Talks

Invited talks

“Characters and Voice Actors in Genshin Impact”: Transmedia Character Studies: Interdisciplinary and Media-comparative Approaches, Eberhard Karls-University of Tuebingen, Germany, 30-03-2022 – 01-04-2022. (Keynote).

“Character Apophenia: Finding meaning in Genshin Impact”: Northern Star Seminar – Apophenia—, Nord University, Bodø, 09 – 10 December 2021. (Keynote).

“New designers’ condition”: 24H Worldwide Design Conversations –2nd edition, The Polimi Design System, Politecnico Milano (Italy), 23 June 2021. Online conversation with dr. Ilaria Mariani. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zHcbmXaYTU&ab_channel=DipartimentoDesign

Mediated Intimacy: Para-social relationships with game characters: Seminarium Groznawcze Online, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin (Poland), 05 May 2021. Blom, J.H. Online presentation.

Selected presentations

““Honor Died on the Beach”: Constructing Japaneseness through Monstrosity in Ghost of Tsushima”, Part of panel: Pop Culture Samurai: Representations of Pre-Modern Japan in New Media. Segal, E.I., Blom, J.H., Laird, C.A., and Tsutsui W.M., AAS 2022 Annual Conference, Honolulu (Hawai’i) March 24 – 27 April 2022. Blom, J.H., and Ford. D.

Lion, Eagle, or Deer? Playing with Nationalism in Fire Emblem: Three Houses:  PCA 2021 Annual Conference, 02 – 06 June 2021. Part of the panel: Game Studies XV: Representing Japan: Discourses of Nationalism in Games. Blom, J.H., Hutchinson, R., Mondelli, F., and Schules, D. Online presentation.  

“It’s just equipment, don’t get attached”:  Caring About or Just Using Non-Player Characters: Care and Video Games Conference, HSE Art School, PhD Art and Design School at HSE, Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Tyumen (Russia), 26 – 28 May 2021. Houe, N.P, and Blom, J.H. Online presentation.

Voice Assistants as Characters. Panel : New Perspectives on Character : AI, Data-driven, and Transmedial: International Conference on Narrative, 19 – 22 May 2021. Blom, J.H. Online presentation.

“Not everyone can be a samurai”: Constructing Japanese-ness through monstrosity in Ghost of Tsushima : Monstrosity : The 17th Annual Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar, Tampere University (Finland) 20 – 22 April 2021. Ford, D., and Blom, J.H. Online presentation.

The Construction of Game Characters: The Character Seminar 2019, IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark), 31 October – 01 November 2019. Blom, J.H. 

Characters, Avatars, and Kyara: Games in a Character Ecology: Replaying Japan 2019, Kyoto (Japan) 09 – 11 2019. Blom, J.H. Peer Reviewed without Proceedings. 

The System of Affection in JRPGs. Panel: Japanese Role-Playing Games in the Ludo Mix: Paradigms, Practices, and Challenges: DiGRA 2019, Kyoto (Japan) 06 – 10 August 2019. Blom, J.H., Peer-Reviewed without Proceedings.  

The Definition and Construction of Dynamic Game Characters in Digital Games: Ropecon, Helsinki (Finland), 26 July 2019. Blom, J.H., Peer Reviewed.  https://2019.ropecon.fi/eng/program/academic-seminar/ (Recording available here)

The Manifestations of Characters in Games and Manga in the Media Mix: Comics/Games: Aesthetics, Ludic, and Narrative Strategies, Hanover (Germany), 05 – 07 November 2018. Blom, J.H., Peer Reviewed without Proceedings. 

Character Construction in Visual Novels as Ergodic Literature. Panel: Approaching Visual Novels in a Media Mix Context: Transfers, Movements, and Contrasts: Mechademia 2018, Kyoto (Japan), 25 – 27 May 2018. Andlauer, L., Barnabé, F., Blom, J.H., Mukae, S., Peer Reviewed without Proceedings. 

Frames of Knowledge: Player and Playable Figure: GamesLit 2017, Montreal (Canada), 20 – 22 October 2017. Blom, J.H., Peer Reviewed without Proceedings. 

Characters as Gateways to the Game World: Replaying Japan, Rochester (NY, USA), 21 – 23 August 2017. Blom, J.H., Peer Reviewed without Proceedings. 

Understanding Games through a Character-World Framework: DiGRA 2017, Melbourne (Australia), 4 – 7 July 2017. Blom, J.H., Peer Reviewed without Proceedings. 

Humor and Satire in the Garbage Games: Spectating Play, the 13th Annual Game Research Lab Spring Seminar, Tampere (Finland), 24 – 25 April 2017. Blom, J.H., Paper Presentation without Peer Review.