Games - Quillette

A woman and two men on stage in front of a poster at the GRIT awards.

Tabletop Gaming’s Anti-Israel Meltdown: The Strange Tale of Waffles and Syrup

When the CEO of a boardgame awards show boasted publicly that she’d be disqualifying all nominees who ‘identify as Zionists,’ her event was quickly dropped from North America’s biggest game convention.

Jonathan Kay

2 Jul 2024 · 12 min read

Embracing the Passion and Perfection of Chess

While claims of skill transfer may be overblown, there is still benefit to be had in the tiny, claustrophobic world of the game.

Iona Italia

20 May 2023 · 12 min read

Quillette Podcast #179: Racist Orcs, Ableist Adventures, and Non-Binary Monsters: Can ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Survive Wokeness?

Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to psychology professor Christopher J. Ferguson about his newly published academic paper, Are Orcs Racist? Dungeons and Dragons, Ethnocentrism, Anxiety, and the Depiction of ‘Evil’ Monsters.

Quillette

31 Jan 2022 · 1 min read

The Videogame That Takes Us Inside the Hell of a Nazi-Run World

The New Order starts off in 1962, but not the 1962 we know. In this timeline, the Axis powers have conquered Eurasia, and are now seeking to bring Africa to heel, along with other far-flung corners of the world.

Carlos Miguel del Callar

26 Nov 2020 · 9 min read

Are Gamer Stereotypes Accurate?

An FBI investigation into the episode produced a heavily redacted report that satisfied no one.

Christopher J. Ferguson

11 Apr 2020 · 8 min read

Goa, Gods, Gandhi and Greed: Lessons in Colonialism from Four Boardgames

It’s really a collection of subcultures, since fans of one gaming niche often have little interest in any of the others.

Jonathan Kay

17 Jan 2020 · 13 min read

Entering the Mind of an Inuit Whale-Hunter

Klarmann and Eklund didn’t care about getting players to admire Indigenous peoples, even if that is what they achieved. They were just two nerds trying to make a good game.

Jonathan Kay

21 Jan 2019 · 16 min read