties between so-called girl games, cozy games, and the overall rise of casual gaming. Our research into the origins of the sometimes maligned term of “casual gaming” led us to an excellent, enlightening read: Gaming Sexism: Gender and Identity in the Era of Casual Video Games.

Amanda C. Cote’s book gave voice to the experiences of women in gaming spaces, detailed the strategies they employed to coexist peacefully within those spaces, and examined why women frequently experience hostility while playing online. The invalidation of women gamers was spoken about as a given in the previous episode, the default state of the gaming industry after developers decided that boys were the more profitable audience.

Therefore, we were especially eager to speak with Cote about her research into the roots of how gatekeeping and gaming unfortunately go hand in hand.

🎧 Credits:

Hosts: Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm Guest: Amanda C. Cote Music: “Magic Escape Room” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

🎧 Follow us on:

Spotify— Arcade Academia Instagram — @arcadeacademia BlueSky — @arcadeacademia.bsky.social YouTube — Arcade Academia

Daley — @daleywwrites on Instagram|@daleyday.bsky.social on BlueSky

Emily — @ereuben4915 on Instagram | @songofthenight.bsky.social on BlueSky

RESOURCES

Cassell, Justine, and Henry Jenkins, editors. From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games. MIT Press, 1998.

Chess, Shira. Ready Player Two: Women Gamers and Designed Identity. University of Minnesota Press, 2017.

“Connell’s Concept of Hegemonic Masculinity Explained.” The Sociology Guy, 25 Aug. 2025, https://thesociologyguy.com/2025/08/25/connells-concept-of-hegemonic-masculinity-explained/.

Consalvo, Mia, and Christopher A. Paul. Real Games: What’s Legitimate and What’s Not in Contemporary Videogames. MIT Press, 2019.

Cote, Amanda C. Gaming Sexism: Gender and Identity in the Era of Casual Video Games. New York University Press, 2020.

Hall, Stuart, et al. Selected Writings on Race and Difference. Duke University Press, 2021.

Sarkeesian, Anita. “Anita Sarkeesian Visits Professor Melanie Klein’s Class_Part 2.” Breatheasy Productions, 9 Oct. 2010.

Shaw, Adrienne. Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture. University of Minnesota Press, 2014.

Sheffield, Brandon. “Opinion: The Hardcore Niche.” Game Developer, 3 July 2008, www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/opinion-the-hardcore-niche.

Vossen, Emma. “The Magic Circle and Consent in Gaming Practices.” Feminism in Play, edited by Kishonna L. Gray, Gerald Voorhees, and Emma Vossen, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, pp. 205–220.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadeacademia.substack.com

By Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm

Welcome to episode two of Arcade Academia. We’re Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm, two lifelong scholars finally using our journalism backgrounds and master’s degrees to do something more than write just another gaming hot take.

Arcade Academia isn’t a gaming news podcast: each episode is an exhaustively researched deep dive into scholarly examinations of video games.

In this episode, we explore the concept of “girl games.” What differentiates a girl game from other video games? Are girl games a thing of the past? What girl games are there today?

We asked Ashley Rezvani, an assistant professor of game design and interactive media at the University of Montana, to help us dissect this fascinating and sometimes controversial subject.

A special thank you to Ash Rezvani for listening to our theories and sharing her research and experience. You can check out more of her insights into game studies and game design on her YouTube channel, The Magic Circle.

Ash and her two brothers are the founders of Ludonaut Games, a board game company that will soon launch its first card game, “In A World,” on May 6, 2026.

You can check it out at ludonautgames.com and/or preorder it on Amazon.

🎧 Credits:

Hosts: Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm Daley Guest: Ashley Rezvani | @themagiccircle on YouTube | Ludonaut GamesMusic: “Magic Escape Room” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadeacademia.substack.com

by Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm

Mattel Electronics’ Intellivision console, released in 1979, was a direct competitor to the Atari 2600. Though not as well-remembered today, the Intellivision gets credit for introducing the concept of downloadable content, or DLC, into the world of gaming. The 1980 online service PlayCable allowed gamers to download games to their Intellivision via their cable TV connection.

The 1997 real-time strategy game “Total Annihilation” is credited as the first game to expand via DLC. Developer Cavedog Entertainment regularly added new units, scenarios, and maps for players to download for free.

Today, DLC is almost an expected aspect of most video games. It allows game developers to freshen up their titles with new content without releasing a whole new game.

We’re doing the same with our podcast: our first episode focused on video game preservation, a complicated and ever-evolving subject. Happily, the publication of our inaugural episode attracted the attention of subject matter experts in the field. Rather than move on from game preservation, we wanted to take full advantage of the additional insights we were given and make a special, extra episode as a kind of DLC expansion.

And thus we have Arcade Academia’s first DLC—an interview with Alysha Connor, a preservation specialist at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, on the complexities of preserving and presenting video games.

🎧 Credits:

Hosts: Emily Reuben and Daley WilhelmGuest: Alysha Connor | The Powerhouse MuseumMusic: “Magic Escape Room” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

🎧 Follow us on:

Spotify— Arcade Academia Instagram — @arcadeacademia BlueSky — @arcadeacademia.bsky.socialYouTube — Arcade Academia

Daley — @daleywwrites on Instagram | @daleyday.bsky.social on BlueSky Emily — @ereuben4915 on Instagram | @songofthenight.bsky.social on BlueSky

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadeacademia.substack.com

by Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm

Thanks for reading Arcade Academia Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In the inaugural episode of Arcade Academia, hosts Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm finally use their journalism backgrounds and M.A.s to do something more than write just another gaming hot take.

Arcade Academia isn’t a gaming news podcast: each episode is an exhaustively researched deep dive into scholarly examinations of video games.

This very first episode concerns the legacy that video games will leave behind. Speaking with Phil Salvador, the library director of the Video Game History Foundation, and Andrew Borman, director of preservation at The Strong National Museum of Play, this episode explores the world of video game preservation and the steps the industry is (and isn’t) taking to protect video game history.

🎧 Credits:

Hosts: Emily Reuben and Daley Wilhelm Guests: Andrew Borman — @borman.bsky.social | museumofplay.orgPhil Salvador — @philsalv.bsky.social | gamehistory.orgMusic: “Magic Escape Room” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

🎧 Follow us on:

Spotify— Arcade AcademiaInstagram — @arcadeacademiaBlueSky — @arcadeacademia.bsky.socialYouTube — Arcade Academia

Daley — @daleywwrites on Instagram |@daleyday.bsky.social on BlueSkyEmily — @ereuben4915 on Instagram | @songofthenight.bsky.social on BlueSky

RESOURCES

Bailey, Dustin. “Fallout Creator Tim Cain Says He Was ‘Ordered to Destroy’ His Personal Archive of the RPG’s Development: ‘Individuals and Organizations Actively Work against Preservation.’” GamesRadar+, 24 Apr. 2025, www.gamesradar.com/games/fallout/fallout-creator-tim-cain-says-he-was-ordered-to-destroy-his-personal-archive-of-the-rpgs-development-individuals-and-organizations-actively-work-against-preservation/.

Bailey, Dustin. “Publishers Are Absolutely Terrified ‘Preserved Video Games Would Be Used for Recreational Purposes,’ so the US Copyright Office Has Struck down a Major Effort for Game Preservation.” GamesRadar+, 25 Oct. 2024, www.gamesradar.com/games/publishers-are-absolutely-terrified-preserved-video-games-would-be-used-for-recreational-purposes-so-the-us-copyright-office-has-struck-down-a-major-effort-for-game-preservation/.

Bailey, Dustin, and Leri, Michael. “‘30 Years of History Reside in Our Tape Backups’: PlayStation’s Building a Game Preservation Mineshaft Vault with 200 Million Files Going back to a 1994 Build of PS1 JRPG Arc the Lad.” GamesRadar+, 28 Mar. 2025, www.gamesradar.com/games/30-years-of-history-reside-in-our-tape-backups-playstations-building-a-game-preservation-mineshaft-vault-with-200-million-files-going-back-to-a-1994-build-of-ps1-jrpg-arc-the-lad/.

Barbosa, Alessandro. “PS3, PS Vita Stores Will Not Be Closing as Sony Backtracks on Controversial Decision.” GameSpot, 19 Apr. 2021, www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-ps-vita-stores-will-not-be-closing-as-sony-backtracks-on-controversial-decision/1100-6490312/.

Bonthuys, Darryn. “Why Game Preservation Is so Important to Microsoft.” GameSpot, 5 Apr. 2021, www.gamespot.com/articles/why-game-preservation-is-so-important-to-microsoft/1100-6489733/.

Bradford, Matt. “Gabe Newell: Piracy Is an Issue of Service, Not Price.” GamesRadar, 25 Oct. 2011, www.gamesradar.com/gabe-newell-piracy-issue-service-not-price/.

Buckley, Sean. “Nintendo’s EShop Closures Are Putting Generations of Games out of Reach.” Engadget, 29 Mar. 2023, www.engadget.com/nintendos-eshop-closures-are-putting-generations-of-games-out-of-reach-140052823.html.

Cifaldi, Frank. “Preserving Game History: It’s Just Us.” Gdcvault.com, 2025, gdcvault.com/play/1034967/Preserving-Game-History-It-s.

Cifaldi, Frank. Video Game History Hour. Podcast, “Episode 122: Save the Games Recap,” Video Game History Foundation, 8 Jan. 2025, gamehistory.org/episode-122-save-the-games-recap/.

Dinsdale, Ryan. “YouTuber Spends $22,000 to Buy Every Wii U and 3DS Game ahead of Nintendo EShop Shutdown.” IGN, 20 Mar. 2023, www.ign.com/articles/youtuber-spends-22000-to-buy-every-wii-u-and-3ds-game-ahead-of-nintendo-eshop-shutdown.

“E.T. And the U.S Market Crash.” National Videogame Museum, thenvm.org/objects/e-t-and-the-u-s-market-crash/.

Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies . 28 Oct. 2024, public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2024-24563.pdf.

Good, Owen S. “Sony Confirms PlayStation Store for PS3, PS Vita Closing This Summer.” Polygon, Polygon.com, 29 Mar. 2021, www.polygon.com/22356858/playstation-store-shut-down-ps3-ps-vita-psp-date-redownload-purchases/. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

Khalil, Jirard. “I Bought EVERY Nintendo Wii U & 3DS Game before the Nintendo EShop Closes.” YouTube, 18 Mar. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujHUMG0Uovs.

Lex Briscuso. “Netflix to Remove ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ from Platform in an Effort to Ditch Interactive Programming.” IGN, 9 May 2025, www.ign.com/articles/netflix-to-remove-black-mirror-bandersnatch-from-platform-in-an-effort-to-ditch-interactive-programming.

Moon, Mariella. “Sony Has Been Backing up Its PS5 Game Builds as Part of a Preservation Effort.” Engadget, 29 Mar. 2025, www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-has-been-backing-up-its-ps5-game-builds-as-part-of-a-preservation-effort-150025423.html?src=rss&guccounter=1.

“Museum Obtains Rare Demo of Id Software’s Super Mario Bros. 3 PC Port.” Ars Technica, 13 July 2021, arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/07/museum-obtains-rare-demo-of-id-softwares-super-mario-bros-3-pc-port/.

Ore, Jonathan. “Preserving Video Game History Is about More than Nostalgia.” CBC, 17 Jan. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/video-game-preservation-movement-1.3937421.

Orland, Kyle. “Can an Online Library of Classic Video Games Ever Be Legal?” Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2024, arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/04/can-an-online-library-of-classic-video-games-ever-be-legal/.

Parrish, Ash. “Saints Row Developer Volition Permanently Shuts Down.” The Verge, 31 Aug. 2023, www.theverge.com/2023/8/31/23854126/volition-shuts-down-embracer-group-saints-row.

Robarge, Drew. “From Landfill to Smithsonian Collections: ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’ Atari 2600 Game.” National Museum of American History Behring Center, 15 Dec. 2014, americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/landfill-smithsonian-collections-et-extra-terrestrial-atari-2600-game.

Ruberg, Bo. “Bio & Contact / Our Glass Lake.” Ourglasslake.com, 2022, ourglasslake.com/about/.

Ryan, Jim. “PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita Will Continue Operations.” PlayStation.Blog, 19 Apr. 2021, blog.playstation.com/2021/04/19/playstation-store-on-ps3-and-ps-vita-will-continue-operations/.

Salvador, Phil. “Statement on the DMCA 2024 Triennial Review Ruling | Video Game History Foundation.” Video Game History Foundation, 25 Oct. 2024, gamehistory.org/dmca-2024-statement/.

Salvador, Phil. “Survey of the Video Game Reissue Market in the United States.” Zenodo, 10 July 2023, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7996492.

Scott, Ross. “Stop Killing Games.” Stop Killing Games, www.stopkillinggames.com/.

“SIGGRAPH Asia 2024.” Siggraph Asia 2024 Tokyo, 30 Oct. 2023, asia.siggraph.org/2024/index.html.

“Square Enix, Capcom, Taito, and Sega aim to archive past development materials to preserve historical assets for research and exhibitions [SIGGRAPH Asia 2024],” Game Makers Japan, 12 Dec. 2024, gamemakers.jp/article/2024_12_27_89320/.

“The Digital Millennium Copyright Act.” www.copyright.gov, 2022, www.copyright.gov/dmca/.

Totilo, Stephen. PlayStation’s Extraordinary Effort to Preserve Its Game-Making History. 28 Mar. 2025, www.gamefile.news/p/playstations-extraordinary-effort.

“Unacceptable Loss: Video Game Preservation in Libraries and Archives,” Software Preservation Network, 2025, www.softwarepreservationnetwork.org/unacceptable-loss-video-game-preservation-in-libraries-and-archives/.

Wheeler, David. “Digital Preservation Symposium at the Strong Draws Global Gamers to Rochester.” WHEC.com, 22 Aug. 2024, www.whec.com/top-news/digital-preservation-symposium-at-the-strong-draws-global-gamers-to-rochester/.

“Video Game History Museum.” Youtube, 30 Jan. 2025, youtu.be/6Tysm_Wf60Q?si=zBTy2NIgw55vNW-D.

“Wii U & Nintendo 3DS EShop Discontinuation Q&A | Nintendo Support.” Nintendo.com, 2023, https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/57847.

Winslow, Levi. “Sony Will Close PS3, PS Vita, PSP Stores This Summer.” GameSpot, 29 Mar. 2021, www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-will-close-ps3-ps-vita-psp-stores-this-summer/1100-6489467/.

Thanks for reading Arcade Academia Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadeacademia.substack.com