Join Nevada Humanities on Thursday, April 24, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm PT for a Humanities at Play live stream event with Akil Fletcher, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Society of Fellows and Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Princeton University. During the first hour of our live stream, we will discuss topics including Black world building, gaming experiences and community, death and grief, capitalism and monetization, and representation in games and gaming lore. The second hour of our program will consist of an interactive Q&A and interview where we will learn more about Fletcher’s research and work.
Audience participation is welcome and encouraged. While no account is needed to tune in, we encourage you to create a free Twitch account so you can participate in the chat with us.
Photo courtesy of Akil Fletcher
Akil Fletcher is an anthropologist who researches race and video games at Princeton University. His work intersects the fields of Anthropology, African American Studies, and Game Studies. Dr. Fletcher earned his B.A. in Anthropology from the City College of New York and his Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine. Fletcher is the recipient of multiple awards and grants, such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the National Science Foundation Dissertation Research Grant, and the UCI President’s Fellowship.
His research examines how Black individuals create identity, community, and alternative forms of play and being within online games and gaming spaces. Using his expertise, Fletcher has authored multiple pieces on the Black experience in video games and has developed community driven initiatives, such as Camp Kiki, a youth esports initiative, to teach about the possibilities for games and community. In his dissertation, "Playing in Color: An Exploration of Black Gaming Communities and Practices,” Fletcher examines how online Black communities use digital platforms to form selfhood and relationships in gaming spaces while circumventing forms of racism and anti-Blackness in games like Final Fantasy XIV and communication platforms like Discord. Currently, Fletcher is developing his book project, Playing in Color: How Black Gamers Build Worlds, which engages with how Black gamers use gaming technologies to imagine new worlds of play within pre-established game worlds.
Humanities at Play explores and showcases the significance of the humanities in everyday life through games, media, and popular culture. Join us for dynamic and interactive online and in-person events designed to spark thoughtful conversation and reflection. Learn more here.
