Shelfies #15: Rachel Kowert

I picked this shelf because it is such a good smattering of all the things that are important to me - fantasy fiction, science of games, graphic novels, with a touch of humor.

Now you may notice my shelves are color-coded which does limit the books I can talk about for this piece in relation to all of the books I own, but these are the prices we pay for a pleasant visual aesthetic!

The Witcher collection of books is important to me because it is what spawned my desire to start the Psychgeist of Pop Culture book series, that has grown into a collection of 20 books in production over the next two years. Geralt will always hold a special place in my heart.

The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games by Christopher A. Paul is one of my favorite books within "game studies" that has ever been written. This book breaks down, in the author’s own words, "why gaming culture is the worst '' and how we got there (To be clear, I would consider myself a gamer, and love gamers, and do not think gamers themselves are the worst, but do agree that the culture has seen better days). This book has helped me bring words to feelings and has become a cornerstone of the work I do today in and around gaming cultures. 

Well That Explains It by Marie Shanley is also on this shelf. This is a fantastic collection of personal essays from my good friend M (also known as MXiety on the internet). There is nothing I love more than my friends bringing their dreams to life and I'm proud to have this sitting on my shelf behind me.

Last but not least, my beloved moogle. This moogle plushie was brought home from a dear friend all the way from Japan because (in the days before the internet was what the internet was) I have always been obsessed with Final Fantasy 6, and it was impossible in the states to source a Final Fantasy 6 Moogle plushie. This little guy will always have a special place on my shelf (and in my heart)

Dr. Rachel Kowert is a research psychologist, award winning author, and globally recognized leader in the field of digital games. She is also the founder of Psychgeist, a multimedia content production studio for the science of games and pop culture. You can learn more about her and her work at www.rkowert.com and www.youtube.com/psychgeist.

Shelfies is edited by Lavie Tidhar and Jared Shurin. If you are interested in sharing a shelfie, please let us know.