Vic Kendall Weiss

Biography

My work to date has focused primarily on gaming cultures, tabletop role-playing games, and the intersections of folklore, magic, and literary studies, particularly through queer and neurodiverse perspectives. I have also carried out research into classical reception, digital media, and intersectional approaches to narrative, embodiment, and identity across interactive and literary forms. My undergraduate dissertation, Belonging on the High Seas: A Resurgence of the Golden Age of Piracy through the Queer Kinship Founded in Modern Representations of Pirates, was awarded the Gamini Salgado Dissertation Prize. During this period, I also presented work on gender and sexuality in digital media, including Unprescribed vs Hyper-performative Sexuality in Classical Video Games: Stray Gods (2023) and Non-Binary Representation at the Women and Sexuality in Classical Video Games conference.

My postgraduate research within the Magic and Occult Sciences MA program was recognised with the Glencairn Balfour-Paul Prize for my dissertation Playing the Unseen: Queering Embodiment and Spirituality in Role-Playing Games. In this time I also presented research on queer embodiment, play and identity across multiple academic venues, including Magical Bodies and Those That Play Them: A Critical, Queer Study of the Actualisation and Identification of Magical Playable Characters in Video Game RPGs (Interactive Games PGR Conference, York), and “The Blood is the Life”: Navigating Queer Identity and “the Masquerade” in Vampiric Subcultures (SWPACA: Esotericism, Occultism, and Magic).

I am currently undertaking a PhD project titled Re/Role the Past: Tabletop Storytelling as Queer, Radical Pedagogy in Heritage Spaces, supervised by Dr Rob Sherman and Dr Joseph Crawford. Alongside my academic research, I am also a working game developer, with a focus on narrative design and inclusive storytelling.

I am always happy to connect with others working in related areas, and welcome people to reach out if they would like to discuss my research, collaboration opportunities, or shared interests