Biliken doll

I had the amazing opportunity through a G. Rollie Adams Research Fellowship to visit The Strong National Museum of Play in order to conduct research for my project on metaplay.
The purpose of this fellowship was to build on my dissertation research, specifically delving further into the theory of metaplay. In my review of the literature, metaplay was poorly defined and inconsistent in its (under)utilization in scholarship since eminent anthropologist Gregory Bateson loosely introduced the idea in a conference paper in […]

Continue Reading about Chasing Brian Sutton-Smith and Gregory Bateson: Retracing Metaplay Published on:
May 9, 2025

The Strong is honored to announce the acquisition of a collection of material from pioneering game developer Volition, the developers behind iconic titles such as Descent, Red Faction, and Saints Row. The donation includes design documentation, physical props, concept art, game builds, and some source assets, providing an in-depth look into the studio’s development process.

Continue Reading about Preserving the History of Volition Published on:
May 1, 2025

The Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play sits quietly on the third floor of The Strong above the excitement and joy of our museum guests. Most guests don’t realize that this library even exists or that it is one of the largest study collections on play in the world. The library collection is one central element to the museum’s mission to share the history and many meanings of play. The library helps the staff as they consider new exhibitions, […]

Continue Reading about A Research Library atop The Strong Museum—Powered by Donations Published on:
April 25, 2025

In 1980, American youth raced to their television sets on Saturday mornings, not for cartoons, but to play Space Invaders on their Atari 2600s. Fast forward to today, where players worldwide coordinate across time zones to join massive multiplayer matches in Fortnite’s shared virtual world, using devices ranging from smartphones to gaming consoles. The contrast is staggering in comparison to a mere 44 years ago. This then begs the question: how did what began as a hobbyist pursuit in the […]

Continue Reading about From Space Invaders to Fortnite: A Look Back at the Evolution of Video Gaming Published on:
April 18, 2025

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
Legendary game show host and producer Wink Martindale passed away on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at the age of 91. The team at the National Archives of Game Show History looks back at his life and amazing career. (Martindale completed an oral history with the Archives in 2023.)
A NAME THAT YOU’D BAT AN EYE AT
When James & Frances Martindale brought a baby boy into the world on December 4, […]

Continue Reading about Remembering Wink Martindale Published on:
April 16, 2025

As spring makes its way to Rochester, days are longer, new birdcalls fill the air, and I’m newly aware of—rabbits. Yes, there’s the Easter Bunny each springtime, but my rabbit radar ranges much more broadly. Since I’m a gardener, rabbits aren’t always my friends. Cute as they may be, rabbits seem somewhat less charming as they mow down seedlings or nip off the fresh and delicious growth on perennials in my flowerbeds. On the other hand, as a curator, the […]

Continue Reading about Hop to It: The Rise of the Rabbits Published on:
April 11, 2025

In my first nine months working as the Curatorial Assistant at The Strong, I’ve been immersed in the world of “play” in a way that I haven’t been in a very long time. It’s been refreshing, illuminating, and has caused me to reflect upon my own childhood—how I played as a kid and the ways in which my toys may have shaped my identity as an adult.
I loved playing with dolls, specifically Barbies, Bratz, and American Girl Dolls. Like many […]

Continue Reading about Imaginary Worlds and Real Identities: The Impact of Dolls on Gender and Sexuality Published on:
April 7, 2025

Contemporary travel is a special kind of pandemonium, an admixture of excitement, fear, consumerism, and intense security measures. It can be a rather playful experience too, particularly in the U.S. The stops that took me from Pullman, Washington, where currently I live and work, to The Strong National Museum of Play are a case in point. First it was Pullman to Spokane, then it was Spokane to Las Vegas, where I transferred to a flight to Rochester, New York. To […]

Continue Reading about Relational Play Published on:
March 28, 2025

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
A new movie coming out on April 4, The Luckiest Man in America, chronicles one of the most famous (some would say infamous) moments in game show history. Paul Walter Hauser stars as Michael Larson, an ice cream truck driver who made history in the strangest of ways as a contestant on Press Your Luck in 1984. If you want to be surprised by what happened, stop reading now, […]

Continue Reading about “Luckiest” Man in Game Shows Published on:
March 27, 2025